Get a boost on the water with an electric paddleboard

"I got into stand-up paddle boarding when it first came out roughly 2000s and I bought a board and I love being on the board, I love standing up, I love paddling. I really got into it, but I needed a little more energy."

It was that need for more energy that led Anacortes inventor Dan Mahar to create a company that gives paddleboarders a boost.

"The company's name is Firefly SUP Drives. We are custom builders of drive systems on paddleboards. We'll either set somebody up with a paddleboard and a drive or they can bring their board to us."

One of the paddleboard companies Mahar likes to work with is Perfect Wave in Kirkland.

"The motor is controlled by a wireless controller worn on the wrist," Mahar said. "We have a quick, easy rigged system on our paddleboards so you can take the motor and the battery off."

Mahar's started making his drives long before hybrid bikes came along.

"Before e-bikes got popular I got a lot of kickback from purists. Now with the e-bike revolution, people are looking at electric paddleboards, eSups, we call them, and they're going, aha!"

Though the boards look normal, you'll notice the difference once you get on board.

"The electric paddleboard performs well and maneuvers well on the water is really a different animal. You've got to paddle it differently, you've got to turn it differently. And so it really is not the same as paddle boarding. It's its own unique sport."

"Your average paddleboarders gonna go about 2 to 3 miles an hour at kind of a comfortable pace. And when we put them on here and hit full speed we're doing close to 5 miles an hour. Now we're running as fast as the sea kayak and with the range as well."

"When you're on it, you feel an incredible amount of freedom and maneuverability on the water. And that it's a blast to ride."

Mahar hopes once people try his electric paddleboards, they'll never go back to just paddle power.

"They just come back with a giant smile on their face going. Oh my god, this is so fun."

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