Beau Lake Newport iSUP Review – A Luxury Cruiser Paddle Board | 2025

Beau Lake Newport iSUP Review

Bea Lake is a luxury waterside brand that focuses on creating beautifully designed products to elevate your experience on the water.

The Newport is Beau Lake’s core inflatable cruiser paddle board that blends minimalist classic design aesthetics with modern materials to create a high quality paddle board kit.

— Beau Lake Newport iSUP Review – Ratings and Summary —

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Beau Lake Newport iSUP Review – Construction and Durability

The Beau Lake Newport uses high quality materials and a unique rail construction to keep the board lightweight without sacrificing rigidity.

Inside the Beau Lake Newport is a modern drop stitch core that uses a woven fabric base layer for the top and bottom and connects them with thousands of cross-woven yarns (drop stitching).

Woven fabrics are both lighter weight and have lower stretch than traditional knitted fabrics. This keeps the board weight low while reducing flex. The cross-woven drop stitch pattern does the same by using less material, but keeping the board flat and rigid when inflated.

The fabric base layers are covered with a dual-layer fusion PVC shell. Most dual-layer fusions are using a single layer of liquid PVC with a layer of reinforced PVC tarpaulin heat-laminated to the first layer. This process eliminates glue (which eliminates weight and potential manufacturing issues), and appears to be on its way to the new norm in the industry for its balance of weight, stiffness, and durability.

What sets the Newport’s construction apart from most other modern iSUPs is the triple layer rail system. Confirmed directly by Beau Lake, the triple layer system uses three individual bands of PVC material around the edge of the board. The first layer is heat-welded to the top and bottom of the board to create an airtight seal. A second layer is heat welded to the first, and the third, outer layer, is glued over top the first two to add extra protection and rigidity.

The Newport is 4.7” thick rather than the more standard 6” thick for most iSUPs. This has impacts for board performance, but also rigidity. The thinner the paddle board, the less rigid it will be when everything else is the same. Similar to how a piece of cardboard is flexible, but a cardboard box is much stiffer.

Beau Lake’s website states that their iSUPs are designed for use up to 20 PSI, however the boards themselves indicate a maximum inflation pressure of 15 PSI. Beau Lake confirmed that the lower pressure rating on the board is simply out of precaution for when boards are left inflated in the sun. However, we will only ever test paddle boards at the maximum pressure indicated on the board itself both for our safety and as the most obvious source of inflation information for anyone using the board.

At 15 PSI, the Beau Lake Newport still did quite well in our static bend test, and not just for a 4.7” board, but with a bend of just 1.58”, it even beat our total running average of 1.61”. If Beau Lake were to increase the maximum pressure allowed on the board itself, I do feel that it would be notably stiffer, and possibly take over for stiffest 4.7” board. But we’ll have to see if that changes for the future.

On the water, the Beau Lake Newport does feel comfortable under foot. I could find a little bit of flex under my feet when I was looking for it, but I didn’t notice it while doing literally anything else. However, the board does begin to flex more as you pick up the pace for faster paddling. It does have a fairly high flex profile while bouncing with a tighter rebound as the board settles back down.

Overall, I think the Beau Lake Newport has a lot going for it. The woven and cross-woven drop stitch core, fusion PVC, and triple layer rail all work very well. I would like to see Beau Lake increase the printed pressure rating on the board to its full 20 PSI and potentially add a caveat for not leaving it fully inflated in the sun as several other brands have done.

Specifications

Beau Lake Newport iSUP Review – Features, Accessories and Versatility

The Beau Lake Newport is a minimalist cruiser-style iSUP. It has just enough features and accessories to get you out on the water without detracting from its vintage aesthetic.

Beau Lake includes a high-quality accessory kit to match the high-quality of the Newport’s construction.

