OutdoorMaster Shark II is a truly reliable, hard-working, long-lasting pump. Here is our detailed review of this quick, easy, and highly efficient machine.
The strangest thing happened to me last week.
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I was lounging on the shore, kicking back with a great book, when I heard a huge “POP!” and a rush of air.
My Naakua SUP had just sprung a hole—and at the worst possible time, just before the weekend when I had family coming into town for a weekend paddling trip.
Luckily for me, Costco in British Columbia has the BodyGlove Performer 11 at a sweet deal, so we hustled to our nearest warehouse store and picked one up.
I put the SUP to the test last weekend so I can share with you everything you need to know about this paddle board, how it handles, and what to expect from it.
By the end of this post, you’ll know whether or not this is a paddleboard worth buying for your summer paddling adventures.
Size and Weight
Length: 11’ (335.3 cm)
Width: 34” (86.8 cm)
Weight: 24 lbs. (10.8 kg)
Capacity: 320 lbs. (145.1 kg)
The BodyGlove Performer 11 comes in the pretty standard-sized backpack, which you can see here:
When packed, the SUP is small enough that I can fit two of them side by side in the trunk of my Toyota Corolla with room to spare. It makes for the perfect choice for my wife and I; we can just throw them and the rest of our gear in the trunk and head out to a nearby lake at the end of a long work day, no need to pack up our full-sized SUV or load up a trailer (like we have to with our kayaks).
When fully inflated, it’s a whopping 11 feet long:
I’m a big guy at 6’6”, but the SUP is long enough that I can store all my gear (see below) and still have plenty of deck space to lounge, do Yoga, and kick back.
It’s also 34” wide (which has both pros and cons that I’ll expound on later) and 5.4” thick.
As for its weight, it’s around 24 pounds, with the fully loaded backpack weighing close to 30 pounds (with all the accessories). For a guy my size, it’s definitely not an issue to haul this SUP around on my back for a few hundred yards, especially because the straps and backpack come with built-in padding and ventilation.
For my much smaller (5’3”) wife, however, the Performer 11 is definitely a bit heavier than the 20-pound SUPs she’s accustomed to carrying around.
What’s in the Bag?
As you can see by the picture below, the handy storage backpack comes with everything I need to get out on the water:
- Inflatable SUP
- 3-piece extendable paddle
- High-pressure dual-action hand pump
- Repair kit
- Universal phone dry bag (which is a great addition for those of us who like to keep our phones close at hand when out on the water)
- 12V-powered electric SUP pump
(Note: There’s also a leash included, but it’s not shown in this particular image.)
One thing that immediately caught my attention with this SUP is that it comes with the BodyGlove Electric SUP pump included. I much prefer using an electric pump to inflate and deflate my paddle boards—it just makes it easier and quicker to get out on the water—so I was pleased to see it included in the bag.
Materials and Construction
Despite my best attempts at internet sleuthing, I couldn’t find exactly what the BodyGlove Performer 11 is made of.
There’s no doubt that the body is PVC (like most SUPs), but there’s no information on whether it’s single-layer, dual-layer, triple-layer, or fusion laminate PVC.
I have just started using the SUP so I can’t say exactly how tough it is, but it feels sturdy and shows fewer of the “imperfections” that I’ve seen on more cheaply-made paddle boards. I’ve got high hopes that it will last much longer than the single season I got out of my Naakua board.
The BodyGlove website does list a bit of the technology that goes into the construction of the Performer 11:
- Woodgrain ClearTek, which gives the deck the “wood grain” pattern that looks so unique and eye-catching.
- Triple-layer stringers, which are a stiff material that runs down the board’s center to give it more stiffness and rigidity, reducing flexibility and preventing bowing in the middle (which is important for heavy paddlers like me).
- Triple-layer side rails, which both add durability to the board’s side seams and increase stiffness.
- Drop-stitch technology, which holds the board together and creates a more rigid, inflexible platform.
All together, these construction features go a long way toward making it a paddleboard that promises to be tougher and more durable than many of the “budget-tier” and even “mid-tier” offerings I’ve tested.
Inflation and Assembly
Now comes the hard work part: unrolling, inflating, and assembling the SUP.
