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Multi-Chamber Inflatable Technology (MCIT)Characteristics in the existing drop stitch technology used by most inflatable board makers limit the ability to incorporate performance enhancing design elements. The nature of the drop stitch material is that it has a consistent thickness, therefore design variations have been limited to outline shape and rocker curve. Badfish teamed with Boardworks on new technology that has enabled us to make Inflatable SUP's with design elements that were previously only possible in hard boards. With MCIT we are incorporating tapered rails, with a larger diameter in the mid section than the thickness of the main deck tapering to smaller diameter in the nose and tail. This enables the boards to have greater stability and to be more responsive than other inflatable's. These new boards also have a stepped down deck, lowering the paddler's center of gravity and a type of stringer system, where the chambers connect, resulting in a significantly more rigid inflatable. This all makes the Boardworks/Badfish new inflatables an excellent choice for all levels of SUP, including entry level, school's, touring, as well as advanced river running and surfing. Specs
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Introducing the Badfish Inflatable River SUP
February 25, 2012
1 Comment
I tried the new Badfish inflatable (March 10 &11, 2012) from Surf Blue Ridge and it was truly a bad little fishy. Just fun, fun, fun. Like when you were a kid with an inflatable raft - only this thing is made to move down a river.
I did a test day on a lake using the third detachable fin and it tracked well, seemed amazingly rigid and kept decent speed.
For my test runs on Talking Rock Creek, I took off the third fin and it cruised down river very well. It took some getting used to when crossing eddy lines without burying those inflatable sidewalls. I had to "high-side" rafting style a few times off the start coming into eddies after letting the sidewalls catch. I can't say exactly what I did to change, but once I got the feel for weighting the downriver foot, this was no longer a problem.
I went with a canoer and kayaker and we all judged the speed of the Badfish to be completely adequate.
On Sunday with the lower water level on Talking Rock, the Badfish got a chance to show off its toughness. Although mostly smooth rock river, the bottom of the Badfish showed no signs of wear.
A few other comments:
I liked the ease of transport for the inflatable, it made shuttle logistics a lot easier. But the backpack that comes with it is too small. After both days on the river, I gave up trying to get it back into the pack and just folded it up.
The only concern I had was with the pump. I have nothing to back this up with, but the pump just felt flimsy when the chambers started getting tight.