Elysium Air Race Paddle Board
Hardboard speed in an inflatable shell.
14 foot by 26.5 inch. Carbon fiber stringers. Built for racers who refuse to choose.
$1,199
Free automatic electric pump included, a $179 valueInflates an 11 foot board in under 5 minutes.Through Nov 10
Estimated Delivery 3 to 7 days
Free US Shipping
Complete Your Setup
Most riders grab these to get on the water right away.
Most Popular
Adjustable Carbon Paddle
26 oz Tough Blade. 65 to 87 inches adjustable. Fits the Mothership backpack.
$189
$219
Save $30
Our best paddle, and the one most people should own. A full carbon shaft and Armalight composite blade make it light, stiff, and effortless, so every stroke feels clean and lively and your shoulders stay fresh from the first paddle to the last. At 26 ounces it's the all-around Hydrus paddle: light enough for touring, tough enough that the blade shrugs off river contact and rocky launches that wreck ordinary carbon. It adjusts 65 to 87 inches and breaks into three pieces for the Mothership backpack, so one paddle fits everyone in the house and travels anywhere. If you want the paddle that matches a premium board, this is it.
- Adjustable range
- 65" to 87"
- Paddler height fit
- 4'10" to 6'6"
- Weight
- 26 oz (3-piece)
- Shaft material
- 100% carbon fiber
- Blade material
- Armalight composite (carbon-reinforced)
- Blade size
- 18.5" x 7.5" (87.3 sq in)
- Blade angle
- 10 degrees
- Assembly
- 3-piece travel design (fits Mothership Backpack)
Free gift
Super Fast Battery Pump Mini (automatic electric pump)
Full pump power, cordless. Flat to 15 PSI in about 5 minutes on battery.
$179
FREE with your board
The grab-and-go upgrade. Same dual-stage power as a full-size pump, but cordless and half the size, so it fits in your board bag and goes wherever you launch. Flat to a firm 15 PSI in about 5 minutes, then it shuts off on its own while you rig the rest of your gear. One charge covers up to six boards, with a 12V car adapter as backup.
- Max pressure
- 20 PSI
- Inflation time
- About 5 minutes to 15 PSI
- Airflow
- Dual-stage HyFlow, 450 then 110 L/min
- Power
- Cordless 74Wh battery, plus 12V car adapter
- Boards per charge
- Up to 6 at 12 PSI, 4 at 15 PSI
- Weight
- 4.4 lbs (2 kg)
Sand Free Blanket
Sand falls through, stays out of your bag. 14' × 36" beach-day staple.
$27
$47
Save $20
A clean board exit, every time. The mesh weave lets sand, dirt, and gravel fall straight through, so it never ends up packed in your board bag or ground into your deck pad. Lay it down at the launch, stage your gear on it, and roll up a clean board. Small thing that saves you the gritty cleanup every single trip.
- Dimensions
- 14 ft x 36 in
- Material
- Lightweight sand-falls-through mesh
- Best for
- Clean board exit on sand, dirt, gravel
Deck Cooler Bag
Cold drinks stay on deck. Strap-mounts to your D-rings, doesn't slide.
$43
$59
Save $16
Cold drinks and dry essentials, riding up front where you can reach them. It straps to your deck D-rings with a bungee-and-carabiner system so it stays put through chop instead of sliding around, holds about 8 cans, and the outer zip pocket keeps your phone and keys splash-safe. Turns a paddle into an afternoon on the water.
- Capacity
- ~8 cans or equivalent food and drinks
- Mount
- Adjustable bungee + carabiner clip system
- Outer pocket
- Water-resistant zipper (splash-safe, not submersion-safe)
Waterproof Dry Bag
Keeps your phone, keys, and a dry layer safe. Rides under the bungees.
$62
$79
Save $17
- Capacity
- ~20 liters (expandable roll-top)
- Construction
- Welded seams + airtight roll-top closure (waterproof core)
- Carry
- Padded shoulder straps + back pad + chest and waist belts
In stock · ships in 1 to 2 business days
Add gear above to bundle and save
Sold direct by the people who design it. Your money goes into the board, not a markup.
