Marine

Finpo Waterglider uses a simple lever to move across the water

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The Finpo Waterglider can carry a load of up to 170 kg (374 lb)
Finpo
The Finpo Waterglider is a 3.6-meter long (11.8 ft) and 94-centimeter-wide (3 ft) paddleboard
Finpo
A Finpo Waterglider prototype is put to the test
Finpo
The Finpo Waterglider can carry a load of up to 170 kg (374 lb)
Finpo
The Finpro Waterglider is plastic with a polyethylene foam core
Finpo
The Finpo Waterglider is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign
Finpo
The Finpro Waterglider features a kayak-shaped hull 
Finpo
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The sport of paddleboarding is booming, and as a result we're seeing people take to the water in craft of all shapes and sizes. The latest to wade onto the scene features a huge stick running right through its center, which users can push and pull to propel themselves across the water.

The Finpo Waterglider is a 3.6-meter long (11.8 ft) and 94-centimeter-wide (3 ft) paddleboard with a kayak-shaped hull that the makers claim offers extremely high stability ... so much so that an on-water picnic is apparently possible.

But what is really different about the Finpo is the propulsion mechanism. We have seen paddleboards designed to be moved along through rowing, sailing and even skiing motions, but propelling this puppy across the water might involve the simplest action of all.

What looks like an oversized gearstick runs right through the center of the board, and moves a set of fins underneath as the user pulls it backwards and forwards. The result, according to the company, is a board that glides effortlessly over the water with easy movements, though we guess that will depend on how big a picnic you're packing.

The Finpro Waterglider is plastic with a polyethylene foam core
Finpo

The board itself is plastic with a polyethylene foam core, and the other components are made from stainless steel, which can be installed in a few minutes. It can carry a load of 170 kg (374 lb) and the handlebar is adjustable, so people of different heights can jump on and have a go.

The Finpo Waterglider is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, where the team is looking to raise a €40,000 goal (US$44,000) to get the board into production. Early pledges of €1,999 ($2,250) are available and will have a Finpo headed your way in August if all goes to plan (though they are only shopping to certain countries, so it's worth enquiring before buying).

You can check out the promo video below to see the board in action.

Source: Finpo

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7 comments
sk8dad
Is it me or it that video intended for ADD/ADHD viewers? It's hard to ascertain just how fast this propulsion system can push the craft nor how to turn. What little I did gather from the attention-span-challenged video is that they've taken a sport which demands a full body workout to one that just uses arms. Also how does one do support strokes with this system?
Bob Stuart
The video tries all the tricks to make this look exciting, but all I see is a slow, hard to turn, uncomfortable boat that could be damaged by a beach.
Kpar
These other commenters are very observant. The video does not show any more than a part of the push/pull cycle, so we are required to guess at which part of the cycle propels the craft forward. The human musculature is far more efficient at pulling on things, so it appears that this fails to incorporate that fact.
Also, no indication is given as to steering the craft. A poor presentation.
Dan Lewis
I wanted to see the workings. I wanted to know exactly how it works. I wouldn't consider buying such a thing unless I was happy with the mechanical system behind it. It was, apparently, too hard to pull the thing out of the water and turn it upside down to let us see the propelling system. The little flash of under board 'fins' was not nearly enough.
Bruce H. Anderson
Ditto, ditto, ditto, and ditto. A little something, like maybe "it propels you forward like a fish using its fin!" But NO, we get nanoseconds of its one claim to uniqueness.
MichaelAustin-Sr
I came to comment about that apparently it's difficult to maneuver, doesn't move very fast, and is flimsy at best or else they would have taken the time to show off how well it's built and how it works. But I see other people have already commented about the same thing. One thing is certain, I wouldn't pay over 2 grand for fat oversized surfboard!
SaysMe
Did not look fast, a little stick movement but the board just bouncing in place a lot...is it a L shape lever for a fin?