Hydrus Board Tech iSUPs are known for their unique construction and high-performance shapes. For 2023 Hydrus has overhauled their entire lineup with a new construction, new colors, and added a new model. The new 2023 lineup is available for pre-order now and will begin shipping to customers in mid-May.
New Colors & Features
This year Hydrus has moved away from their gray shell with black rails for a slate gray rail. In person this gives the boards a nearly solid-gray look that keeps up with their classic aesthetic. In addition to the color change-up Hydrus has added both nose and tail carry handles to each of their boards.
New Construction & Lighter Weight
The biggest changes to the Hydrus iSUPs have taken place inside the board. For 2023, Hydrus has completely updated the internal structure and modified their shell material.
The first big change is a switch from a knitted base layer fabric and standard linear drop stitching to a woven base layer fabric with crossed drop stitching. These new materials are typically both lighter weight and stiffer than the traditional knitted and standard drop stitching.
The second big change is in the PVC shell material. Hydrus has eliminated the hand-glued lamination process between the layers of PVC and composite materials in favor of a fusion lamination that uses heat and machine pressing to bond the layers together. This eliminates excess weight and reduces the chance of lamination errors during manufacturing. The shell still uses the same combination of PVC and composite materials for the iconic optical-illusion gray color.
Overall the change in drop stitching material and fusion lamination has eliminated between 4-6 lbs of weight depending on the model!
With a reduction in weight and material with the new fusion materials, Hydrus also added new carbon fiber fabric stringers on the deck and hull of the board to add additional stiffening. Carbon fiber fabric has essentially zero elongation and resists flexing when under load.
The internal rail layers are still heat-welded together for maximum strength and durability, and all of the boards are still rated for a maximum recommended inflation pressure of 20 PSI (and tested well beyond that) for extreme rigidity.
New Model – Paradise X
New for the spring of 2023, Hydrus has announced the Paradise X inflatable paddleboard. The Paradise X is a high-performance touring and entry racing iSUP that is longer, narrower, and faster than the original Paradise model.
The Paradise X is 13’ 3” long and 28.5” wide. When I asked Jason, owner of Hydrus Board Tech, why 13’ 3” vs 14’ he had several different reasons why he chose that length, but the primary reason was to help control flex. As an inflatable paddleboard becomes longer any amount of flex becomes amplified. 13’ 3” provided the ideal balance between a longer waterline for more speed and minimizing flex.
First Impressions
While I was fortunate enough to meet up with Jason to check out the new Paradise X in person, I didn’t get to take it home with me for more rigorous testing. But, I did get to paddle the ‘X for a bit and managed to get in a quick speed test.
Stability – As boards get narrower stability becomes an issue. The Paradise X, at only 28.5” does not have what I would regularly call beginner-friendly stability, but I was very pleasantly surprised at how stable it was given its narrow width. I had no issues with rolling or twitching, and I was able to comfortably step back for a pivot turn.
Flex – While paddling the Paradise X at a touring pace, I didn’t notice any flex in the board, even at just 15 PSI. When I turned up my speed and pace to a full sprint I did feel a very small amount flex in the board, but it was very minimal and should improve at higher pressures.
Speed – From my first paddle strokes on the Paradise X I could feel a huge jump in speed compared to the Paradise I was just paddling. The acceleration was faster and snappier, and the ‘X got up to speed easily with no fuss. On this initial paddle I was able to check my top sprint speed and I easily hit 6.25 mph (10 kmh) on my first go. The top speed we recorded during this impromptu test was 7.1 mph (11.4 kmh). Even though this is just initial, impromptu testing, I can tell this is going to be a very fast iSUP.
Ordering and Delivery
All of Hydrus’s current pre-sale orders will be filled with the new 2023 iSUP lineup – Joyride, Joyride XL, Paradise, and Paradise X. The remaining models (Axis, Party Board, and Freedom) will get the same construction upgrades later this year. These boards will still come with Hydrus’s renowned customer service and lifetime warranty. The best deals will be during the pre-sale period and prices will go back up once the new boards are fully stocked. Shipment to customers for the 2023 Hydrus iSUP lineup is expected to begin in mid May – just in time for the summer.