Along with the board you get:

• Rolling backpack
• Three-piece full carbon fiber paddle
• 9’ straight leash
• 9” all-around fin
• Double-action hand pump
• Repair kit

At first glance, the included kit seems to be pretty standard for a cruiser-style paddle board. However I have noticed that the bag material feels heavier-duty than many standard iSUP bags. There is an internal storage pocket, however the bag itself is just barely tall enough to fit the 34” wide iSUP, so you will need to take some care when rolling the board to ensure it fits in the bag.

What really blew me away in this kit was the paddle, but it gets its own section below.

There aren’t any additional D-rings or other accessory attachment points on the Newport. For some paddlers that’s a big deal – both as a pro or a con! If you like the clean lines of the vintage boat-inspired design, then it’s perfect. If you want to bring lots of stuff with you on the water, then you may need to look elsewhere, or be comfortable adding your own attachment points. That includes kayak seats. You’ll either need to strap around the entire board or glue on additional D-rings if you want to use the Beau Lake Newport with a kayak seat.

Beau Lake Newport iSUP Review – Paddle

Beau Lake spared no expense with the design and construction of the “kit” paddle for the Newport iSUP.

It’s pretty rare to see a full carbon fiber paddle included with an iSUP kit. Actually, I can’t think of a single brand that does that except Beau Lake. Sure many offer it as an add-on or upgrade, but not as an automatically included accessory.

A paddle upgrade is often one of the first things I recommend to people looking to improve their experience on the water. Beau Lake makes the upgrade for you from the start.

At just a hair over 23 ounces, the three-piece carbon fiber paddle is no slouch, either. It feels balanced in your hand, and the carbon fiber shaft and blade are excellent at transferring power from your body into forward motion. Now, while this does make it easier to paddle fast (as seen in our speed section below), it does have the drawback of not always being the most comfortable experience, especially for smaller paddlers. If you are out paddling for a long time you will start to feel it in your body sooner than with a softer paddle.

The blade is a medium-large teardrop shape. Again, this is great for generating power, but does mean that you’ll want to use a slower cadence unless you are looking for more of a workout.

The carbon fiber shaft and handle feel great in your hand. Just enough traction on each that it feels secure, but no rough textures. The adjustable handle uses a standard compression collar and has length markings for repeated adjustments. However, it does not have an indexing groove, so you will need to make sure the handle is properly aligned with the blade after each adjustment.

Beau Lake Newport iSUP Review – Stability

The Beau Lake Newport is a cruiser iSUP designed for comfort, and with that comes great stability.

At 10’6” x 34” the Newport has the classic size and shape of a stable cruiser style paddle board. The width is carried through the nose and tail, and the board feels very stable when flat on the water. I didn’t notice any twitching or rolling when standing and paddling on flat water, and it handled mild chop conditions well, too.

The 4.7” thickness also helps improve stability by slightly lowering your center of gravity. On the water I find this translates to roughly the equivalent of adding a half-inch of width to a 6” board. It’s there, and you can feel it when you compare boards, but it’s not an incredibly drastic difference.

There are two drawbacks to thinner inflatable SUPs. The first is rigidity (discussed in the construction section above). The second is the lower volume and thinner rail becomes easier to push under the surface. Most of the time this doesn’t matter much, however, one side effect of this can be a “catching” feeling if the board does roll or tilt too far to the side. As the deck goes under the surface and comes back up, water builds up on the top of the board and can cause it to have a bit of a jerky sensation when it breaks back on top of the water. It’s a fairly minor concern, and relatively easy to get used to, but every now and then can trip you up, especially in choppy conditions.

The wide tail of the board does offer a lot of support when moving to the back of the board for a pivot turn. The Newport stays consistently stable as you move toward the tail, and once the tail is under water it continues to feel stable without any twitching rolling.

Beau Lake Newport iSUP Review – Speed

Wide cruiser iSUPs aren’t typically known for their speed, but the included carbon fiber paddle does a great job of propelling the Newport at moderate speeds with excellent glide.