Carbon fiber stringers along the rails. Eliminate flex under racing pressure. The board feels solid through every stroke.
26.5 inch narrow deck built for straight-line speed. Tail wedge reduces drag, wave-piercing bow cuts through chop.
Pressure-tested to 31 PSI. Rides best at 15 PSI where the FusionWeave Dropstitch core hits hardboard-level rigidity.
Three fin options included. 9 inch touring, 6 inch keel, 4.5 inch river. Tool-free Hydrus click-in swap.
Packs into the Mothership Backpack. Race-ready inflatable means you fly to races without hardboard freight.
Size
14' × 26.5" × 6" thick
Weight
22 lbs
Capacity
275 lbs
Best for paddlers up to 230 lbs
Who Elysium Air is for
Answering this honestly saves you time, money, and an exchange.
Great Fit If You
- Competitive SUP racers who need hardboard-class speed without hardboard storage and travel logistics
- Fitness paddlers chasing distance per stroke and faster intervals
- Advanced paddlers who want a dedicated speed-focused board alongside their family iSUP
- Travelers who fly to races and need a race board that packs into checked luggage
Not Right For You If
- You're new to paddleboarding and want maximum stability → JoyRide
- You want all-around touring with room for gear and family → Paradise
- You paddle whitewater above class II → AXIS 98
- You want a wide stable deck for fishing or yoga → JoyRide XL
The short version
The honest version.
The Hydrus Elysium Air is the race-bred iSUP. 14 foot by 26.5 inch, Armalight Air shell, carbon fiber stringers along both rails. Built for racers and paddlers who want hardboard-level rigidity in an inflatable that ships in a backpack.
Where it sits in the lineup: this is the speed board. JoyRide and Paradise are stability-first; the Elysium Air is rigidity-first. Internal lab testing shows roughly 20 percent less flex than typical inflatable race boards in the same width class. Translates to more energy moving the board forward instead of compressing the deck.
Honest fit: the narrow 26.5 inch deck rewards skill. If you're new to paddleboarding or want a board the whole household can share, the JoyRide or Paradise is the right call. If you race, train, or just want every ounce of effort to translate into glide distance, the Elysium Air is built for that paddler.
Designed in Eagle, Idaho. Limited Lifetime warranty on manufacturing defects.
Board Facts
Elysium Air at a glance
The Elysium Air is a 14 ft x 26.5 in race inflatable paddle board rated for 275 lbs of total capacity.
| Length | 14 ft (168 in) |
|---|---|
| Width | 26.5 in |
| Thickness | 6 in |
| Board weight | 22 lbs |
| Weight capacity | 275 lbs total (rider plus gear) |
| Rider weight | Best for paddlers up to 230 lbs |
| Recommended PSI | 15 to 20 PSI |
| Construction | Armalight Air with carbon fiber stringers with a FusionWeave Dropstitch core and welded seams |
| Best for | Racing, Fitness paddling, Distance, Speed work |
| What's included | Hydrus Mothership Backpack, Coiled Leash, 9" Touring Fin, 4.5" Shallow Water Fin, Hydrus Click-In Fin, Dual-Action Hand Pump, Repair Kit |
| Warranty | Limited Lifetime Warranty on manufacturing defects |
| On-water trial | 60-Day On-Water Trial: free exchange within 60 days, returns within 60 days with a 20% restocking fee, one return per 180 days |
Compare Models
Is This the Right One?
