Glide Angler CORE Backwater Fishing iSUP Review – Top Quality That Doesn’t Break the Bank | 2025

Glide Angler CORE Backwater iSUP Review – Overview

Glide’s latest fishing iSUP is on a mission – get more people on the water with a high-quality fishing-specific paddle board at an affordable price.

The Angler Core Backwater (aka “Angler Core” or “Backwater”) shares a ton in common with it’s older brother the Glide Angler Elite (formerly called the Angler 3.0). While similarities dominate between these two fishing SUPs, there are some critical differences as well. Most plainly obvious is their price difference.

In this review I’ll be focusing a bit more on what separates the Angler Core from the Angler Elite to help you decide which version is right for you. Of course, I also encourage you to read our in-depth review of the Glide Angler Elite as well.

— Glide Angler CORE Backwater iSUP Review Ratings and Summary —

Glide Angler CORE Backwater iSUP Review – Construction and Durability

Glide’s Core line of inflatable paddle boards largely uses the same construction as their Elite iSUPs with a few key differences.

Inside the Angler Core Backwater is the first primary construction difference from the Angler Elite. The Angler Core has a “standard woven” drop stitch core vs the Elite “cross-woven” core. Both boards use a woven fabric base layer for the deck and hull to reduce weight and improve rigidity. Both have thousands of drop stitch threads sewn between the two layers to keep the board flat and give it its 6” thickness. The difference is that the Angler Core uses a V-pattern for these stitched yarns, while the Angler Elite uses an X-pattern. The X pattern is able to save a little more weight without sacrificing rigidity, but costs more to produce.

The PVC shell is made with the same fusion-laminated, reinforced PVC material to eliminate glue between the PVC and fabric base layer, both lightening and stiffening the material.

Like the Angler Elite, the Angler Core has a welded interior seam of PVC to connect the deck and hull layers all around the board. Welding creates a physical bond between the material instead of a chemical bond, and better resists damage from heat. The Elite version uses two more layers of PVC around the rails of the board, while the Core version uses one additional layer, but still has a maximum pressure rating of 25 PSI.

Once the Angler Core is finished with its deck pad and built-in features, it weighs just 26.6 pounds. Even though it has a dual-layer of PVC on the rail instead of a triple layer, the extra weight of the standard woven core makes the Angler Core about 2 pounds heavier than the Angler Elite.

The Angler Core did very well in our standardized bend test. At 20 PSI, it bent just 1.49” with 170 pounds of weight – just over 0.1” better than our running average. However, the Angler Elite is more rigid (with a score of 1.2”).

So what does this difference in rigidity mean on the water?

While paddling the Angler Core I didn’t notice any flexing or bending unless I was either jumping on the board (shown above) or paddling very hard. Even in these circumstances, the flex was well-managed and had a comfortable and smooth rebound when I slowed down or stopped jumping.

Even at 220 pounds, based on rigidity, I would have a very difficult time telling the Angler Core and Angler Elite apart while paddling. While both boards have a very high weight capacity (500 pounds) I would recommend paddlers over 250 pounds go with the more rigid Angler Elite.

With welded seams and high-quality materials, I think the Angler Core/Backwater is a solid choice for SUP anglers in any environment.

Specifications

Glide Angler CORE Backwater iSUP Review – Features, Accessories and Versatility

Glide has managed to simultaneously reduce the overall kit of accessories to help keep costs low while still including not just a full iSUP kit, but fishing specific accessories as well.

While the Angler Core doesn’t have quite as many bits and bobs as the Angler Elite, It is absolutely ready to wet a line. Included with the Glide Angler Core is:

• Padded iSUP backpack with large storage pocket
• Fiberglass/nylon three-piece paddle
• Dual-action hand pump
• Coiled leg leash
• 9” all-around/surf-style fin
• Scotty-mount tackle rack feet
• Rail-Blaza mounting block
• Adjustable fishing rod holder
• Repair kit

That’s an impressive list of features and accessories for a paddle board meant to be, and is, budget friendly.

