Outdoor Master Swordfish Paddleboard – Test and Review

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Updated May 17th, 2024

Manufacturer and Model: Outdoor Master Swordfish
List Price: $299

Summary

Outdoor Master has long been known for making the best inflatable paddleboard electric pumps out there. Recently they introduced a new inflatable paddleboard, the Outdoor Master Swordfish. The Swordfish is an entry level budget paddleboard that comes with everything you need to hit the water. It can be purchased with a hand pump or electric pump. On the water, the board feels light and easy to turn. It’s stable enough for any beginner paddler in calm waters. It is designed and priced to compete with other popular entry level boards such as the iRocker Nautical and SereneLife Paddleboard.

Outdoor Master Swordfish Features

Our very first inflatable paddleboard was a prior generation Outdoor Master iSUP that was sold under the Chasing Blue name. We had a lot of fun with that board and we still use it when going on group paddles. Outdoor Master always packs a lot of bang for the buck into their products. We were excited to get the new Outdoor Master branded paddleboard to try out.

We ordered a White colored board and we chose the Dolphin 2 electric pump instead of the hand pump. I can’t think of a bigger turn off to first time paddleboarders than torturing themselves hand pumping a board to 15 psi. I was happy to see the electric pump option on an entry level board.

6 – Warranty

Outdoor Master offers a 2 year warranty for their inflatable paddleboards. This is in line with most other $400-$1000 inflatable paddleboards.

6 – Price and Discount Codes

The Swordfish is available directly from Outdoor Master and also from Amazon. It runs from $299-$399 depending on where you buy it and which option you choose. The version with the Dolphin electric pumps runs about $50 more than the hand pump version.

Use the Coupon Code ERO2022 for 10-20% off at OutdoorMaster.com

6 – Construction

The fit and finish of the Swordfish is noticeably better than the last generation of Outdoor Master inflatable paddleboards that were branded as Chasing Blue boards. The deck pad is thinner with a better grip surface. There is no peeling along the edges anywhere. The D-Rings and handles are all centered on the board. The seams look very clean with minimal wrinkles and bubbles.

According to Outdoor Master’s website this board is 2 layer woven construction. Our stiffness test for the board shows it has similar stiffness to other single layer PVC boards. This board has similar construction to what Outdoor Master used to label as single layer construction with their Chasing Blue boards. It does not have the very stiff construction that the more expensive 2 layer Chasing Blue boards did.

6 – Stiffness (7/10)

We did our standard stiffness test with the Outdoor Master Paddleboard. We load the board up with 120 lbs of weight and measure how much it deflects. The Swordfish deflected 2.8 inches.This was similar to the deflection we saw with the iRocker Nautical. It is more than the 1.4 inches we saw with our older Chasing Blue/Outdoor Master woven 2 layer paddleboard. 2.5 to 3 inches is the deflection range we see with most other $200-$400 budget inflatable paddleboards. High end boards can deflect as low as 1 inch.

What does this mean? In choppy water and with heavier paddlers you will be able to feel the board flexing and twisting underneath you. In calm waters and with paddlers under 150 lbs it is harder to tell the difference between a softer and stiffer inflatable SUP.

7 – Stability (7/10)

The Swordfish is a 10’6″ by 32″ board with a fairly wide tail. It has good stability without being a super wide 34 inch width board. It has good bouyancy and works well for paddlers a little over 200 lbs. Anyone over 200 lbs will cause some bend in the board. This is common for $200-$400 price range boards. The Swordfish performs with the best boards in this price range on the water.

8 – Speed (7/10)

The 10’6″ length gives the board good glide. The 32″ width is narrow enough that it doesn’t get super bogged down by chop and small waves. The flex of the board is noticeable in choppy conditions. Don’t expect a board that feels like it powers through chop and waves like a rigid board. In calm waters it can cover a lot of distances without a lot of work.

9 – Tracking (8)

The Swordfish has a standard 3 fin setup with 2 fixed side fins and a removable center fin. The fin uses a slide mount with a tab to hold it in place. Tracking is on par with other 10’6″ boards we have reviewed. The board will glide straight as soon as it has water moving over the fins.

The 2 side fins on our board were bent when they arrived. They are rolled up inside some compression wrap that folds them to one side in the shipping process. Don’t worry if your board arrives this way. You can use a hair driver set to high heat to warm them up and straighten them. Inflate the board to 15psi. Heat the fins up with a hairdryer up until they are warm and then hold them straight and let them cool off. Do this a few times and they will stay straight.

10 – Accessories (7/10)

The Swordfish comes with enough basic accessories to get you on the water and nothing extra. The Swordfish comes with the board, a roller bag, 3 piece paddle, and ankle leash. You have the option of getting it with either a double action hand pump or a single stage electric pump. They do not include a repair kit with this board.

Roller Board Bag

The roller bag easily fits the board and its accessories. It has a nice pocket on the side that will fit an electric pump. The bag has backpack straps on the side opposite the wheels. There is no padding on the back. It works for carrying the board. It isn’t padded so I wouldn’t want to carry it on my back a really far distance. The good thing is that the board and overall package are very light.

Double Action Hand Pump or Dolphin Electric Pump

We picked the Dolphin 2 electric pump with our board. I do not like hand pumping and always use electric pumps. The Outdoor Master double action hand pump works. It can inflate and deflate. It will take between 5 and 10 minutes to inflate the board depending on how fast you pump. We have used this pump on our 2 earlier Outdoor Master boards.

