The Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 is a sporty whitewater SUP for those who want to do more than just paddle down the river.
Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 Whitewater iSUP Review – Overview
Glide SUP was born from whitewater – literally. Founder Ken Driscoll was a professional whitewater kayaker before a severe back injury (yes, kayaking off a waterfall like a BAMF) shifted Ken’s focus to SUP.
So it’s no surprise that in addition to Glide’s lineup of recreational iSUPs, Ken developed a whitewater SUP all his own.
With a different shape from other modern whitewater paddleboards, the Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 offers a different kind of performance. Rather than trying to make high-intensity rivers feel flatter by focusing on over-stable shapes and ultra-high rockers, the Lochsa’s curved “egg” shape brings a playful attitude to the water. Where some whitewater boards make your local day runs feel boring, the Lochsa brings them back to life by encouraging you to turn the river into your own playground.
Editor’s Note: Whitewater paddle boards are highly-specialized iSUPs with a very different design and performance profile than boards built primarily for flat water. For our Whitewater SUP reviews we use a separate testing method and scoring scale compared to our all-around and other iSUPs.— Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 Whitewater iSUP Review Ratings and Summary —
Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 iSUP
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Construction & Durability
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Features and Versatility
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Stability
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Agility
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Control
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Waves and Drops
Overall Score
The Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 is a playful river SUP great for smaller paddlers and intermediate+ paddlers looking for a sporty board.
Pros
- Lightweight and high-quality build with Glide’s new “3.0” construction
- Triple-layer rails with two welded-layers for maximum durability and longevity
- Full-length deck pad that won’t limit your creativity
- Simple and effective fin setup
- Multiple grab handle locations for easily controlling your board
- Complete accessory kit, including a paddle
- 5-year warranty
Cons
- The playful shape does reduce some stability and limits its best use to primarily to Class III or less rivers
- We’d like to see the included leg leash removed from the kit for critical paddler safety concerns
Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 Whitewater iSUP Review – Construction and Durability
Glide’s 3.0 construction utilizes the latest and greatest materials available for inflatable paddle boards along with a few extra measures for improved longevity.
Glide uses a triple-layer rail construction with two layers of heat-welded PVC for maximum durability.
Inside the O2 Lochsa 3.0 you’ll find a lightweight and highly rigid cross-woven drop stitch core. The deck and hull each have a base layer of woven polyester fabric that is lighter and has less stretch than a traditional knitted fabric. Both layers are connected with thousands of drop-stitched yarns sewn through at an angle to create an “X” shape if you were to look through the board from the side, much like a bridge trestle. This X shape allows Glide to use fewer drop stitch yarns (making it lighter) while still retaining a high level of rigidity.
The outer shell of the board is made with a double layer of fusion laminated PVC. This lamination process uses heat and pressure to directly apply the PVC layers to the underlying core for a mechanical bond that is durable, stiff, and eliminates gluing errors from hand-laminated layups.
To seal the board together, the deck and hull are bonded with a heat-welded interior rail band once again eliminating hand-gluing errors. One thing that really separates the Glide 3.0 construction from other high-quality modern builds is that rather than stopping here, Glide heat welds another rail layer onto the first, and then applies a third outer layer with glue. These three layers provide some of the best puncture, abrasion, and pressure damage resistance available – perfect for the rough and tumble world of whitewater SUP.
Once all of the features and fittings are added, the O2 Lochsa 3.0 is one of the lightest full-size whitewater iSUPs available at just over 21 pounds. Glide rates their boards for up to 25 PSI maximum pressure, but we found that 18-20 PSI is suitable for just about everything. At 20 PSI, the Lochsa did very well in our bend test at just 1.38” of bend (compared to our average of 1.6”).
Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 Whitewater iSUP Specifications
Specifications
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 9’ 6” |
| Width | 36“ |
| Thickness | 5“ |
| Weight | |
| Max Capacity | 400 pounds |
| Board Weight | 21.1 pounds |
| Kit Weight (SUP & accessories) | 33 pounds |
| Buying Info | |
| List Price | $899 |
| Warranty | 5 years |
| Returns period | 30 days |
Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 Whitewater iSUP Review – Features, Accessories and Versatility
The Lochsa is made for whitewater and river play, so it’s not going to be packed with features (like the Glide Angler), but it does have everything you need for a fun day on the river.
The Glide OS Lochsa 3.0 is 9’6” long, 36” wide (as measured), and 6” thick. It weighs 21.1 pounds without fins and has a maximum total capacity of 400 pounds, but is best for paddlers under 200 pounds. The board has a continuously curved plan shape for maximum maneuverability. There is a medium-large kick rocker profile in the nose and tail to help navigate waves and drops.
The nose has a wide triangular shape that tapers all the way from the tip of the nose to the midsection of the board. The inflation valve is located at the nose of the board to make room for the kick pad on the tail and make deflating and rolling the board easier.
There front cargo area has a simple bungee cord threaded through four D-rings.
