SUP INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINEAQUA MARINA VAPOR 10'4 TEST REVIEW

AQUA MARINA VAPOR 10’4 TEST REVIEW

Verdict:

Aqua Marina’s Vapor is a smart all-rounder that maximises stability without screaming ‘this is my first sup board’. The extra volume and width is cleverly distributed around the tail. It’s full of pleasing touches such as the gentle grain of the EVA deckpad and recurring red design flashes. We especially liked the light 8.5 kg board weight and elegant backpack.

Overview:

The Vapor 10’4 is an all-rounder that’s ready to get straight onto the water. It’s built light as the name hints at, using Aqua Marina’s DS Light Tech. The board shape carries a lot of width to the tail and fast taper to a round nose. This gives parallel rails and an optimised waterline which glides with less effort than a board of equivalent length with a pulled in tail.

Red accents throughout add sartorial elegance. The supplied three-piece aluminium paddle with Nylon blade carries on the metallic red flare of the pump shaft. Red flashes continue on the webbing that secures four kayak-seat D-rings to the board and the front-mid cargo bungee. Just forward of this lives a 4-point bungee. The deck pad is spongey with a gentle rippled texture and a very substantial leash D-ring sits over the tail. Underneath you’ll find a slide-in 9” centre fin.

The backpack has a pleasing minimalist design and board, paddle, leash, centre fin and leash stows away into a neat transportable package.

Brand Claim:

The remastered VAPOR features a broadened tail for more generous volume to cater to paddlers looking for more stability. Equipped with our latest RED STRAP™ bungee system, carry more cargo with ease and safety under its ultra-elasticity. The EVA footpad features our new sand-ripple grooving for superior grip reminiscent of sandy beaches. Our 2023 models have been re-engineered with an all new refined shape, ultra-stable construction, and plenty of additional features.

Performance:

Aqua Marina’s claim of a remaster for the Vapor is accurate. The Red Strap cargo system is a welcome step forward from standard elastic cord and the sleek backpack looks good and has practical dimensions.

The extra width towards the tail will be really useful for the paddlers that this board is aimed at – people getting into the sport. The Vapor 10’4 packs in a lot of stability without resorting to overwhelming length and width. Coupled with its light weight, this makes it a good choice for younger, lighter paddlers or schools. That said the max. payload of this 315 litre board is 140 kg so it’ll work for anyone that wants to try it.

The parallel rails offer simple accessible performance by way of easy gliding and a broad stable standing area. Everything is encouraging and nothing is intimidating; the Vapor is a smart looking board that doesn’t draw unwanted attention and will provide encouraging progress from day one.

Vapor – Aqua Marina