THE DOUBLE DIPPER
DAY TRIPPER
Word and pics: Joe Thwaites
Recently, possibly due to time off and being able to reflect, we’ve been
reminiscing about the good old days when a 12’ x 32” hard board was the
standard and we remember riding two boards as a tandem with a foot on each
board with one paddler at the front the other one at the back. Not only was it a
great test of strength but also relied heavily on teamwork, synchronised paddle
strokes, communication and a lot of luck.
More often than not it ended up with a big splash and boards shooting off in opposite
directions but for those 100m where it all came together and we glided seamlessly
down the river we felt a real sense of achievement.
Ahead of launching Loco’s Motion Airs we’d been speaking to Dave Adams who’d
suggested that more serious paddlers would really love an unlimited class iSUP as
not only would it have all the glide benefits of a 17’ but it would also mean they
could take endless kit on their weekend adventures. This sparked a belief that Loco
could combine these two ideas and develop a board that would be credible as a fast
and reliable inflatable expedition board but would also double up as a tandem SUP
for families and couples looking for more of a fun element.
After a couple more detailed discussions and some initial drawings a prototype was
mocked up and flown over from our factory for testing. The last month has been
really interesting talking to a variety of paddlers and getting their feedback. We
couldn’t have asked for more positivity. Of course a couple of minor tweaks have
been made as with any prototype but we’re now confident there will be a lot of happy
17’ Motion Air Tandem customers this summer.
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