Q: Does size and shape matter?
A: Yes, the size and shape of your paddle board/kayak matter!
LENGTH - The length of the board/kayak will be an indicator of how well it will track (go straight) when you paddle. The longer the paddle board, the straighter the SUP/kayak will go when you paddle. We do not recommend anything shorter than 10' long because every time you paddle, the nose of the board/kayak will turn and it will not be a good experience.
WIDTH - The width of the board/kayak is where you get your stability. The wider the board/kayak, the more stable the board/kayak, however it will also be slower. We recommend 31-32" wide for a beginner/intermediate SUP/kayak. It is both stable and lets you paddle at a good pace for exploring. You can do yoga on our 31-32" wide boards, however, if you only wanted to do yoga, we would recommend a slightly wider board at 34". Check out our Pool Yoga Board.
DEPTH - The depth of the board/kayak is where you add to the overall buoyancy and weight capacity of the board/kayak. All of our adult size paddle boards are 6" thick and we do not recommend anything smaller than 5" thick. The bottom of our kayaks are 5" thick.
Q: How long does it take to inflate?
A: With the DUAL action hand pump, the 10-11ft SUPs/Kayaks only take about 5 minutes and the 15ft SUPs/Kayaks take about 10 minutes to inflate. Start with the DUAL action mode (Screw IN), until you can't pull up on the handle of the pump anymore (probably around 150-200 pumps and 8 psi for the SUPs). Then switch to SINGLE Action (Screw OUT) to fully inflate to 12-15 psi (an additional 100-200 pumps for the SUPs).
Q: Why is a DUAL action pump considered to be critical for inflatable SUPs?
A: Our DUAL action pump pushes air into the paddle board on both the up-stroke, as well as, the down-stroke. Single action pumps only use the down-stroke and therefore require twice the effort and time.
Q: Why doesn't the pressure gauge on my pump seem to be working?
A: Although the paddle board/kayak may "look" inflated (after ~100 pumps), it must be pressurized for optimum performance. Kayaks are inflated to 5-8psi and SUPs are inflated to 12-15psi (150-250 more pumps). The gauge on the pump will not register until you reach 3psi.
Q: How long does it take to deflate?:
A: Deflating and rolling up are a breeze at 3-4 minutes! Open the valve, by pressing down on it. It will be loud, at first, because of the pressurization. Let the paddle board/kayak deflate, on its own, for a few minutes (it will be easier to roll/fold up). For SUPs, start at the nose and simply roll your paddle board up to the tail. When you reach the valve, we recommend rolling the tail so that the fin box is inside the roll and the two stationary fins are outside the roll.
Q: Does it fit back in the bag?
A: Yes! It will fit back in the bag and it will roll up tighter after the second use.
Q: How do I fold my inflatable Kayak?
A: There are multiple ways you can fold your kayak. Our favorite way is to:
1. Fold in the sides (overlapping them) and fold the tail, about 1/4
2. Fold the tail a second time, about 1/4
3. Fold the tail a third time, about 1/4
4. Final fold (see illustrations below)
Q: Why does the black nose piece on my kayak have triangle shaped holes?
A: The black nose piece is assembled as an additional layer on the bottom and has holes to allow air to come in and out so it can be flattened for packing, and they aid in bump absorption. The holes are an integral piece of the design. See photo below.
Q: How durable is it?
A: JLF paddle boards and kayaks are tough! Think about them like white water rafts, not pool floats. We use the same materials that are used for a white water raft, not your children's water wings! JLF paddle boards and kayaks are multi-layer and we use MSL fusion technology for the construction of our boards and kayaks. This manufacturing process allows us to reduce the weight (eliminate glue) and maintain durability.
Q: Does it come with a warranty?
A: Yes, our JLF paddle boards and kayaks come with a 2-year warranty!
Q: How do I attach the kayak seat to my SUP/Kayak?
A: For your SUP, place the bottom of the kayak seat behind the center handle and you will clip to the d-rings on top of the paddle board. For your kayak, you will clip to the d-rings on the sides of inside faces of the kayak. For SUPS and Kayaks, the straps on the TOP of the kayak seat will clip to the d-rings towards the FRONT, or nose, of the board/kayak. The straps on the BOTTOM of the kayak seat will clip to the d-rings towards the BACK, or tail, of the board/kayak. Please remember that the straps are adjustable and the bottom of the seat is move-able so the first time you set it up, you may need to experiment to see the position that you like best.
Q: Will the JLF Kayak seat attach to my JLF 11 foot red or 15 foot orange paddle board?