Glide Angler CORE iSUP Review – Paddle

The Angler Core comes with Glide’s standard three-piece SUP paddle.

The Glide three-piece paddle is built for comfort and ease of use.

By using a fiberglass shaft and nylon paddle blade, the Glide paddle has a very relaxed feel on the water. It flexes easily, but still provides plenty of power for casual paddling. Fiberglass is significantly lighter than aluminum, and only slightly heavier than carbon fiber. The more flexible construction also helps protect your body from potential injury compared to ultra-stiff carbon fiber paddles.

The blade has a medium-size rectangular blade that fits a large variety of paddlers and conditions. You can easily paddle at a casual cadence, or pick up the pace to move a little quicker.

The handle section is also made with fiberglass and is topped with a textured plastic grip. To make it easy to use, the handle connects with a pin-and-clip adjustment system to quickly adjust the length of the paddle while keeping the handle aligned with the blade. The printed length scale also makes it easy to set up each time you use it.

Because the Angler Core is a large board and designed to work for large paddlers or heavy payloads, the Glide paddle can sometimes feel a little under-powered. However, I prefer to have a slightly softer paddle that is more comfortable to use than a paddle that is so rigid or large that it becomes uncomfortable to use for long periods of time.

Glide Angler CORE iSUP Review – Stability

With a tried and proven shape, the Angler Core provides confident stability for any paddler.

At 11’ long and 36” wide, it’s no surprise that the Angler Core is a super-stable iSUP. There is a ton of surface area and volume to support paddlers of any size, multiple paddlers, or as much fishing gear as you want to bring.

I didn’t have any issues standing, paddling, or walking on the Angler Core, even when the wind began to pick up and chop the lake surface. Heeling the board over onto its rail was easy to do when I wanted to, and just as easy to maintain that position.

Walking back to the tail of the board was simple since the Angler Core has a very consistent feeling through the entire midsection of the board. Once I was on the tail, the square shape gave plenty of support to lift the nose and spin the board around for a quick pivot turn.

Rocking the board back and forth felt comfortable and stable. I even did a little one-footed paddling and was able to keep my foot off the board for several seconds without bracing with the paddle.

Long story short – the Angler Core is extremely stable. I would say that paddlers over 250 pounds will feel some more flex and will likely appreciate the extra stability of the more rigid Angler Elite.

Glide Angler CORE iSUP Review – Speed

As a large, stable fishing iSUP, the Glide Angler Core isn’t built for speed. But that doesn’t stop it from being efficient and easy to paddle a little faster than usual!

At just over 36” wide, the Angler Core is definitely designed for stability over speed, but Glide’s rigid construction and smart shaping allow the Angler Core to keep up a brisk pace without feeling like it’s over 36” wide.

In our sprinting speed test, the Angler Core averaged 4.6 MPH while paddling at a consistent 75 strokes per minute. At full speed, I was able to paddle at 5.2 MPH. The Glide paddle is built for comfort, not power, so it is conceivable that you could add a few tenths of a mile per hour to those numbers with a stiffer or larger paddle. But I wouldn’t recommend it. While the Glide paddle can feel a little under-powered at times, I think the benefit of the softer construction outweighs the potential loss in horsepower. Especially since it’s no slouch on the water as it stands anyway!

At a sustainable and comfortable pace of 25 strokes per minute, the Angler Core trucks along at a respectable 3.4 MPH. That is right about what we expect to see from a board 35-36” wide. But what was really impressive was its paddling efficiency.

From this cruising speed, a single paddle stroke will propel the Angler Core nearly 20 feet before slowing down. That’s a gliding ratio of 1.8 board-lengths per stroke. That’s right on the line between high-performing all-around iSUPs (typically around four inches narrower) and wider touring paddle boards.

