3 ms·

My inflatable SUP is nice, and it is impressively rigid, but I wouldn't say it's light. I got the inflatable because it can be stored and transported compactly.

My inflatable SUP is nice, and it is impressively rigid, but I wouldn't say it's light. I got the inflatable because it can be stored and transported compactly. Competition paddleboards and kayaks are fiberglass/composite foam sandwiches, and way lighter than the inflatable variants. I think the inflatable SUPs and kayaks are as heavy as they are because of the thick layers of vinyl and nylon that prevent punctures and abrasion. Kitesurfing kites are made of lightweight ripstop polyester, with a super-thin urethane coating, and have an inflated bladder to help hold their shape. That might be more appropriate tech for creating an airplane.

_yb2s 2y ago
Yeah, I'd think you'd want to apply that principle, but with different materials for an aircraft. Off the top of my head I am thinking dyneema threads inside (instead of dacron/polyester) and a carbon fiber/mylar composite for the outside cloth, like is used for high end racing sails on sailboats. I don't have experience with hard SUPs but have a cheap RetroSpec weekender 10'6" SUP at 17.5lbs - I quickly looked up the weight of similar size composite boards (e.g. Isle 2) and was seeing more like 24lbs. I googled "competition SUP" and found some at 17lbs in the same length as my inflatable, but much narrower and 100lbs lower in max weight capacity than the inflatable SUP of the same weight. For kayaks, high end drop stitch kayaks are about half the weight of rotomolded plastic ones of the same size, and only slightly heavier than skin on frame kayaks made from exotic materials, which are the lightest kayak technology and slightly lighter overall.