Clean the water you board on — Surftech and Bloom team for green paddle boards

As anyone who spends time near the water knows, stand-up paddle boards have been growing in popularity in recent years. However, not everyone has access to a clean body of water. In an effort to clean up waterways at risk of an algal bloom, Surftech’s latest paddle boards will use foam made from algae.

Surftech, known for its stand-up paddle boards and surfboards, is teaming up with Bloom to create greener deck pads for their 2018 models. Using Bloom foams, a single Surftech paddle board returns 176 gallons of clean, filtered water to habitat. By removing the algae, the process also prevents about 123 birthday balloons’ worth of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

“Surftech is very conscious about making products with environmentally friendly materials when we can, and we are proud to partner with Bloom,” says Dan Watts, Surftech’s product director. “Our waterways are our playgrounds, so we will do everything we can to keep them clean.”

Bloom is a performance-based materials manufacturer that uses algae biomass to create its foams. The algae are harvested from freshwater sources around the world. Using algae biomass improves the performance of the foam while simultaneously offsetting the use of petroleum-based ingredients found in other foams. While Bloom foams use organic materials, they are not yet biodegradable. Still, it offers a big leap forward in creating greener foams. Other recent applications of Bloom foams include a pair of sneakers from Vivobarefoot.

For those interested in cleaning up the water they paddle on, the Surftech paddle boards expect to hit retail in early 2018. Further details on the boards and their Bloom foam deck pads come Wednesday during the Outdoor Retail Summer Market in Salt Lake City. The boards will be unveiled again in September during Orlando, Florida’s Surf Expo.

Anyone looking to get on a stand-up paddle board needs a good paddle. What is better than a paddle that keeps track of speed, stroke distance, and other performance metrics? QuickBlade’s innovative smart paddle will help you track your activity and even let you know if you favor one side too much. If the whole family wants to tag along, the BigSup is an inflatable paddle board that can fit up to 10 people.