Compared to the Angler Elite, the Angler Core is 0.1-0.2 MPH slower in all of our testing. But, while paddling around normally it’s easy to feel the Angler Core’s efficiency. Or, should I say it’s hard to feel it? The Angler Core paddles far more smoothly than its size says it should.

Glide Angler CORE iSUP Review – Maneuverability and Tracking

The Angler Core has a nice balance of maneuverability and tracking performance that can be tweaked thanks to its Universal Standard fin box.

By switching from the Angler Elite’s 2+1 fin setup to the single fin box system on the Angler Core, Glide has simplified the board setup without too much of a change in performance.

The Angler Core did very well in our maneuverability stress test. I needed fewer than 5 forward sweep strokes on average to turn a complete circle from a standstill. The same maneuver with reverse sweeps took fewer than 4 full sweep strokes. This is a notable change from the Angler Elite, which took 7.5 forward sweep strokes on average to make the same full-circle turn. The additional two fins in the Angler Elite make the board harder to turn quickly.

However, this fin setup change did not make a significant difference in the overall tracking performance between the two boards.

Even though the Angler Core was noticeably easier to turn in our testing, the tracking performance scores were extremely close. After paddling toward a distant target with 10 paddle strokes on one side, the Angler Core was only off-course by an average of 12 degrees. The Angler Elite had a similar result with 15 degrees of deviation. That 3 degree difference is so small that it really isn’t a difference at all, especially considering the width of these boards (which makes it harder to paddle straight to begin with) but also that 12-15 degrees is an above-average score in our test to begin with!

At first glance it seems a little odd that switching to a single fin vs a 1+2 fin setup wouldn’t change the tracking performance of the board. But, when you get right down to how fins affect paddle boards on flatwater, it really is the central / largest fin that does the majority of the work in those 1+2 systems. The smaller side fins do add some resistance when applying lots of lateral force during a turn, but they don’t provide much resistance to the minor lateral forces when paddling straight with good technique. I will highlight that technique part. If your forward stroke isn’t vertical and close to the board, then you may see more of an improvement in tracking with the extra side fins if you were to compare these two boards side by side as you’ll be putting more lateral force on the board with looser technique.

The split-style US (Universal Standard) fin box is compatible with hundreds of different fins, readily available at local SUP and surf shops should you lose your fin or want to try a different size or shape. But overall, this standard all-around or surf-style fin does a great job of balancing the maneuverability and tracking for the Glide Angler Core.

Glide Angler CORE iSUP Review – Warranty and Customer Support

Glide warranties their paddleboards against manufacturing defects for 5 years, and their accessories carry a one-year warranty as well. There is a 30-day return period, however the customer is responsible for shipping costs and a 20% restocking fee. You can contact Glide customer service through their website, via email, over the phone, on social media, or in person through their retail network or at their Salt Lake City, UT warehouse if you happen to be in the area!

Glide Angler CORE iSUP Review – Final Thoughts

When Ken, Glide’s owner, told me that they were making a new line of iSUPs at a more budget-conscious level I was honestly a bit worried. My fear was that they would create something of a lower standard than what Glide is known for. But I was so very wrong in that worry. Ken, if you are reading this, stop here!

The Angler Core is honestly too good. Blindfolded I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the Angler Core and Angler Elite while on the water. There’s a small weight difference, and a small rigidity difference. The Angler Core is a little more maneuverable, but a teensy bit slower.

In my opinion and testing, the biggest difference between the two is the accessory kit. The Angler Elite offers a larger, more robust accessory set including a full kayak conversion kit, more fishing accessories, and a roller backpack. But the Angler Core still provides fishing accessories, an ample backpack, and is compatible with a kayak conversion kit.

If you want all of those accessories together, or plan on bringing more than one fishing rod setup at a time, then I would go with the Angler Elite. But, if those aren’t requirements for you, then I would highly recommend the Angler Core as a budget-friendly, nearly identical iSUP.

Glide Angler CORE iSUP Review – FAQ