Field Test: Café Board Doppio Intenso 14”x20.5”
Photo courtesy: Simone Tugnoli Peron
In the SUP racing market, which is almost exclusively dominated by mass-produced industrial lines, there is a company that has decided to reverse the trend, returning to the origins of the material while keeping its eyes firmly fixed on maximum hydrodynamic performance. We are talking about Café Board, the brand that handcrafts SUP boards in its workshop in Horní Věstonice, Czech Republic, redefining the very concept of sports manufacturing. I have thoroughly analyzed their flagship model: the Doppio Intenso 14”x20.5”, which is also available in 21.5” and 24” versions.
Construction Philosophy: "Born for water. Made from wood."
What radically sets the Doppio Intenso apart from any other ready-to-race board on the market lies in its core. We are not talking about an EPS core wrapped in resin, but a completely hollow structure, built entirely by hand using carefully selected paulownia wood.
Paulownia, renowned for its extraordinary ratio of lightness, flexibility, and moisture resistance, is handcrafted to create an ultra-light yet incredibly robust shell. The true technical secret behind this construction lies in its structural rigidity. The absence of longitudinal flex in the board under the power of the paddle stroke ensures immediate power transfer. Every fraction of energy exerted by the athlete translates into pure forward momentum, offering a direct response and millimeter-level control that traditional boards struggle to replicate over long distances.
Field Test: The Verdict from the Race Courses
To evaluate its reliability, I wanted to extensively test the Doppio Intenso in events with diverse conditions and across different contexts, laying bare the shape's behavior in every environment.
Handling Open Water and Chop (Opatija and Taranto):In the open sea, both in the Adriatic chop of Opatija in Croatia and in the variable currents of Taranto, the Doppio Intenso debunked the myth that wood is a purely aesthetic choice or limited to flat water. The millimeter-precise distribution of internal volumes and the nose shape allow the board to pierce through waves without pearling. The rigidity of the hollow wood drastically reduces the parasitic rolling effect generated by side flows, delivering unexpected secondary stability for a 20.5” board.
Photo: Andy Klotz
Glide and Efficiency in Inland Waters (Trasimeno and Faaker See): On the flat but "heavy" waters of Lake Trasimeno and in the alpine basin of Faaker See in Austria, the pure gliding qualities of the craft truly shone. The finish and the waterlines of the hull allow for the maintenance of cruise speed while reducing overall hydrodynamic drag. In technical turns and buoy restarts, the structural response prevents any energy loss, maintaining a constant glide—intended as progressive dynamic flotation—between paddle strokes.
The Endurance Test: The Ivan Patzaichin International Marathon (Romania): The baptism of fire with the Doppio Intenso took place in the heart of the Danube Delta. In one of the most selective marathons on the continent, I faced kilometers of continuous navigation. Here, Czech craftsmanship proved its worth in terms of ride comfort: the wood's ability to absorb the fluid's micro-vibrations allowed me to maintain a steady average pace of 6'21"/km, which enabled me to finish 4th overall and 1st among the SUP Masters category. The consistency of the design was further validated by the overall performance of my teammate, Francesco Malaspina, who, on the same line of boards (but in the 24” size), set his own personal distance record.
Beyond its undeniable performance value, there is another fundamental aspect that elevates the Czech brand's products: manufacturing ethics. Precisely because of their handcrafted nature and the use of a noble, renewable raw material like paulownia, these boards are highly eco-friendly, drastically reducing the environmental footprint compared to traditional petroleum-derived industrial composites.
Since there are no rigid industrial molds or mass productions involved, every Café Board is a blank canvas. The boards are completely customizable in every aspect: from the millimeter dimensions of the shape to match the athlete's weight and paddling style, right down to the aesthetic design, colors, and graphic finishes.
The Verdict
The Café Board Doppio Intenso demonstrates that European local craftsmanship and the use of natural materials are not a limit to performance, but an added value. Engineer Martin Starý has successfully transformed hollow wood into a hi-tech competition material. It is a precise, lightweight board (**10.5 kg for the 14"x20.5" version**) packed with excellent structural responsiveness, dedicated to anyone looking for a unique, durable, eco-friendly, and tailor-made craft for their races.