In our sprinting speed test, the Beau Lake Newport did fairly well, especially for a 34” wide board.

At a sustained sprint of 75 strokes per minute, the Newport did well with an average speed of 4.8 MPH. I also clocked the board at 5.4 MPH for a maximum speed. I found this to be high for such a wide board, but overall a fairly moderate sprinting speed result.

At a slower 25 strokes per minute cadence, the Newport averaged 3.5 MPH. Again, that’s on the higher side for a 34” wide board and on the higher side of average overall.

But what really impressed me was its efficiency. Once I was up to a cruising speed, a single paddle stroke moved the Newport just over 20 feet before slowing down, giving it a gliding ratio of 1.9 board-lengths per stroke. That is incredible not just for a 34” wide cruiser, but for any all-around style board. It’s what we expect to see in longer, narrower touring boards.

I do attribute much of the Newport’s speed performance to the carbon fiber paddle. The large teardrop blade and paddle shaft are both very rigid. This allows for maximum power transfer. During the sprints I could really feel the extra power in the paddle, but also struggled to move the larger blade at higher cadences. While cruising around, the large blade held very well in the water and really helped propel the board farther than what I could do with a softer paddle.

Beau Lake Newport iSUP Review – Maneuverability and Tracking

The Beau Lake Newport definitely favors maneuverability over tracking performance. However, with a Universal Standard fin box, you can adjust this balance with different fins.

The Newport passed our maneuverability stress test with flying colors. Using basic forward sweep strokes, the Newport turned in a full circle with an average of just 4.25 strokes. The first two strokes were enough to do a full about-face before the fin began to increase the turning radius.

Reverse sweep strokes completed the test in just over 3.5 strokes. And of course, pivot turning was incredibly fast. The wide tail of the board makes it easy to move to the back, and the lower volume from the 4.7” thickness makes it easy to lift the nose without needing to stand all the way at the end of the board.

While the Newport did extremely well in our maneuverability test, it didn’t fare as well in our tracking test. This is often the tradeoff in board design. When maneuverability is high, tracking tends to suffer and vice-versa.

In our tracking test, the Newport drifted off course an average of just under 25 degrees after 10 paddle strokes. That’s definitely on the lower side of test results, even for wider boards.

I found that more casual paddling didn’t feel like the tracking was poor, but I was switching sides more often.

The included 9” fin is designed to offer more maneuverability rather than tracking performance. Combined with the wide outline of the board, this does account for the high agility and low tracking for the Newport. If you want to balance these two better, there is good news. Beau Lake has opted for a Universal Standard (US) fin box for the Newport. This means that you can easily replace the included all-around style fin with different shapes and sizes to suit your needs.

Beau Lake Newport iSUP Review – Warranty and Customer Support

Beau Lake offers a 3-year warranty against manufacturing defects for the Newport iSUP. Their paddles are covered under a 5-year warranty, and all other accessories are covered for 1 year. Additionally, they do have a 30-day return period for unused equipment. You can reach Beau Lake customer service online through their website chat feature or web form.

Beau Lake Newport iSUP Review – Final Thoughts

Before I was able to get the Beau Lake Newport out on the water I wasn’t really sure what to make of it. Beau Lake is a newer company and definitely approaches the sport from more of a luxury lifestyle brand perspective. But after I had paddled the Newport I saw how it all clicked into place.

The board is built extremely well. The lines are clean and it is rigid both on the water and off. It’s got the performance profile of a nimble cruiser (stable, agile, and light). At first I was put off by the relatively high list price. But, when you add in the value of the full carbon fiber paddle, it really does bring the Newport back into line with other premium 4.7” iSUPs.

If you want an inflatable paddle board that comes with every accessory imaginable (and a place to attach them), the Newport isn’t for you. But, if you want a well-made, cleanly designed, and well-kitted 4.7” cruiser iSUP, the Beau Lake Newport is calling.

Beau Lake Newport iSUP Review – FAQ