Quick comparison so you know you are looking at the right board.
| Elysium Air Race Paddle Board | Paradise X Performance Touring Paddle Board | Paradise Touring Paddle Board | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardboard speed in an inflatable shell. | If the Paradise is a touring SUV, the X is its sports car. | Your all-around board wanders. Paradise doesn't. | |
| Best For | Racing | Distance touring | Lake touring |
| Dimensions | 14' × 26.5" × 6" thick | 13'3" × 28.5" × 6" thick | 12'6" × 30" × 6" thick |
| Total Capacity | 275 lbs | 290 lbs | 300 lbs |
| Rider Weight Max | Best for paddlers up to 230 lbs | Best for paddlers up to 230 lbs | Best for paddlers up to 250 lbs touring with gear |
| Board Weight | 22 lbs | 23 lbs | 23 lbs |
| Recommended PSI | 15 to 20 PSI | 12 to 15 PSI | 12 to 15 PSI |
| Built to last | Armalight Air with carbon fiber stringers | Armalight Air | Armalight Air |
Owner Verdict
What 17 Owners Agree On
% of reviewers who mention
Stiff and rigid · 56%Glide · 50%Stability · 28%Build quality · 22%Tracks straight · 17%
See all 17 verified reviews ↓
Included
What's in the Box
Everything that comes with your board. No surprises, no missing parts.
Hydrus Mothership Backpack
Included
Coiled Leash
Included
9" Touring Fin
Included
4.5" Shallow Water Fin
Included
Hydrus Click-In Fin
Included
Dual-Action Hand Pump
Included
Repair Kit
Included
Idaho Tested since 2012
How it's built
Summer after summer,
still drum-tight.
Armalight Air shell
Armalight Air is the full construction system wrapped around the race core: a FusionWeave™ Dropstitch interior, multi-layer engineered PVC, real carbon fiber, a proprietary composite recipe, and welded seams. On a flatwater cruiser, the system earns longevity. On the Elysium Air, it earns something faster. Every layer is loaded under a sprint stroke, and any flex anywhere on the deck costs distance per stroke. Catalog inflatables soften under that load. Armalight Air holds rigid through the catch, the pull, and the release. The system is what lets a racer trust the platform at full pace.
Carbon fiber stringers
Two dual-length carbon fiber stringers run the length of the deck. They are the Elysium Air's defining mechanical piece. Without them, every paddle stroke compresses the deck a little and bleeds energy. With them, more of that energy moves the board forward instead of into the foam. The carbon does not flex under racing pressure. It transmits the load into glide. Catalog inflatables hide their lack of stringers behind PSI talk. Real carbon does the work that 22 PSI cannot. The result is a sprint platform that holds rigid stroke after stroke.
FusionWeave Dropstitch core
The Elysium Air runs at 15 to 20 PSI. That range is unique to this board in the Hydrus lineup, because the core is engineered to take it. FusionWeave Dropstitch is a multi-layer woven core, not a single-layer factory dropstitch like most race-claimed inflatables use. Most catalog race boards top out at 15 PSI because the core delaminates above it. The woven structure inside the Elysium handles higher pressure without compromising the seam or the deck. Every board is pressure-tested to 31 PSI at the factory before it ships. The 15 to 20 range is the race exception. The construction earns it.
Welded seams
The seam is the failure point on every inflatable. On a race board it is also the part that gets worked hardest. A sprint session cycles the seams thousands of times under load, and chemically glued seams lift under that cycling. Hydrus seams are actually welded, heat-fused through multiple laminate layers, not adhered with adhesive. The 15 to 20 PSI race range demands that construction. A glued seam fails at the top of that range. A welded seam holds session after session, race after race, and outlasts the rest of the board's working life on the water.
Race shape
Fourteen feet long, 26.5 inches wide, with a narrow deck, a wave-piercing bow, and a tail wedge that releases water cleanly. This is not a flatwater shape with a sticker on it. The Elysium Air was drawn from scratch as a race platform. The bow cuts through chop instead of climbing it. The narrow waist reduces drag at speed. The tail holds straight tracking through the catch and the release of every stroke. We refined the shape across Idaho-tested race sessions before the first production board shipped. The shape does the work before the paddler does.
Real Owners. On the Water.
Their boards. Their water. Their words.
