Airhead Napali Inflatable Paddle Board Review

Inflatable stand up paddle boarding has grown significantly popular in the last few years which resulted in a very active and competitive industry with plenty of brands and options to choose from.

Airhead Sports Group is one of these companies that took on a challenge to make different items for all different outdoor activities, thus; the Airhead SUP and Accessories exists.

Airhead promises nothing but quality iSUPs for their customers and that’s something we can sense in their customer service and the amount of dedication they put into each and every inflatable stand up paddle board of theirs.

The Airhead Napali iSUP is our guy this time and this is an attempt to cover everything you need to know about it since you’re here.

Airhead Napali iSUP Review – Features & Specs

Measurements

The Napali is one of Airhead’s many iSUPs designed for cruising; it’s a standard board with some nice dimensions that can handle a fully grown adult.

It’s 10.6 feet long, 30 inches wide and 4 inches thick which together brought a light, responsive iSUP that can be smoothly handled in different water conditions.

The weight capacity on the Napali iSUP is 210 lbs and that’ll allow anyone to bring some extra cargo on board. Also, the fact that it’s 30 inches wide gave it a spacious and comfortable feel for different paddling positions. This board can also be used in kayak-mode which is always a plus for inflatable SUPs.

Now the little fact that the Napali is only 4 inches wide might cause some of you to rethink being here, but let me tell you something; a cruising iSUP is not always meant to be so thick. Cruising requires a slim iSUP that can cut through water effortlessly. Consequently; the Napali is light and somehow compacted to be as swift as possible in the water.

Quality

Airhead, like many other respectable brands, knew that they had to choose nothing but quality PVC material to build the Napali iSUP; a material that’s highly flexible and durable at the same time to strengthen the board’s core when it’s fully inflated, and even when the board is deflated, you can see that its body is rigid and stiff.

PVC material goes hand in hand with drop stitch technology which is not something new. The drop stitch technology is used to ensure a greater density and coherence for the iSUP’s body. Therefore, the Napali is guaranteed to be as stiff as ever once it’s fully inflated.

Rocks, stones, and other harsh outdoors conditions will not damage this board, but a very sharp object is highly to damage it because it’ll always be an inflatable one, that’s why it’s always a good call to be a friendly user.

In terms of details and features, taking a closer look will allow you to see how everything is neatly glued in place reflecting the minuteness with which this board was made.

Features

• To begin with, the Napali iSUP is featured with a very grippy traction pad that covers half its back where you need to stand or sit in order to paddle. It’s thick and soft to boost comfort and board’s stiffness as well.

• There is also a bungee system with 4 D-rings on the front and together they work as a storage area where you can secure/stow any of your needed gear.

• You’ll find another 2 D-rings right below to enhance the board’s functionality allowing you to attach a kayak seat or you can simply have more cargo on board.

• Moving on, the Napali is featured with a central carry handle to ease its transportation. Anyone can carry this inflated board with one single hand while the other one is free to grab anything else.

• This last feature is what brings stand up paddle boarding to be as similar to authentic surfing. The Napali iSUP is featured with a trio-fin navigation system that improves its performance in different water conditions making it a versatile cruising iSUP. The 3 fins are removable for easy and safe packing/storing.

Performance

The Napali iSUP was pretty awesome when it came down to tracking and maneuverability; it didn’t require much of an effort to control and direct this board especially in flat water.

The navigation system helped greatly in keeping the iSUP nicely stable which is a bonus once you decide to take on some waves using the Napali.

As for speed, we all agreed that you can easily speed up your pace with a board like this; it’s slim and sharp to make knifing through water a pleasing task instead of a daunting. However, one got to admit that racing iSUP are way faster than the Napali.

Finally, the Napali iSUP can do really well as a beginner’s board; however, it was designed with mediocre level paddlers in mind for better control.

Packaging

The Napali iSUP’s package is what you can call minimalistic or we can be frank about it and state all the items that are lacking. It’s very usual that numerous good paddle boards come with incomplete package.

With no further ado, this is what you’ll be getting once you order the Napali:

• A carry backpack with mesh panels to make sure the packed iSUP gets enough ventilation to dry up.
• A hand pump with gauge and anemometer.
• A valve wrench.

That’s it; no paddle, no leash and no repair kit. You can easily handle the missing items but let’s all agree that it would’ve been a lot better if they were already included.