GEAR : feedback CM 14' !!!

Jérôme shares with us his impressions about the 4′ Couine Marie inflatable :
“Hello everyone,
That’s it, I finally got to test my 14′ CM for 8 consecutive days (2-4 hours a day) in rivers (Verdon Gorge), on the Lakes (always huge Verdon) and Med Sea.
Since I spent about 8 months to select and compare all the boards on the market, the wait was great …..!
Given the big size of the board, inflation is quite a long time, but it’s normal. Personally, size not shocked me beyond measure.
Let’s start with the lakes. In the morning, when there is no winds, it’s awesome. The board has an incredible speed. In Verdons, we are often surrounded by kayakers, and other electric motor boats. Quite simply, people hallucinating about the speed with which I went without forcing (my first paddle after few rentals). Solo, no one was following. In duo with my wife is even worse. The speed is really amazing, simply just sitting and rowing to realize that we move !
Duo, is frankly complicated when both are standing. But my wife is quite sporty. On a very flat water it works. By contrast, we really began to have fun in this config: me standing at the back of the board, and my wife sitting in front like with a Kayak. Finally, we spent eight days exploring the area like this.
A little sesh in méditérranée sea to finish near Rouet. And then frankly, I overestimated my skills : It’s really not the same thing the sea, even when there is little wind, it moves a lot and we must begin to work well on the knees to stabilize. On the other hand, clearly we discover the full potential of speed riding. I enjoyed making the mini downwind while the wind picked up and pushed on the beach. A few well placed shots paddles, and even without waves, we feel that the sea starting to carry us ….. and we surfing !!!!!!! Great sensations. By contrast, one teaches the hard : you have to move back. Logic. That would be the time that I made my first splash.
Again, the inflatable aspect is just magical. The session is finished, it deflates and folds in 5 minutes when we start to understand the technique, put it in the trunk and it remains there until we wanna get another ride.
In short, after having hesitated for a long time on boards of major brands, I must say that so far, this board makes me discover a new world. Frankly, explore the Verdon in the morning on this board, it’s just magical. It is a direct access to a sport closely linked to nature. I just have a point of comparison with a 11′ inflatable board from another brand, but the CM14 just goes really fast. And contrary to what one may think, it is not obliged to go fast like crazy for fun. One can also go all quiet, just a little rowing and you move anyway thanks to the length of the board.” SUPer : Jérôme en GONG SUP 14′ Couine Marie inflatable. Source : Team GONG SUP, stand up paddle au potentiel de dingue.