There are two handles near the front of the standing area to help hold onto the board when kneeling through particularly rough stretches or to help control the board after falling.
The deck pad is a brushed EVA foam with grooves for additional traction. It also covers the entire deck of the board with only a small break near the tail as a tactile indicator for foot position.
In addition to the center carry handle and front grab handles, the Lochsa also has two more grab handles at the rear of the board. There are no handles specifically on the nose or tail.
The deck pad ends at the tail with a large kick pad for additional stability and control. There are also two leash D-rings at the tail so you can attach your leash on either side, or run a line between them for a floating leash attachment.
The tail is relatively narrow for a whitewater SUP (still nearly 19” wide, though) and has a very rounded shape with a continuous taper to the middle of the board. This tail and overall board shape helps aid in maneuverability, but does affect stability.
There is a tow point D-ring located under the nose of the board. You can also see the small bump here from where the drop stitching is cut to install the inflation valve (this is completely normal).
There are three fin boxes at the rear of the Lochsa. The center fin box is a split-style US (Universal Standard) fin box while the two side fins use a slide-in fin box.
The Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 comes with a complete accessory kit including a three-piece paddle.
Glide is one of the few brands that includes a truly full kit of accessories with their whitewater SUP without making you tack on extra items at checkout.
Included with the Glide Lochsa is:
- Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 Whitewater SUP
- 4.5” flexible US-compatible center fin
- Two 4” flexible slide-in side fins
- 3-piece Fiberglass/nylon paddle
- Dual-action hand pump
- Repair kit
- Coiled leash****
- Wheeled SUP backpack
Add in a PFD and a whitewater helmet (seriously, don’t use a bike helmet) and you are ready to get on the river.
****Okay, so this is an odd choice to include with a whitewater SUP, and I actually see it as a huge problem. NEVER wear a leg leash while on the river or any moving water (not just whitewater rivers), it can be a fatal mistake, and is one that kills people every year. There are ways to adapt this leash to safer whitewater use, but it requires additional specialty equipment and training.
If you would like to learn more about why standard leg-leashes are extremely dangerous on moving water, check out our blog post about leashes.
Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 Whitewater iSUP Review – Paddle
The Lochsa comes with Glide’s standard 3-piece paddle. While it’s a great paddle for casual floats, it lacks power for more advanced river paddling.
The Glide paddle uses a fiberglass shaft and nylon blade for a soft feel in the water, but it does trade off some control and power for that comfort.
The Glide paddle is built for comfort, and it is a comfortable paddle to use. It’s relatively lightweight and the materials choice give it a comfortable and forgiving feel in the water. All of this is fantastic for cruising around your local lake or down a lazy river.
The fiberglass shaft and nylon blade lack the stiffness required for making quick and decisive moves with just one or two paddle strokes – something that happens frequently in whitewater. I found the paddle to be okay for simply adjusting or maintaining course and speed when moving downriver. While ferrying through heavier current or trying to attain upstream in mild current, the flexibility of the paddle made the process notably harder than those with more rigid constructions.
Overall I do like this paddle for general use, and petite whitewater paddlers may not have any issue with it either. But, I find it leaves some performance to be desired as a general purpose whitewater paddle.
Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 Whitewater iSUP Review – Stability
The Lochsa is a flatter whitewater SUP which generally improves stability, but the overall plan shape leans more into playfulness than stability.
The continuously curving shape of the board and round tail do reduce the Lochsa’s overall stability on the river.
On paper, the Lochsa sounds like many other whitewater iSUPs – 9’6” x 36” x 6. However, the maximum dimensions of a paddleboard only give you about a third of the story. So much in board performance is reliant on the shape as much as the size.
On the flat, calm sections of the river, the Lochsa feels stable. It’s not twitching or rolling as the flat midsection of the board provides a high amount of surface area to rest on the water. Once you get into faster moving and more turbulent water, or take the board out of trim, things change.
The round shape of the board doesn’t provide much consistency in width or volume at different points along the board. I found that the rails on the nose and tail tended to get pushed around a bit easier in the current and when water began to pile up on the board in these locations there was less volume to help the board resurface. The result was a more squirrely, inconsistent stability feel for me when ferrying, maneuvering, and riding through waves.
That’s not to say that I felt like I wasn’t stable on the Lochsa, but rather, the Lochsa lacked the same level of stability as other 9’6 x 35-36” boards like the Hydrus Axis 98 or Hala Atcha 96. In comparison, the Lochsa felt more like the Hala Atcha 86 (8’6” x 34”) in turbulent water.
Stepping back on the tail and lifting the nose at the Lochsa’s rear kick-rocker was a bit of a shock at first. The smaller width and rounded shape of the tail is noticeably less stable than larger square tail whitewater SUPs.
So, if this shape is that much less stable than others, why is the Lochsa like this? That’s simple.
This is a playful whitewater SUP!
