Sevylor Willow Inflatable SUP

And now, let’s look at some pictures of particulars: The Willow comes with various essential accessories that many other manufacturer make you pay for. The high pressure pump, the leash and the pack all come with. Some companies offer these as add-ons that can total up to 100$ and more.

The valve on the front of the board accommodates the hose pump with a locking motion. Cool.

A bungee strap and eyelets on the board’s bow are great for bringing along a bag for a towel, snack or whatever. For one of my more ambitious sessions, I loaded up all my gear for an overnight camp and paddled across our local lake.

Three-skeg design on the Willow. The biggest, middle one comes off to allow for a simpler roll up and packing of the board.

Here’s the D-ring on the stern for the leash—handy in fast moving water.

Here’s the robust carrying handle. Check out the EVA grip pad that runs the length of most of the board. It makes for a good grip that also provides some cushioning.

Here’s a shot of the full board. 10’6” of fun.

Features:

- Reinforced drop-stitch technology
- EVA footpad
- High pressure single-interface valve
- 2-plus-1 skeg arrangement
- D-rings with storage bungee
- Carry handle
- Board leash attachment D-ring
- Carry bag, hand pump, pressure gauge and board leash all included

Verdict:

Like for so many things, a fair judgement has to include an appreciation for a product’s intended usage. The Sevylor Willow paddleboard is a “multi-purpose” board so it works well in a number of different conditions. Because I am relatively new to paddleboarding, the Willow is perfect for me. I imagine, though, as I get more and more comfortable with it, I’ll consider looking for something a little longer, and perhaps with a displacement hull that’ll cut through the water a little better. I found the Willow was great for beating around Kootenay Lake—especially for someone just starting out with the sport. I’ve taken it out for short hour-long paddles, extended, multi-hour sessions, a trip on the Pacific and even a fishing trip.

The inflatable aspect is a bonus for travel, certainly. It’s also great if you want to poke into a creek mouth or beach the board. No worries about scratching any carbon fibre hotrod. The downside is that it is less rigid than a rigid board. I pumped it up to the recommended 12 lbs PSI and, even with the drop stitch technology, the SUP still “bowed” a bit underfoot. As you can see in some of the pictures, there’s a bit of a dip under where I am standing, causing the bow and stern to be slightly elevated. This isn’t a big factor for short recreational missions but for longer days, it’d probably be a factor. You’re not taking advantage of the board design if it’s flexing and not flat-bottomed where it should be.

From what I can gather, paddleboarding in virtually any kind of heavy weather is a challenge. I did a lake crossing recently with whitecaps and didn’t have any trouble. In sailing terms, I was on a reach. From my experience, paddling directly into the wind seemed the trickiest on the Willow. As far as tracking goes, I find that if I get into a steady rhythm of three or-so strokes a side, I can keep the board heading pretty straight. Some paddle boarders apparently use a J stroke but I had little-to-no success with my attempts.

I got a paddle (also from Sevylor) with the Willow. I’m thinking it must be for wave riding (it’s called the Maui) because the blade is super big. The paddle was a little heavy too so I splurged and picked up an Accent Octane adjustable. Paddleboarding, at first, looked a little silly to me—then I tried it. I have literally been out on my board for four of the last seven days. The Sevylor Willow has provided me with an excellent intro to paddleboarding. I highly recommend it.

Here I am heading across the lake for an overnight camping session.