I found the hand pump to be very well designed. In fact, it features a unique dual action and dual-stage design.
When you connect it, it starts off on “Stage 1”, which (like an electric pump) maximizes air flow to inflate the SUP from empty. However, when the air resistance increases as the board fills, you can manually switch it to “Stage 2” to increase the air pressure instead. This makes it easier to fill the board at higher PSIs with less work.
But because BodyGlove included their electric SUP pump in the bag, I figured I’d put that to the test instead and let it do the work of inflating the board for me. Plus, I wanted to see how it stacked up against other electric SUP pumps I’ve tested.
Plugging it into the same Go Sun 266wh Portable Solar Power Bank I’ve used in my other tests, I set the inflation to 12 PSI and let the electric pump do its thing. It took about 14 minutes to inflate the board fully—performance on par with the OutdoorMaster Dolphin (LINK REVIEW), but a bit slower than the OutdoorMaster Shark (LINK REVIEW).
Considering that the pump came included with the board and is compact enough to pack down inside the bag, it’s definitely a great alternative to having to pump it by hand. And I don’t mind a bit of waiting for the pump to do its job—I can use the time to set up camp and unload the rest of my gear.
One thing that I found unique about the BodyGlove Performer 11 is that it doesn’t come with a removable fin. Instead, the center fin is integrated into the board, as are the two side skegs.
This means the fin will be shorter (which has its pros and cons, as I’ll explain below), but there’s also less risk of it getting lost or misplaced (especially if I lend it to someone else).
As the board was inflated, it was time to load up my gear.
Weight Capacity
According to the BodyGlove website, the Performer 11 has a weight capacity of 320 lbs. Not bad, even for a guy like me (clocking in around 250 pounds).
As you can see by this picture, I made sure to load it down!
I’ve got:
- An umbrella for shade out on the water
- An inflatable pillow so I could nap when drifting
- A 5-pound anchor
- My 50-liter Sea to Summit Big River Dry Backpack filled with clothes, snacks, a waterproof sound system, towels, my electronics, and even the electric pump and portable battery (which came in handy, as you’ll see below)
All of this fit neatly into the extra-large front cargo bungee storage area with plenty of room to spare.
With the gear loaded, I was ready to hit the water and put the SUP to the test.
Performance
The BodyGlove Performer 11 has a max recommended PSI of 15. Given what happened to my Naakua board (which the manufacturer said could happen if the board was over-inflated), I wanted to play it safe, so I only filled it to 12 PSI.
From the minute I got out on the water, I knew that was a mistake. The water was choppy and the current strong enough that I could feel the board wobbling beneath my weight. Plus, my wife (on her SUP nearby) said she could see the board bowing beneath me.
Luckily, I had the electric pump and my portable battery pack on my 50-liter dry bag, so I was able to pull it out and inflate it (yes, out on the water!) to 14 PSI.
(Interesting note: When I connected the electric SUP pump, the gauge read not 12 PSI like I’d set it, but 10.5 PSI. This is a common problem that has to do with the expansion and contraction of hot vs. cold air. It’s a good idea to fill your SUPs, wait a few minutes, then test them to make sure they’re properly filled to the right PSI and add more air as needed.)
At 14 PSI, a lot of the wobbling problems went away, and the board felt a lot stiffer and more rigid beneath me. Now I could get paddling and put the board to the test.
The lake I tested it on was a bit choppier than I typically prefer, but that gave me a good opportunity to test the board’s stability.
It turns out the Performer 11’s extra width (34” vs. the 32” I’m accustomed to) gives it much better primary stability on flat, calm water, but reduces its secondary stability on rougher waters. The extra width causes the board to rock more when any kind of swells or waves hit it, making it more likely to capsize.
However, when I paddled in areas where the water was calmer (nearer the shore), it was incredibly stable—nearly on par with the ISLE Switch 2-in-1 SUP that impressed me so much with its primary stability.
Speed-wise, the Performer 11 lives up to its name. I raced my brother (who has a Zray SUP) and outpaced him within a matter of minutes. I made it across the lake about 10% faster than he did, and both of us were paddling hard.
The built-in skegs and fin made handling the Performer 11 a dream. It tracked surprisingly straight and sliced through the water with impressive efficiency.
