This SUP Knows What’s Up

It’s summer. It’s hotter than a pepper sprout. You’re going to the lake. Should you bring the kayak or the paddleboard? Choices. The paddleboard industry has an answer to this dilemma: The hybrid inflatable SUP with a kayak seat, which is the best of both worlds.
Bote has long included a kayak seat with some of its pricier offerings, like the Bote Breeze Aero (7/10, WIRED Review) we tested last year, but the new Bote Lowrider Aero comes in a tandem option. It adds two seats and anchor points for Bote’s Rac system, making it possible to have an SUP that can carry the full fishing rig of a kayak in a single craft. It is the best of many worlds.
The Bote Lowrider comes in two sizes: A 10-foot, 6-inch single-person version, with a single seat, and the 11-foot, 6-inch tandem version, which features two seats. I tested the latter, though nearly everything here will apply to the former as well. It’s just a foot shorter and only has one seat.
The Lowrider is the widest SUP in Bote’s lineup at 36 inches. It’s big. Really big. This makes the Lowrider very stable, which is what you want when you’re trying to use it as a tandem sit-on-top kayak (or even a single sit-on-top). It also makes it a very beginner-friendly paddleboard, since you don’t need insane balance to use it. If you do have insane balance, it’s a good platform for SUP yoga and the like, although I remain convinced SUP yoga is something people only do in promotional videos.
The first thing I noticed when taking the Lowrider out of the storage bag (which is much nicer than Bote’s older bags, more on that below) was the massive rear fin. It’s much longer than the detachable fin on the Breeze Aero, and by far the deepest fin I’ve seen on a paddleboard. A sailor friend of mine quipped, “That paddleboard has a draft.”
That deep fin makes the Lowrider track straighter, which means you aren’t constantly veering and correcting course as you paddle. Relative to the Breeze Aero and other boards I’ve used, there is far less side-to-side movement when paddling. The larger surface area of the fin also makes the board a bit more stable in rough water, especially when combined with the width of this board.
I’ve long wanted to do some multiday paddleboarding trips, and I’ve gone so far as to load up about three-quarters of my gear, only to decide it just wasn’t going to work. The Lowrider, however, is capable of such feats. I did not have time to actually do a trip, but I did load it up and paddle around. As you might expect, it was heavy, sat lower in the water, and was slow to turn, but it wasn’t that bad, especially if you put the seat on so you can switch back and forth between standing and sitting. It’s probably outside most people’s use cases, but if you’re a weirdo like me, know that this is probably your best bet for paddlepacking.
Speaking of the seats, they’re quite comfortable and stable. They can be attached in a variety of ways. There are three tie-down points on each side of the board, and the seats themselves have a strap that allows you to adjust the amount you’re lying back. They never get quite as upright as you’d be in a kayak, but I paddled several miles and had no back strain or other pain.
One thing to keep in mind if you’re a seasoned kayaker: You’re much higher on the water than you would be in a kayak. You aren’t going to want to paddle anything technical, but it’s still a stable, comfortable experience, and the board is plenty maneuverable. Cruising flat water, it was surprisingly fast and agile (for something this size), and the Lowrider didn’t blink even when I took it out in a 15-knot wind with pretty good chop. To my mind this is one of the best reasons to get a hybrid. On those rough days when you aren’t going to be standing up, you can still get out on the water.
In keeping with the hybrid approach, the SUP paddles are also convertible. You just pop off the paddleboard top and attach a second paddle to turn it into a kayak paddle. Again, seasoned kayakers might look down their nose at this paddle, but it gets the job done and it’s nice to not have to lug around a second paddle.
Seats aren’t the only thing you can attach to the Lowrider. There are two additional tie-down anchors near the back, which can be used to attach a Kula cooler or similar. There are also two Magnepod anchors, which are magnetic spots on the board that hold your magnetic Magnepod tumbler or speaker in place. Bote has also improved its storage bag from the previous versions I’ve used. The waterproof dry bag now has wheels, in addition to backpack straps. That’s a welcome thing with the Lowrider, because it’s definitely not light.
The back of the Lowrider is where Bote’s Rac system, an extensive set of expansion options, comes into play. There are two Rac receiver mounts on the back of the Lowrider, and the tandem board comes with two mounts. Bote’s Rac system accessories range from multi-pole fishing racks (some of which can also fit a bucket) to electric motor mounts. None of it is cheap, but if you’re looking to extend the possibilities of your paddleboard, this is the best system I’ve used.
Probably my favorite part of the Lowrider in comparison to other paddleboards I’ve tested is the full deck padding. You can stand anywhere on this thing and it’s comfortable, with plenty of traction. This is especially helpful when you’re fishing from it, especially two people trying to fish from it. I did manage to pull this off with my 9-year-old, but I don’t think it would work for two adults, though it might be funny to watch.
The only real downside to the Lowrider Aero in my view is the weight. By the time you get the board, pump, included seats, and two paddles (plus extra extensions to convert them), you’re looking at carrying around about 59 pounds. That’s not a problem with the wheeled bag on a surface where the wheels will work, but I wouldn’t want to carry it far as a backpack. Still, for the money, this is one of the best paddleboards on the market.