Haulover Sandbar Perfect Place to Enjoy Inflatable Boats and Paddle Boards.

Labor Day weekend has always been a great time to get on the water, so that is what we did. Lots of people gather at the shallow sandbar near Haulover Inlet on the intracoastal, so we loaded up the Saturn 16-foot inflatable boat, packed an inflatable SUP and headed to the party. Navigating the crowds can be pretty serious work for the average boater. Navigating the dozens of boats, swimmers, anchor lines, and of course the hot dog vending kayaks can be a nightmare, unless of course you are in your slick inflatable boat.

Even fully loaded with a bimini top, 25 hp motor, a paddleboard, and seating for 8, maneuvering through the crowds was a breeze. While others perilously attempted to fight the current and anchor their boats between other expensive water craft, putting life, limb, and vessel at risk, we breezed in, dropped anchor, and were off exploring on the inflatable paddleboard. The festival-like atmosphere was perfect for displaying the board, and it is even stable enough to attach a banner to the back using the standard D-rings. Everyone wanted to try the board out, and all were amazed at how rigid the board is. Coupled with the optional kayak seat and transforming paddle (T-handle pops off and second blade attaches for use as a kayak paddle while seated), the rig looked pretty sweet.

Other people were out on the water with their own paddle boards, mostly traditional fiberglass boards. A lot of them looked pretty worried about their kids moving through the crowd on the boards, as running into other boats or swimmers could be very dangerous. Others expressed an annoyance with the hassle of lugging their big board on mid sized boats, especially when I told them my board travels in the trunk and fits under the boat seat. The look of dismay was even more intense when I let them know they could have got two of our boards for the money they spent on theirs…and still had change left over.

As we left the sandbar, again moving deftly through the minefield, I watched as 4 men in the water hopelessly attempted to anchor their boat between two others. As they struggled with their tow lines, their boat swung precariously near two other boats. The men looked exhausted, the people on the other boat looked angry, and no one looked they were having the good time they planned on that day. When I thought of the tens of thousands they had spent to be so miserable, suddenly I felt pretty smart knowing that the boat AND the paddleboard combined cost a small fraction of what they had spent, and we enjoyed ourselves way more than they did that day.