Aquatone Kayaks and Platforms: When a SUP Is Not the Only Option

Not everything on the water is a board. Aquatone has a branch covering scenarios where a SUP is awkward or impossible.

What is in this branch

Kayaks:

• BEE 7'3" one-person pack raft — 499 €.
• BEE 11'8" two-person pack raft — 649 €.
• BLAST 12'0" for two — 499 €.
• BLAST 13'6" for three — 649 €.
• GLACIER 12'6" for one — 759 €.
• GLACIER 14' for two — 859 €.
• PLAYTIME 11'4" SUP/kayak hybrid — 500 €.

Platforms:

• FLUID 8'0" fitness mat — 330 €.
• CLUB 8'0" swimming platform — 520 €.
• ONEUS 20'0" gymnastic mat — 565 €.
• MANTA 15'6" pool platform — 955 €.

Kayak versus SUP: which when

A practical comparison, because the choice is not obvious.

A kayak is better when:

• It is windy. Seated you sit half as high, with far less windage, and go upwind noticeably more easily. On a SUP in 15 knots you simply will not paddle back.
• It is cold. In a kayak you sit and get less wet.
• Distance with gear. It holds what you cannot strap to a board.
• Children and older paddlers. No balancing required.
• Current and rivers. Steadier and more controllable.

A SUP is better when:

• It is warm and calm. Standing you see the bottom and the surroundings — half the pleasure.
• You want a workout. Standing works the whole body.
• There are waves. A SUP can catch them.
• Packability. A board folds smaller than a kayak.

The PLAYTIME hybrid: two in one

500 € for a "SUP plus kayak": a board with a removable seat and a paddle that assembles either as a SUP paddle or a kayak one.

Who genuinely needs it:

• Families with mixed ability. An adult paddles standing, a child or grandparent seated, on one board.
• Anyone with fickle weather. Wind picks up, you sit down and paddle back.
• Anyone who does not want to choose.

An honest caveat: a hybrid loses to specialists in both roles. As a SUP it is heavier and slower; as a kayak it holds less. We covered the same logic on the 4-in-1 board: an all-rounder is good until you have decided.

A cheaper alternative: the Kayak Blade add-on for an ordinary SUP paddle at 59 € turns it into a kayak paddle so you can sit and paddle. No seat, but enough for "getting back upwind".

Pack rafts: why a separate category

The BEE 7'3" and 11'8" are labelled pack rafts.

A pack raft is an ultralight inflatable boat designed to be carried in a rucksack. It differs from an ordinary kayak in weight and packed size: you hike with it rather than drive it.

The scenario it exists for: walking to a lake or a river's upper reaches, inflating and floating down. Impossible with an ordinary kayak.

Platforms: the non-obvious branch

The strangest-looking part of the catalogue at first glance, with specific applications.

FLUID 8'0" fitness mat — 330 €. A floating mat for yoga and exercise on water. An unstable base engages stabilising muscles, making familiar exercises noticeably harder.

CLUB 8'0" — 520 €. A swimming platform: an easy place to enter and leave the water.

ONEUS 20'0" — 565 €. Twenty feet is six metres. No longer personal equipment but something for a base, a camp or a yacht.

MANTA 15'6" — 955 €. A pool platform: an enclosed patch of water where you can swim without worrying about what is below.

Who needs these: holiday bases, camps, boat owners, waterfront spas. Private individuals rarely — and it is worth saying so.

Choosing in under a minute

Alone, calm water, warm → a SUP.

Alone, wind and distance → a GLACIER 12'6" kayak.

Two people → BLAST 12'0" or GLACIER 14'.

A family with a child → PLAYTIME or the three-person BLAST 13'6".

Hiking in → a BEE pack raft.

You already have a SUP and miss the option to sit → the 59 € Kayak Blade add-on rather than a second craft.

A base, camp or yacht → the platforms.

What not to forget

Vests for everyone. A kayak needs them no less than a board.

Pump and gauge. Kayaks need correct pressure too.

A dry bag for phone and documents.

A repair kit. Check the glue has not dried — before you go, not after a puncture.

Common questions

When is a kayak better than a SUP?

In wind, in cold, over distance with gear, and with children: seated you sit lower, catch less wind and need no balance.

What is a pack raft?

An ultralight inflatable boat for carrying in a rucksack: walk to the water and float down.

Is a SUP/kayak hybrid worth buying?

If you are undecided or paddle as a family, yes. But it loses to specialists in both roles.

Is there a cheaper option than buying a kayak?

Yes: a 59 € Kayak Blade add-on for a SUP paddle lets you sit and paddle kayak-style.

Who needs floating platforms?

Holiday bases, camps, boat owners and waterfront spas. Private individuals rarely.

Where to look

Kayaks and platforms. To read: our SUP paddle guide.