FunWater Ultra-Light Inflatable Paddleboard With Accessories

So far I am absolutely thrilled with this budget board. Three of my family members purchased PEAK brand boards earlier this spring, I gave one a try and I new I wanted a board of my own but theirs cost upwards of six hundred dollars each, and they were completely sold out of every size and style.

Even if the PEAK brand hadn’t been sold out, 550-600 seemed like an awful lot of money (although I can’t deny the quality and durability of their PEAK boards is top notch so far). I started looking at other boards, more budget friendly options, etc. Early summer 2020 was a BAD time to be shopping for a paddle board, these things were selling like hot cakes and every brand from cheap to expensive was running out of stock every other day. After skimming search results for a good 4 days is when THIS particular board popped up as being “In stock”, and it was selling for under three hundred dollars.

I pondered it for a while, suspicious of the low price, but while I pondered it went from “in stock” to “20 remaining” and a short while later it went to “5 remaining” and at that point I knew I had to act or miss out, so I pulled the trigger. These boards have come in stock once since then and once again they sold out their stock within a day. So if you get a chance and you are still shopping during this crazy summer where all brands are going out of stock left and right, my advice would be to BUY RIGHT NOW while you still can!

My wife has one of those PEAK brand boards so I was able to do a very close comparison and so far it looks like I got one heck of a deal. Is there some difference between her twice as expensive board and this one? Yes, but so far not enough difference to justify the extra cost.

Let me tell you where I see notable differences: Her pump is a little nicer, her paddle is a tiny bit nicer (mostly in aesthetics), her bag is heavier more durable material with padded straps and back rest (no padding on the bag for this budget board). Now between the pumps so far I do not notice much difference in actual pumping time, despite hers being a dual stage pump and mine being a single stage. My pump feels a bit cheaper but for far the pump and the gauge work fine, and I clocked about 5 minutes to pump up either board with either pump, so good enough for now. Both boards use the same valve so the pumps are interchangeable.

Differences between the boards themselves: The PEAK brand probably wins in the subjective styling department, but both boards feel equally rigid and tough when pumped up. They are roughly the same size, both 11 footers and both 6 inches thick but mine is actually an inch wider in the middle (33 vs hers at 32 inches) and then mine has a bit more of a tapered point in the front. On the PEAK board only the large center fin is removable. On this budget board all three fins remove and I think this is actually a desirable advantage as it makes stacking easier. The PEAK brand board has more D-rings and more overall storage, mainly in that the PEAK board has bungees front and back while my board only has front bungees and fewer connection points. So point goes to PEAK for more storage and more style but overall the boards are similar size and both are solid and seem to be good quality so far. I don’t notice any major difference between the soft deck material, that is good on both boards.

They day I got my board we rushed out to the lake, even though it was windy. A friend joined us on an older board that was shorter and thinner. Despite the waves and my personal inexperience I kept up with the PEAK board just fine. Having the widest board there, I felt no stability issues in the mild waves and my three fins kept me going straight (our friend with the older single-fin board struggled a bit more to stay stable and track straight). My simple all-black paddle did the job just fine, no slipping issues at the adjustment point.

Overall for initial impressions and first trip out I’d say this board is excellent value. Other than less bungee storage it seems to give up nothing in terms of performance vs the twice-the-price PEAK board. From here it will be down to TIME to determine if going the budget route actually saved me money or will leave me sad with a blown seam at some point down the road. I will for sure be back here updating this review the moment any kind of major issue does occur, so if this review is not updated you can safely assume I am still happily using the board and the longevity battle between this and her PEAK board is still ongoing.

I would buy another one of these in a heartbeat, shopping for an 11 footer under 350 was really tough during the period I was shopping in and style choices varied greatly, I like the looks of this one so to snag it under 300 was really awesome but I don’t know if they will drop that cheap with the way demand is right now.

Thanks for reading and best of luck to you in your search!

We’ve owned this FunWater paddle board since 2022 and have taken it on the water about 15 times. We purchased this board because FunWater is consistently rated as one of the top paddle boards manufacturers. According to my wife and daughter, who are the primary users of the board, the paddle board is living up to its reputation. They’re very happy with it: the board is sturdy, stable, easy to set up, and easy to use/paddle. The board is easy to inflate by using the hand pump that comes with it. The board deflates well and packs small, which is nice because we’re able to take the board with us on trips even if we’re not sure we’ll be able to use it when we get there. We’ve also had an unusually positive experience with FunWater customer support. I typically don’t enjoy reaching out to customer support, as too often they’re so difficult to work with, but FunWater customer support was an exception. They addressed my concern (a rare defect on the board) very quickly (within 24-48 hours) and they exceeded my expectations in all regards. I highly recommend this paddle board and FunWater in general.

I ordered this board last minute for a lake vacation so I had it delivered to the lake just in case delivery would take longer. It was delivered earlier than originally said and was there when I arrived. The instructions were easy to follow and the entire design is great! The only thing I was having an issue with was the PSI and inflating. It states more than once that the PSI doesn’t register on the pump until it reaches a certain PSI. I started second guessing if the gauge was working because the board seemed very firm and the PSI wasn’t registering yet. (I didn’t want to over inflate and ruin the fun!) They are not kidding…keep inflating! The PSI finally started to register and I had a long way to go! It took a little effort but I was determined to do it myself. And when it was fully inflated, I could not believe how durable an “INFLATABLE” SUP could be. I had never used one in my life and I would definitely recommend this board to anyone! It was so much fun. (The fact that it is a good overall workout is just a bonus.) This board has a great color and design and quickly put to rest my fear of it being “cheap” due to the lower cost. Simple to deflate and fit into the bag provided. This package is well worth the cost! Go for it!!!

Waited a week for my board even though Prime said 1 day shipping. Was so excited to finally get it out on the water. Luckily, set it up in the backyard first.
Pump will not register until you are above 7 PSI. Be patient; test as indicated in instructions–go figure! Filled to recomended PSI. I am buying a pump with DC adaptor for to inflate at rivers edge. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SWXX4L6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Also, the fin issue noted in other reviews is REAL. Struggled for an hour inserting fins that were not snapping in as indicated in instructions. Almost returned since this wasn’t going to fly at the river.
Finally took a file and shaved off some minor plastic at edges. For the price, I can understand the lack of detail in finishing at the manu level. With the small adjustment, now the fins slide and snap in and out pretty easily. Paid less that some friends, was planning to pay more, but board is legit and long, wide, with pointy tip for the price.