Wakooda Review

The Wakooda is advertised as a two seater and could easily fit two people sitting comfortably. There are D rings on the middle of the board are for attaching two seats which you can buy separately. The added D rings on the sides also make it easier to to pull up onto a dock or pull off a roof rack. It has a cargo area which is nice, but small. We wish they would've placed those D rings further apart.

Performance Comparison

Stability

This product is not the most stable contender we tested. It is made from a thinner material than all of the others tested, so it tends to wobble a bit in the middle especially if paddling over boat wakes.

Glide Performance

The Wakooda glides a bit slow. It is advertised at 32" wide, but it is actually a tiny bit wider. It is just as wide as the Tower Adventurer but it's longer and the nose is wider. They both perform similarly but the Wakooda is less agile and a bit slower. The Wakooda does glide fairly well through rough water though because it is so light, it is easy to push forward.

Ease of Transport

This was the only board that requires fin attachment before inflation.

The Wakooda comes with a backpack, which even if you don't use to transport your board, is very nice to have to throw all of your gear in even if it is just to take to your vehicle or down to the water's edge. The backpack isn't very comfortable but it does the trick and it would be easy to find a more comfortable replacement backpack because the Wakooda rolls up so small. It and the Shubu Raven rolled up the easiest of all the boards tested.

Ease of Inflation

It's easy to pump up the Wakooda. It's thin and light and doesn't take much time at all to inflate. It comes with it's own pump and hose that has universal attachments at both ends.

Best Applications

This contender is a good product for traveling far or for backpacking to the water's edge because it is the lightest board we tested.

Value

This is the only board we tested that costs less than $600. It's also the lightest and made with the thinnest materials which means it could wear out more quickly or puncture easily. It does come with a two year limited warranty.

Conclusion

This could be a great product for you if you require your gear to be fast and light. It comes with a decent backpack and lighter than average stock paddle. It also comes with a pump but the pump that it comes with is not universal. Please see below under, "Accessories".

Accessories

The paddle that the Wakooda comes with is very light but has a pinchy clip system

vs. the slide and twist to tighten attachment method of most of the other paddles that came with the Isle and Tower boards. This attachment/adjustment system made it a lot easier to line up the handle with the oar blade than the twist to tighten adjustment system of the other paddles. But, if your lower hand placement is ever sloppy and you grab the paddle a little bit too high, you end up with the clip system in your palm. Also, this attachment system is a pain to adjust when wet. Occasionally in windy or choppy weather it's easier to paddle back to shore kneeling rather than standing up. Sitting or kneeling decreases your wind resistance and makes it easier to paddle. This requires adjusting your paddle to a shorter position. Adjusting the length of this paddle can be frustrating if your hands are wet.

The Wakooda comes with a pump but it is not universal. The pumps hose does not have a twist hose attachment at the pump, it has a notch attachment the same as the end that goes into the inflation valve. The inflation valve on the board is universal though, so you can leave your pump at home if your buddy has a universal hose and pump.

This product also comes with a nicer than average patch kit.