The Lochsa offers extremely high maneuverability and a more playful surfing performance (on those longer green-tongue waves) than a more rectangular shaped board. When looking up whitewater SUP videos you’ll see a lot of clips of people riding through big waves and over big drops – because it looks cool as hell (and it is). But one of my favorite things to do in whitewater SUP is to play around in a slightly more chill rapid and work my way up, down, and around rock gardens. Hitting that perfect jet-ferry or swinging a pivot turn around into a rock-slide is immensely fun with a sporty whitewater SUP, but more dull and difficult with your more traditional rectangular designs.
Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 Whitewater iSUP Review – Agility and Control
The O2 Lochsa is a nimble board designed for river play, but it does have some drawbacks in the overall level of control in some situations.
The round shape tends to react more to changes in the current rather than locking in during a ferry.
I mentioned this a bit in the stability section above, but the rounded outline of the Lochsa, paired with a narrower round tail makes this board very nimble. Even with all three of the 4-4.5” fins installed, the Lochsa turns on a dime and if you get it on edge, it carves extremely fast through eddy turns. It can feel a little unstable at times when leaning into the rails or back onto the tail, but that is a tradeoff in its design as a playful whitewater SUP.
Ferrying through mild current was easy, but I did encounter more difficulty in moderate current. That rounded shape makes it hard for the board to lock in its angle as you move through the current, and I often felt the board getting pushed off course. It also made it harder to keep the same edge tilt through the maneuver causing the board to rock back and forth more as it moved through the current. As I tried to ferry through faster and faster currents, these issues made it harder to do so with ease and control, often forcing me further downstream than my target.
The softer paddle construction made attaining up river more difficult, but the board does attain well with more power.
Attaining upriver was likewise a mixed bag of performance. The rigid construction and flat midsection of the board keeps the waterline as long as possible for higher paddling efficiency. But, the round shape that encourages agility also makes it harder to keep the board pointed straight. With a board that liked to spin and a soft paddle, I had a hard time making my way upstream.
The three small fins do a good job of balancing agility, tracking, and draft depth.
I think the fin setup on the Lochsa is great for a general-purpose whitewater SUP. We’ve got a 2+1 setup with no toe-angle on the side fins. This gives you the ability to use the number of fins you find appropriate for your conditions. The center fin uses a US fin box, so you can easily swap that fin around for any number of alternate shapes and sizes.
The side fins, though, use a slide-in fin box. This is more limited compared to either US fin boxes or FCS fin boxes. There are very few fin choices available here. However, Glide’s custom side fins will work for the vast majority of river paddlers. They are a bit shorter than the typical side fins you see with an all-around board, and they are made with a thicker, but more flexible blend of materials for improved durability.
I like these side fins, but ultimately I would like to see Glide swap the fin boxes for something more standard, or have more fin size and shape options with their custom material.
Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 Whitewater iSUP Review – Waves, Drops, and Surfability
The Lochsa’s play-every-feature design is great for Class II and some Class III action, but isn’t ideal for larger features.
The Lochsa handles small waves and drops with ease, but tends to pearl on larger waves.
Whitewater paddling runs a huge spectrum of intensity. From family-friendly Class I and II rivers to intense Class V+ expeditions that can have severe consequences.
Most whitewater SUPers tend to cap out around Class III-IV. While obviously more fun than whitewater kayaking or rafting, SUP paddlers tend to spend a bit more time in the water than those other users, and that can be extremely dangerous on Class IV and beyond rivers.
The Glide Lochsa is shaped to help make those Class II and Class III features more fun and exciting rather than being overstable or tuned specifically to ride Class III+ waves and holes. The flatter shape of the board gives you enough stability to ride through those larger waves, but it does have a tendency to pearl the nose into the wave rather than ride up and over.
However, I will say, that on typical Class II wave trains, even though there was some pearling, I didn’t feel like the Lochsa got held up in the wave. The pointed nose shape helps drive the board through the water easier than a flatter nose. The kick rocker shape does limit the amount of fine-tune control you have over the board trim, but I found shifting my position and weight back just a little on the board did make a difference in the amount of nose-diving I encountered.
That flatter shape also limits surfing ability to longer, flatter “green tongue” waves rather than the steeper waves and wave-holes found in many whitewater parks. But, again, that smaller and rounded tail helps spice up those flatter features you’re likely to encounter in more natural settings.
Overall, the Glide Lochsa has the ability to handle typical Class III features, but not quite as smoothly as whitewater SUPs with more, and continuous, rocker profiles.
Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 Whitewater 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 O2 Lochsa 3.0 Whitewater iSUP Review – Final Thoughts
The Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 is a great whitewater board particularly for anyone wanting a more playful feel and for smaller paddlers who want a lighter weight board.
The Glide O2 Lochsa 3.0 is a river play paddle board. The nimble shape is engaging and responsive, and turns your local Class II/III runs into a playground. It’s a good option for smaller paddlers who want a lighter SUP that’s easier to maneuver, and intermediate or advanced paddlers who want to spice things up with a board that isn’t designed to flatten the feel of the river.
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