On the downside, though, the short fin doesn’t offer as much stability as the longer removable fins I’ve used on other paddleboards.
Features
The Performer 11 comes with some pretty cool features:
- A reinforced nose bumper that protects the nose from damage when grinding against the beach/shore or bumping into objects.
- A tow point on the nose that makes it easy to tether the SUP to a boat if I need to go somewhere in a hurry.
- An action camera attachment to mount a GoPro on the front.
- A four-point bungee cord storage space in the front with room for a lot of gear.
- Laser-engraved foot placement guides to show newbies (like my sons) where to stand for the best balance.
- D-ring attachment points along the board’s perimeter that allow me to attach a kayak seat, cooler, and other accessories.
- A very cool multi-functional neoprene carry handle that can unroll and be used as a water bottle holder.
- A Velcro strap on the leash that doubles as a paddle keeper
Comfort
Standing and sitting on the Performer 11 was made very comfortable by the thick, wide EVA deck pad.
It also offered me good enough traction that I could do some basic Yoga SUP poses even when the deck and my feet were wet.
If I had one complaint about the SUP comfort-wise, it’s regarding the carry handle.
The carry handle is made with a thick neoprene that can be unrolled and used as a water bottle holder. Unfortunately, it can’t be fully removed. When I’m trying to take a nap or do certain Yoga poses on the SUP, the thick handle can get in the way, dig into my back or stomach, and be a bit uncomfortable.
Deflation and Packing
This is where I found the first “serious” flaw with the BodyGlove Performer 11’s design.
Unlike most of the other SUPs I’ve tested, this board is designed to roll up from the tail first, rather than the nose. That means it has to be fully deflated before you fold it up (otherwise the air has no way of escaping) rather than simply letting it deflate as you roll it.
There’s just one problem: the electric SUP pump only includes an “inflate” setting (like the OutdoorMaster Dolphin). In order to properly deflate it, I had to connect my OutdoorMaster Shark, which has both inflate and deflate settings.
Once it was fully deflated, however, it rolled up in a matter of seconds, and was beautifully easy to pack. The backpack includes a strap that you wrap around the SUP to keep it from unrolling, as well as two built-in straps to hold it in place inside the bag.
Packing the rest of the accessories was beautifully easy, too. The electric pump nestles inside the rolled-up SUP, and the leash, pump, hose, paddles, and patch kit all fit easily alongside the board.
After that, all I had to do was zip up the backpack and pack it away into the trunk of my car to heard home, easy as pie.
Who is this SUP For?
Based on my testing, I’d recommend the BodyGlove Performer 11 to:
- Parents who want to take their kids out onto the water.
- Pet owners who want a spacious deck and sufficient weight capacity for active, water-loving dogs.
- First-timers and newbies who want a board that is stable on flat, calm water.
- River and lake paddlers who don’t expect to face large swells or fight strong currents.
- Casual paddlers who want a bit more speed from their SUP.
- Paddleboard campers who plan to pack extra gear.
Warranty
Body Glove’s website provides information only on the warranties for their wetsuits, PFDs, and life vests. However, the Performer 11 does come with a 1-year warranty to guarantee against defects in the materials or workmanship from the date of original purchase.
This is pretty standard for lower-tier SUPs—typically, only the mid-tier and higher-end paddle boards offer a warranty of 2+ years.
After what happened to my Naakua board (also backed by a 1-year warranty), this has me slightly concerned that the Performer 11 might not be built to survive multiple years of frequent use. Only time will tell, however.
(I’ll make sure to come back and update this review frequently to keep you informed on any issues or problems that may arise.)
Closing Thoughts
Overall, I’m pretty pleased with the BodyGlove Performer 11.
There were a few downsides: the deflation/packing process is odd (I’ve never before encountered a board that gets rolled up tail-first), the extra width and short fin reduces secondary stability, and the neoprene handle makes it a bit uncomfortable to take a nap or do Yoga on the board.
However, despite that, there were enough “pros”—including the electric pump offered inside the kit, the good primary stability, high speed, excellent handling, drop-stitch technology, easy assembly, and high weight capacity—that I’d recommend this board to anyone looking for a budget-friendly SUP great for newbies, families, and pet owners.
