• Nimble whitewater stand-up paddle board is made to sink Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit Flipboard Email Although whitewater stand-up paddle boards do indeed exist, they’re (understandably) designed to float relatively high on the water’s surface. • The Riverskate is different in that its bow and stern can be intentionally sunk, making all sorts of marvelous maneuvers possible. • Invented by North Carolina-based paddler David Miller, the inflatable-bodied Riverskate was inspired by a type of low-volume whitewater kayak known as a squirt boat. • Although squirt boats default to floating at the surface, they can be easily coaxed into dipping below. • With a little help from the river’s current, it’s even possible to perform a maneuver called the “mystery move,” in which the boatandpaddler repeatedly rotate like a compass needle while fully submerged. • While the Riverskate can’t go completely underwater, it can perform squirty maneuvers such as end-over-end cartwheels; bow stalls (where it hangs almost vertically in the water, nose-down); stern stalls (same idea, but nose-up); and tail dips, where it can turn on a dime by pivoting on its submerged rear end.
Article Summaries:
- North Carolina paddler David Miller has introduced the Riverskate, an inflatable whitewater stand‑up paddle board that can intentionally sink its bow or stern to perform “squirt” maneuvers such as end‑over‑end cartwheels, bow and stern stalls, and tail dips. Inspired by low‑volume squirt boats, the board features patent‑pending Grab Wings that redistribute buoyancy toward the center rails, providing controlled, dynamic stability while allowing vertical expression. Two models-120‑liter (up to 160 lb, $999) and 150‑liter (up to 215 lb, $1,149)-were sold out in November, with a new batch expected in spring.
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