Photos from Hydrus owners across the lineup. Their boards. Their words. Their water.
Elysium Air
★★★★★
I knew this board was going to be good but after receiving it I have been blown away. The color and style are fantastic and I really enjoy the stability and speed.
JoyRide
★★★★★
It is super durable and sturdy. I feel completely at ease in the ocean waves or the shallow waters of the mangroves.
Paradise
★★★★★
The Hydrus Paradise tracks and glides very well for an inflatable paddle board. It's easy to sprint between 5-6 mph on flat water.
JoyRide XL
★★★★★
Payette lake is notorious for its waves and wind. This board is extremely stable and handle the water like no other.
Paradise
★★★★★
It's fast, and surprisingly stable once I got used to narrower profile.
Paradise
★★★★★
I message the company and received a phone call from Jason (the man himself) a few hours later.
Party Board
★★★★★
We love this thing, half the time we’re using it as an inflatable dock at the lake that we can jump off of or just relax on.
JoyRide
★★★★★
First trip out was down silver springs to see manatee, river otter, blue tilapia and SO much other wildlife.
Why Choose Hydrus.
01
Limited Lifetime Warranty
Not one year. Not three. We fix or replace manufacturing defects for as long as you own the board, on boards purchased in 2021 or later.
02
Idaho Tested
Every shape paddled hard on Idaho water by us before it ships to you. Not a factory floor. Not a showroom.
03
Text Us. A Paddler Answers.
Text (208) 408-1997 and a paddler who knows these boards answers. No call center. No chatbot. Ask anything before you buy.
04
Limited Batches
Built in limited batches since 2012, not mass-produced. Batches sell out; the next one opens at a pre-sale price with a real ship date. You never fund a warehouse of unsold boards.
05
We'll Tell You No
If Hydrus isn't right for your water, weight, or goals, we'll say so and point you elsewhere. Half the gear on the market is wrong for the person buying it.
Still Deciding? Talk to the Crew.
Real people. Real answers. Not a chatbot.
We'd rather help you find the right board than sell you the wrong one. If this isn't the one, we'll tell you.
Text the Hydrus Crew
Usually respond within a few hours
Quick Answers
Common Questions About This Board.
Internal lab testing puts the Elysium Air within roughly 5 percent of comparable hardboard race-board flex characteristics at 15 PSI. The hardboard wins on absolute rigidity in a sustained sprint; the Elysium Air wins on travel logistics, durability against impacts, and the ability to ship in a backpack. For most paddlers who race regionally and travel to events, the Elysium Air is the better trade.
15 PSI is the target. The board is pressure-tested to 31 PSI but you do not need that much for race-ready stiffness. The FusionWeave Dropstitch core plus carbon fiber stringers reach hardboard-level rigidity around 15 PSI. Higher pressure adds nothing functional and stresses the seams unnecessarily.
Yes. The board rolls down to fit inside the Hydrus Mothership Backpack, which ships in the box. The packed dimensions are within standard checked-bag size limits for major airlines. Several Hydrus racers fly the board to international events regularly.
26.5 inch is intermediate-to-advanced territory. If you can comfortably paddle a 30 inch board for an hour without instability, the Elysium Air is a manageable next step. If you find any narrower board challenging on calm water, the Paradise (30 inch wide touring) is the right choice for fitness work without the speed-focused balance demand.
Three fins included: 9 inch touring fin (default), 6 inch keel fin (race), 4.5 inch flexible river fin (shallow water). All use the tool-free Hydrus click-in system. The 9 inch ships installed; swap to the 6 inch for race events where shallower draft helps with starts and turns.
Verified Reviews
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Still Have Questions?
We are real paddlers. Text or DM us before you buy. We'd rather you get the right board than make a sale.
Text Us a QuestionLimited Lifetime Warranty
We stand behind every board
Since 2012
14+ years building boards
Free Shipping
Delivered to your door
60-Day On-Water Trial
Try it. Exchange or return.
11,000+ Paddlers
Since 2012