LOCO MOTION AIR 14′ x 27 TEST REVIEW
Verdict
Loco’s Motion Air is a sleek all-ocean missile for paddlers with a season or two experience to go faster and further. The surf rocker lends control in planning speeds that you don’t expect to find in an inflatable. Typical of Loco, the Motion Air is stylish, striking and superbly put together and comes a huge 5 year warranty. This board will do it all from rivers and lakes but we think it best deserves to be out drawing ambitious lines on the big blue.
Overview
Loco give you the option of buying the Motion Air board only (with bag), sensible because it’s not a first timer board. So for £799 you get this gorgeous 14’ x 27” and plenty of spare change for a Loco race paddle. The board outline is towards the race end of the spectrum with the rails gently swelling to the 27”mid point. The rails have a beautiful, functional carbon wall to them which repels scuffs and promotes structural integrity. The deck pad is cleverly cut around the rear cargo bungee and extends way up to the front of the board to give way to a foredeck cargo bungee and tow point. Underneath, a US centre race-style fin leads to a square tail with a rubberised edge for release
Brand Claim
Our 2021 Loco Motion Air iSUP Range builds on our previous line of boards that were regarded by many as some of the best race touring inflatables out there. Not many 12’6” and 14′ inflatable paddleboards will downwind and surf but ours do. You’d think a bit of rocker would slow then down but time and time again out boards are beating others of similar dimensions.
The Motion Airs have been put on a diet so they weigh less and we’ve introduced carbon rails which keep the board nice and stiff and make the board feel a lot more sure-footed even when its choppy! The graphics have also been updated to reflect our new clean aesthetic which can be found on our hard boards too.
Performance
We used this Motion Air over several weeks from bumpy westerlies into the mid-July flat spell heatwave. For a full length tourer / racer, it fits well into choppy pockets and doesn’t get pushed around like wider, shorter iSUPs will. It’s soon up to speed and running downwind when you take a couple of steps back, the nose lifts and the board releases cleanly into a nice glide. It steeper waves, just get back over the tail – the Motion Air becomes a real grin expander.
Newer paddlers soon tune into this board in enclosed water; if you have a fitness-based SUP school with a couple of these boards and some heart-rate monitors you’d have an excellent platform for endurance, interval and power training sessions. Likewise, adventure-touring operators can put huge faith in this beautiful, tough board for overnight expeditions up long inland rivers or across Scottish lochs.
This is a fast, friendly board. Paddlers serious about their progression this summer should get onto one.
VITAL STATS:
Length: 14’
Width: 27”
Thickness: 6”
Volume: adequate
Fin: US Centre
Price: £799