4 Best Electric Paddle Boards with a Motor (in 2022)

Maybe you’ve wished you had an electric drive on a long and challenging paddling trip, so you could glide along effortlessly and even ride against the current with ease!? Good news…because this is now possible!

The electric motors, which have caused a real boom in the bicycle sector for a long time and are slowly becoming the norm, are also finding their way into other sports. For a few years now there are also paddle boards with motor in different versions.

This is primarily due to the developments of resourceful engineers and the advancement of ever more powerful batteries.

We at stand-up-paddling.org are of course always on the lookout for paddling innovations and this definitely includes boards with electric motors.

For some, mostly passionate paddlers, the electric paddle boards are a pure, costly gimmick and are rather smiled at.

Die-hard fans on the other hand, are totally enthusiastic and do not want to miss this technical progress in any case.

The future will certainly show whether the motorization in the paddling area will prevail and become a similar revolution, as in other sports. Until then, I would like to give you a current overview of the topic with this guide.

I will introduce you to the different variants on the market, explain the legal situation and illuminate many other facets.

If you have any further individual questions, please feel free to leave us a comment. We will try to answer as soon as possible!

Variants of E-Paddling

At the moment you have the choice between 2 different variants of paddle boards with motor.

• Completely electric boards: In these models, the motor (usually a jet drive) and the battery are permanently installed. The motor is controlled by a remote control, which is sometimes integrated into the supplied paddle (eg Sipaboards).
• Retrofit paddling motors: With this version you have the possibility to mount the electric motor in the central fin box of your paddle board, provided that your fin box is compatible with the system.

The power is supplied by an extra battery (waterproof case) that you can attach to the top of the board. These motors are also controlled by remote controls that you can strap to your upper arm or paddle.

Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. In the further course of the article, I will therefore present the most popular models to you in detail, so that you can find out which system suits you and your requirements best!

Difference to Eelectric Surfboards

Paddling has practically developed out of the surfing sport. Accordingly, there are already a lot of different electric surfboards (jet boards). In terms of drive systems, they hardly differ from E-Paddling.

However, surfboards are logically designed for surfing and not to move permanently standing on it. Their overall construction differs significantly from paddle boards.

Especially in terms of dimensions, volume and thus maximum load, paddle boards usually turn out to be much more opulent, as they need to have enough buoyancy even in still water.

If you want to look more closely at the differences between surfboards and paddle boards, I can recommend this detailed article.

The Best E-Paddling Boards and Drives of the Premium Class

Sipaboards

Sipaboards are top-of-the-line models that, of course, come at a price.

What started with a great idea, a crowdfunding campaign, and a single paddle board with integrated and patented jet propulsion has continued to grow. The company has since developed and marketed numerous new boards.

The Drive models feature a fully integrated motor with paddle assistance. The zero-emission and virtually silent jet drive is controlled via a Bluetooth remote control built into the paddle. You can find a detailed test report of the Sipaboard Drive here.

The Sipaboards Drive reach an average speed of about 5 km/h and can be used for up to 3 hours on one battery charge.

A special highlight is on the one hand the integrated LED lighting and on the other hand that the board, thanks to an integrated high-pressure air pump, inflates itself as if by magic.

So you are ready for your next adventure in about 5 minutes without any effort.

In addition to the Drive Boards, Sipaboards now also has the so-called Air Series in its program. These self-inflating paddle boards are available in different shapes. Overall, the paddle boards are also considered by the electric motor very high quality and resilient.

With the app of Sipaboards you can additionally record your routes. The great advantage of the Sipaboards is certainly that they can also be used normally without a drive, without any conversion measures are necessary.

Retrofit motors always replace a fin and can therefore, without conversion, only be used for normal paddling to a limited extent.

Scubajet

The Scubajet is the smallest and certainly one of the most versatile jet propulsion systems in the world. Meanwhile, the Scubajet is available in 3 different versions (Neo, Pro, Pro XR) and with a power of up to 1000 watts.

The top model thus reaches a speed of up to 11 km/h (average speed: approx. 2 m/s or 7.2 km/h).

Some of the batteries can be mounted on top of each other in bar form and thus combined. With 4 of these batteries, the Scubajet drive (Pro XR) can be operated for up to 216 minutes at a time.

The company offers an incredible number of adapters and gadgets that make the Scubajet an absolute all-rounder.

Among other things, there are 2 different adapters for the fin box of your paddle board (US box system and plug-in system). The control is done via a separately available remote control in the form of a wristwatch, with which you can operate all functions of the motor.

The Scubajet is also a great purchase for snorkelers and divers. With one of the various handles you can simply let the Scubajet pull you through the water and experience an absolutely weightless gliding experience.

There are also numerous add-ons available for purchase for this purpose…from various LED lights to mounting your action cam, the manufacturer has really thought of everything!

The Best Paddle Board Motors for Retrofitting

FAQ