Name: Aqua Marina Hyper Review
Item: Aqua Marina Hyper
Author: Supconnect

Who is it for?

If you’re searching for a beginner-friendly inflatable touring board that is under $1,000 USD check out the Hyper from Aqua Marina. This board is designed with touring in mind and can go mid to longer range distances, in the ballpark of 3 to 5 miles. The Hyper is available in two different sizes, 11’6 or 12’6 and comes with a leash, fin, pump and bag so if you need a paddle you’ll have to get that separately.

First Impressions

Aside from the bold colors used in the design, the double chamber on the Hyper immediately grabbed our attention. This double chamber is a huge value add. Not only does it add an additional layer of safety by adding up to 48 liters of safety floatation but it also helps the rigidity of the board. Win-win. Another noticeable feature is the hydrodynamic rail edges (REC Edge™) incorporated here.

One of the trade offs of having an inflatable is that you lose the ability to really shape the board for performance in the water and one of the features that you lose is the ability to have an edge on the rails, which helps the board normally get a, what's called a bite or a hold, like an edge and track in the water. But with these rail edges, this is an attempt to add a bit of an edge to the tail of the board to help the water flow better, like you would see on a composite board. Very thoughtful touch!!

The board features a number of bells and whistles that are great additions. The bungees on both the nose and tail of the board are great for storing gear but they’re also unique in that they’re flat instead of the cord shape which is a nice touch. The board was really manageable when carrying to the water and is at an average weight for an inflatable of this size. Wasn’t lightweight but not overly heavy either.

On the water, the board felt very stable despite it being narrower than the standard 32”+ that typically make a board stable. The dual chamber very likely has helped on that front, not to mention the added safety that it brings.

Overall, this board would be a good transition board from all around to touring as it's still pretty stable and good for a more novice paddler. Even though this board doesn’t come as a complete package (paddle not included) what it does feature was really impressive and deserving of Supconnect’s A-Grade.