paddleboarding

An add-on electric drive like the ElectraFin is a great way to take some of the "paddle" out of paddle sports. The all-new Bixpy Jet is the latest, and it packs serious versatility. It'll power your kayak, your canoe, your stand-up paddleboard ... and even you. ​

While the SipaBoard self-inflating jet board is certainly a cool water toy, not everyone wants motor power or the added expense of a jet drive. SipaBoards' latest design keeps the integrated self-inflation system but loses the jet drive.

Hobie's new Mirage Eclipse stand-up Pedal boards make for new kinds of aquatic adventure by allowing standing users to glide across the water simply by moving their legs up and down.

​If you're looking for a unique form of urban transit, you could do worse than using a wheeled version of a stand-up paddleboard (SUP) which you push along with a pole. Should that still not be out-there enough for you, though, you could always try Boo Bicycles' bamboo Urban SUP.​

Two German companies have teamed up to create an inflatable windsurfing set-up called the Arrows iRig One. This all-in-one board sail packs small and light, inflates quickly and puts the power of weather into your board.

Traditional PFDs are an important part of water safety, but they can be entirely uncomfortable to wear in or out of the water, especially during activity. To improve comfort, startup Aegis Lifeshirt integrates inflatable protection into the shirt you're wearing anyway.

After a successful Kickstarter last year, Slovenian company SipaBoards has launched an updated self-inflating motorized stand-up paddleboard model that caters toward fishermen. It's available for pre-order now for US$1,990.

This year we saw plenty of new designs and innovation aimed at water lovers. We've plucked our favorite motorized toys, paddle-propelled watercraft and towables from our 2015 coverage.

We've already seen setups that allow stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) to be rowed, sailed, or paddled like a kayak. There's apparently still room for innovation, however – the Supski system lets you propel your board using upper body techniques borrowed from the sport of cross-country skiing.

The SipaBoard stand-up paddleboard is unique in that it's inflatable. An onboard electric motor pumps the air into it for you, plus it also powers an integrated jet drive that provides paddlers with a boost.

Paddlesports are a great workout for the upper body, but as far as the legs go – not so much. That's why the designers of the PeleBoard have taken their own approach to leg-powered paddleboarding, with a carbon fiber board that's split lengthwise down the middle.

As popular and fast-growing a sport as stand-up paddleboarding has been, sometimes you just need to sit down and take a load off. A cross between a kayak and paddleboard, the CruiserBoard is a sit-down, stand-up paddleboard that gives paddlers more versatility than ever.