The Hobie Eclipse stand up pedal board is a revolutionary new design from Hobie Kayaks. They have managed to incorporate their famous Mirage Drive pedal system into a stand-up paddle board and as a result have come up with something quite unique! I recently had the opportunity to demo one through Cornwall Canoes, so one evening took Holly down to Hayle estuary to try it out. |
The Hobie Eclipse Stand-Up Pedal Board
Testing the Eclipse 12.0 SUP
The steering is not as responsive as i'd have liked but after a while i got used to it. With no way of slowing the board you have to pay a little attention as to how close you get to obstacles. Once you are familiar with it's turning circle this isn't much of a problem. Care must also be taken when coming into shallow water. The fins protrude around 30cm below the hull so you must flutter the fins or not pedal when in shallow water to prevent damaging the fins. We only had to go a few yards off the beach before we could pedal away without worry.
On the flat calm waters of Hayle harbour the board was in it's element, and so was i as i zoomed around. As i became more confident i was leaning into turns and the board was responding better. It was great fun! Testing the stability, i could happily sit down on the board, or sit on its edge with my feet in the water.
Initial Impressions
Update: 2018 models include a bow handle and there are also plastic versions available!
If you are interested in buying a Hobie Eclipse SUP, check out Cornwall Canoes who stock the range.