A: Yes! Your JLF 11 foot red and 15 foot orange paddle board has the same d-rings on-top as the JLF 10 foot blue paddle board so you can use the JLF kayak seat. We've also added a kayak conversion set for you that includes the JLF kayak seat and an extra blade for your paddle to convert it from the stand up paddle board paddle to a kayak paddle.
Q: Where do I put my legs when I use the seat on a Paddle Board?
A: We find it comfortable to bend our knees and place our feet flat on the pad in front of us. Don't forget to bring the 4th piece of your paddle with you so you can switch to standing at any time!
Q: How do I setup the seats on my Tandem Kayak?
A: See illustration for further instructions
1. If you look at the SIDES of the kayak, each side will have 4 D-RINGs on the INSIDE FACE (total of 8). These are the d-rings that the seats clip to.
2. There are HANDLES in the middle of the kayak. In FRONT of the handles (towards the nose of the kayak), there are 4 D-RINGS (2 on each side). These 4 D-RINGS are for the 1ST SEAT. BEHIND the handles (towards the tail of the kayak), there are 4 D-RINGS (2 on each side). These 4 D-RINGS are for the 2nd SEAT.
3. Each seat has 4 STRAPS. The 2 straps on TOP (highest on the backrest) will clip to D-RINGS towards the FRONT (nose) of the kayak. The 2 straps on the BOTTOM (lowest on the backrest) will clip to D-RINGS towards the BACK (tail) of the kayak.
4. The STRAPS are ADJUSTABLE and will take some work to get hem perfect for you!
Q: How do I stand up on my Paddle Board?
A: Start out on your knees, around the center handle. When you are comfortable, stand up and keep your feet shoulder width apart (around the center handle). For extra stability, use your paddle, like a tight rope walker would use their pole. Hold your paddle perpendicular to the board. The board is going to move and flex in the water. We recommend rolling your legs side to side and even, jumping on the board, to get a feel for how it responds in the water. If you are stiff, you will fall in. If you can feel the way the board moves, you will be ok.
Q: How do I get my balance on the paddle board?
A: The paddle board is going to move in the water. To get your "sea legs", we recommend doing three things: 1. Roll the board by pressing down on your left leg and then right leg to get a feel for how it moves in the water when a wave comes from the side. 2. Jump on the board to see how it flexes when a wave comes from the front or back and finally, 3. Hold your paddle perpendicular to the board, like a tight rope walker would hold their pole, for added stability and balance on the water.
Q: How do I keep my board going straight when I paddle?
A: The motion for stand up paddling is different than for kayaking. For stand up paddling, you want to reach out in front of you and paddle DOWN from the nose to the tail. If you paddle OUT (like you would for kayaking), instead of DOWN (for stand up paddling), the board will turn and not go straight.
Q: How do I assemble my convertible SUP and Kayak paddle included with my 10' Blue SUP/Kayak Set?
To assemble your paddle for SUP or kayaking, you will use 3 of the 4 pieces. The paddle is 'error-proofed' and does not allow you to assemble it incorrectly. The paddle shaft has a single pin on one end (that attaches to the SUP paddle blade) and a dual pin on the other end (that attaches either to the SUP handle OR the Kayak paddle blade). See the instruction sheet below:
Q: My paddle board has a small 'bubble' on the bottom, across from the valve. Is this a defect and will it spread?
A: The bubble that you see is not a defect. It is on all of our paddle boards. See photo below of a brand new SUP. The inside of the paddle board has thousands of threads holding it together that allow the board to be pressurized and hold its shape. You can see small dimples in the PVC where the threads are. Where the valve is located, there can be no threads, so the bubble appears on the opposite side. Many of our competitors locate their fin box in this location to hide the bubble. However, we placed our fins higher up on our boards for increased stability. No worries about it spreading or there being a problem with lamination. This is normal.
Q: What is included in the repair kit that comes with my SUP/Kayak?
A: The repair kits that come with the SUPs/Kayaks have 2 pieces of PVC, to match the colors of your paddle board/kayak, and a valve tightening tool. If you have the button of the valve in the UP position (refer to your owner's manual) and after you inflate your paddle board/kayak, you hear air coming out of the valve, you can use the valve tightening tool to tighten the valve. The tool is perfectly sized to connect to your valve and simply tighten by turning clockwise. Should you need to repair your paddle board/kayak, you will need to purchase a pvc cement that should come with instructions on how to apply it.
Q: Does the paddle float?
A: Yes, the paddles float. No worries!