We ordered our board with the Dolphin 2 pump. We previously reviewed this pump. It is a good basic small pump that gets the job done. It can inflate up to 20 psi. It’s not the fastest pump since it has no low pressure fast stage. It took 15 minutes and 34 seconds to inflate our Swordfish up to 15 psi.

Outdoor Master Dolphin 2 electric pump review.

Our Dolphin 2 H3 valve fitting was not compatible with the Swordfish. The slot in the fitting was too small to twist onto the Swordfish H3 valve. The slot in the Dolphin H3 fitting is 1-2mm smaller than the slot in the H3 fitting that comes with the Outdoor Master Shark 2 and Whale Pumps.

If this happens to you, you need to contact Outdoor Master customer support and ask them to send you the Shark 2 nozzle set. This set will screw onto the Dolphin 2 hose (which is different than the air hose the Shark 2 comes with). These valves will twist and lock into the Swordfish board H3 valve. You will need to use the thinnest white rubber gasket between the H3 fitting and the air hose to get a good seal. If you don’t there will be some air leak between the hose and fitting that will slow down the pumping process. See the image below.

3 Piece Aluminum Paddle

A basic 3 piece aluminum paddle is included with the Swordfish. This paddle works. It is a little clunky at the bottom joint. Boards such as the iRocker Nautical come with a much nicer fiberglass paddle for a similar price. This is one area where Outdoor Master could do better with this package.

Ankle Leash

An ankle leash is included. The board has a dedicated D-Ring at the back for the leash. The leash has a padded neoprene cuff that is comfortable for a full day of paddling.

11 – Portability (9/10)

The Swordfish weighs in at just under 20 lbs making it one of the lighter weight inflatable SUPs out there. The Dolphin 2 is one of the lightest electric pumps to go with it. This makes for a very light overall package that is easy to carry around and travel with. The bag has wheels and backpack straps giving you options for how to carry it. Outdoor Master gave us handles on both sides of the bag. This makes it much easier to carry up and down stairs.

Outdoor Master sells an electric pump battery to go with the Dolphin or other pump. It makes a nice add on if you want a lightweight package that isn’t dependent on a car or truck for 12 volt power.

Power Bank for Electric Sup Pump

10 – D-Rings and Accessory Mounts

The Swordfish has 18 D-Rings across the board. It has a 6 point bungee in the front and 4 point bungee in the back. There is a dedicated D-Ring at the back for use with the ankle leash. There is another D-Ring under the front of the board for use with an anchor or towline. It’s pretty far under the nose of the board making it challenging to tie anything to it while laying on top of it.

There are no action mounts on the board and none are included to glue onto it. If you want an action mount or GoPro mount, there are many available on Amazon.

10 – Kayak Conversion

The Swordfish has enough D-Rings to add a kayak seat. Outdoor Master does not sell a conversion blade to use with their paddle. We recommend the following for a cheap kayak setup. The seat is sold under hundreds of brand names on Amazon so just look for the cheapest seller.

10 – Setup and take down

The Swordfish takes about 15 minutes to inflate with the Dolphin 2 pump or 5 to 10 minutes with the hand pump. The 3 piece paddle slides together and you are ready to go. Remember to choose a place to inflate your board that is free from anything that could puncture or scratch it. If you use the hand pump, the gauge won’t move off zero until the board already looks full. You have a lot of pumping to go from there.

For takedown, it is easiest to fit back in the bag if you get all the air out. The more air left in the board, the bigger it becomes rolled up. If you don’t have a pump that can deflate, roll the board a couple of times with the valve open to squeeze the air out. Close the valve after the last time to keep it from expanding back again.

10 – Comparison to the iRocker Nautical

How does the Swordfish compare to the iRocker Nautical? The Nautical sells from $299 to $499 depending on whether it is on sale or not. At $299 it is a great value. At $499 it is not. The Swordfish sells for $299 on Amazon with a hand pump or $349 with an electric pump. We scored both boards similarly in ratings. They have very similar construction that performed the same in our bending test. They feel very similar on the water with similar shape and stability.

The accessories are really the only differentiator between them.

Paddle

The Nautical comes with an upgraded fiberglass shaft paddle that has an available kayak conversion blade. This paddle is far and ahead better than the aluminum paddle included with the Swordfish. This is the weakest part of the whole Swordfish package.

Bag

The Swordfish bag has both backpack straps and rollers. It also has a pocket big enough for storing an electric pump. The Nautical bag does not have wheels or any large pockets. It has a wheel option but you have to pay extra for it. The Outdoor Master paddleboard bag is the winner here.

Pump

The Nautical is only available with a double action hand pump. The Swordfish is available with either an electric pump or a hand pump. Both double action hand pumps are very similar. The only thing really different is the color. The iRocker Nautical can’t be purchased with an electric pump instead of the hand pump. The winner here is the Swordfish for giving you the electric pump option.

Recommendation – Buy or No Buy?

The Outdoor Master Swordfish inflatable paddleboard would make a great first board for anyone who wants to try SUP but doesn’t want to spend a lot. It is a solid package with a good bag, an okay paddle, and a couple of options for the pump. It comes from the company that produces some of the best electric paddle board pumps out there.

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