The Aqua Marina Beast Review is our way of telling you what we've learned about this inflatable paddleboard
We've spent a year with the Aqua Marina Beast
2021 was a crazy year for SUP lessons, and we were stoked to be using the Aqua Marina Fusion, Aqua Marina Coral and the Aqua Marina Beast as our school kit.
It has been the stand-out board for us, when considering all the conditions and types of paddling we’ve done on it, so read on to find out how we got on.
We have really put the Beast under pressure this year, with a big workload, and it has never let us down on flatwater and openwater paddles, with a real mix of abilities and size paddlers joining us.
Certainly in the price point, this is right up there for value and relative performance, so i you’re looking to find out more about the Aqua Marina Beast, then read on and see what we thought.
Build quality
The overall build quality for the Aqua Marina Beast is great, and we’ve had no peeling deckpads, twisting, leaks, dodgy valves etc.
The accessories, like paddle, leash and bag have also been absolutely fine, but you need to know how they’ve been used to really get a taste for this review.
That said, in my experience you can get a good feel for a board, just by how it is packaged and how it feels when it is unwrapped.
The weight of the board is perfect, not too light and not too heavy. If a board like this is too light, then wind affects it, so this really sat well on the water on our open water adventures.
How we tested the kit
Board handling
In the school, for our sup lessons, the board was great for every paddler except smaller kids and lightweight adults.
That being said, I am being really fussy here as I am basing the negative view on the fact that a very light person always finds it easier to paddle a board with less volume underfoot, and the Aqua Marina Beast, is really aimed at people over 65kg+
So, as a school board, aimed at novice paddlers, stability was superb. You find the width is well placed in the centre of the board, with a gradual reducing of width both front and back, meaning the novice paddler found it easy to find a general sweet spot.
Seems obvious, but some boards, just don’t feel stable, whereas the Aqua Marina Beast and the Aqua Marina Fusion have shown themselves to be very much stable, both on flat and rough water.
An easy walk
When you pick up a board, it must feel balanced and the Aqua Marina Beast is spot on.
Weight is good and no tail or nose imbalance, so it was easy for novice paddlers to walk the kit, as well as launch and retrieve it from the water.
The carry handle is super comfortable, being well padded, but still pretty robust.
Advanced paddling
Should you buy the Aqua Marina Beast
What are you looking for: an all round paddleboard, all day, funboard or family sup?
It can handle bigger paddlers: with plenty of stiffness and volume, the Aqua Marina Beast can easily carry big blokes.
Will it last: Aqua Marina has been around for a long time, so they’ve got a good reputation. 2021 has shown us, these boards re capable of taking a beating in the school, so for a regular paddler, they will have many years’ life in them,
