Starboard Yoga Inflatable

If you’ve been around the iSUP world for any length of time, it should come as no surprise that a number of paddleboarders use their board for activities other than simply going from point A to point B. Of those, yoga is by far one of the most popular and more than a few companies have designed boards specifically for that purpose.

Length	Width	Thickness	Weight	Weight Capacity
10'0"	34"	6''	21 lbs	254 lbs

Performance

One of our favorite things about Starboard is how they have designed so many purpose-built models of iSUPs with each fulling their purpose to the T. However, this tends to come at the cost of a compromise in areas that we might find to be standard for an iSUP. For instance, the single most important feature of a yoga board is a stability and in this area, the Yoga Inflatable is top of its class. The board is not only thick (6 inches), it’s also extra wide (34”). Stability is an essential component to a yoga board since if you’re going to be turning yourself into a pretzel in the middle of a lake, the last thing you want is to worry about falling off your board.

The price to be paid for all this stability is with speed. Since the board is so wide, you need some extra muscles if you want any chance of catching up with most of the other boards on the water. But considering the main purpose of this board, being slow shouldn’t be counted against it as most yoga board are in the same boat (no pun intended).

Thanks to a unique fin system, the board moves quite well, so maneuvering shouldn’t present an issue at all. This is great for finding that perfect spot and getting into your perfect position before starting your poses, especially if you’re on the water with friends.

Features

The Yoga Inflatable has a few subtle features that prove the designers were paying attention. For of all, there are 2 carry handles, 1 in the middle of easy transport on land and a second on the tail for moving in and out of the water without worrying about damaging the fins. Since they know you’ll need to space, the center fin is flat, lying flush with the board when not in use.

On the side of the board, you’ll find an attachment point that’s made for both a carrying strap (sold separately) and a convenient place to attach your paddle (sold separately) to keep it out of the way while you’re exercising.

The deck pad, while not especially thick, is comfortable enough and is designed to keep you from slipping even if you’re doing advanced poses on a wet board. An FCS mount was added to the nose of the board if you want to attach a GoPro or other device.

Design

This is an iSUP that is setup to do exactly what it’s designed to do which is paddle out on calm water and keep you stable while you work out and look good while doing it. While you don’t have a choice in design, the board is quite beautiful with a purple and pink design obviously directly toward the ladies.

Compared to the rest of the Starboard iSUPs, this is one of the flattest. While this may work against you when you’re actually paddling, it helps to create a steadier platform to do your yoga poses.

There’s a fair amount of storage on this boards as would be expected. This included a 4-point bungee area toward the front as well as 7 D-rings. These include 4 with the bungees as well as 1 on the back for an ankle leash and 2 up front for docking or towing.

Construction

While Starboard generally give a choice of 1 of 4 construction options, the All Star only has one available — the Deluxe Single Chamber. Essentially, it’s a single chamber inflation area on the inside but reinforced rails that use a heat process on their seams versus the traditional glue in addition to drop stitching.

Since this is a single chamber iSUP, you can expect a standard setup time for inflation and deflation. However, just remember that the fixed fins will make rolling it up a little more difficult.

Included Accessories

Out of the box, you get a backpack, ankle leash and tiki air pump. As a side note, the air pump is made from recycled fishing nets and the newest version is 10% more efficient than the previous model. Note that this board does not include a paddle.

A neat extra feature that can be purchased is a floating docking port where you can connect up to 10 boards together so that you can all enjoy your yoga session together.

Our Verdict

We never cease to be impressed with the Starboard philosophy of having a product for just about every conceivable activity on the water. Strangely, not only do they have this yoga board, but they also have another that is basically a floating yoga mat. If you plan of using this in a pool or exceptionally calm waters, you may want to look into that model. However, the Yoga Inflatable works out great both as a yoga platform an actual usable iSUP instead of being truly 1 trick pony.

As long as you’re looking to use this for its intended purpose, we have very little negative to say about this board. However, the fact that the board doesn’t come with a paddle at this price point is a little off-putting since you’ll have to factor that into your purchasing decision.

Bottom line:

if you’re looking to get some serious yoga one out on the water and possibly invite a friend or 10, the Starboard Yoga Inflatable is definitely worth the time to consider.