Dax Board Co. DownDog 11'6" Stand-Up Paddleboard Review

Dax Board Company is a South Lake Tahoe-based husband/wife operation that began as a rental shop in 2012, and later evolved into their own paddle board company in 2020. They now offer five board models, each with a wide range of available sizes and colors. The Dax DownDog is a yoga-inspired version of their original all-around board (the Drifter), which adds a full-wrap foam padding that covers the entire top deck and side rails. This hybrid design beautifully blends the paddling performance and stability of full epoxy construction with the plush comfort of a soft-top design. We took the DownDog out on a handful of family paddle sessions on Lake Tahoe to see how it performed, and to see if the extra padding had a noticeable influence on its performance. Below I detail my experiences with the Dax DownDog stand-up paddle board. Check out our guide to the best stand-up paddle boards to see how it compares to the competition.
 

Table of Contents

• Stability
• Speed and Maneuverability
• Transportation and Set Up
• Weight and Capacity
• Kit Features
• Build Quality and Durability
• Sustainability
• Other Versions
• What We Like/What We Don't
• Comparison Table
• The Competition

Performance

Stability

I tested the 11’6” version of the Dax Downdog, which combined with a 33” width and a 5.2” thickness creates 248 liters of board volume. These are pretty standard dimensions for an all-around paddle board design, and as expected, the DownDog strikes an even balance between speed and stability. If I’m looking for a board with great stability, I generally opt for a thicker width (34-35”), but I didn’t experience any instability on the thinner DownDog board during testing. 
 

Given the board’s Yoga-inspired name, we put it through several down dogs, as well as more challenging poses like a headstand and tree pose. Despite a few tumbles (and splashes!), and my practice being a little rusty, I was able to execute a number of poses well. The full-coverage padding was a big confidence booster when falls were a possibility, and it provided a comfortable surface to confidently place my hands, which helped to prevent those falls.
 

Speed and Maneuverability

As mentioned above, the DownDog’s size and shape are optimized for all-around paddling and provide a good balance of stability and speed. It’s not as fast as dedicated touring or racing models, which feature longer and narrower designs, but it kept up with other hard boards of similar size and shape and was faster than most similarly-sized inflatable boards. Hard boards are generally faster than inflatable boards as their rigid construction reduces speed-robbing bending and deformation. Plus, the smooth epoxy bottom glides across the water better than the PVC material found on most inflatables. 
 

The Dax DownDog has a rockered bottom profile, meaning that the nose bends upward and out of the water. This causes the board to plane across the top surface of the water rather than cutting through it like a kayak or the hull of a boat. While this can slow the board down a bit in wavy and choppy conditions, it improves maneuverability by allowing the board to pivot easier from side to side. 
 

Transportation and Set Up

It’s important to be sure that you’re able to transport a hard board before making the purchase. In many cases, a car roof rack is required to get it to and from the water. While inflatable paddle boards have the advantage of easy transport (most come with a travel backpack that can be used to store the board and accessories), hard boards like the Dax DownDog instead boast an easy set-up. I strapped the DownDog to the roof rack of my car to get it to the put-in, but once I was there, it's as easy as carrying it down to the water and hopping on. The single fin is removable, but I found it simpler to keep it attached. Not having to spend 10-15 minutes toying with it saved me time and energy for paddling.
 

Weight and Capacity

Weighing 27 pounds, the DownDog is a pound heavier than its sibling, the Dax Drifter. The Drifter has the exact same shape and dimensions, but it doesn’t have the full-wrap padding. In practice, the DownDog does feel heavier than the Drifter (I tested both!), but both boards were easy to manage on and off the water. The padded center handle made carrying the DownDog to the water painless. Both the Downdog and Drifter boards fall within the expected weight range for all-around hard boards of their size and shape.
 

During testing, I pushed the DownDog to its carrying limit by sharing the board with my wife and child. Though Dax doesn’t list an official weight capacity, we drove the board pretty low in the water to a point where we weren’t comfortable taking it out. I estimate the three of us weighed about 360 pounds together, which aligns closely with the published weight limits of other boards with similar sizes and shapes. A board’s carrying capacity highly correlates with its three-dimensional volume, which is typically presented in liters. With a listed volume of 248 liters, the DownDog performs as expected.
 

Kit Features

Similar to other hard boards and opposite of most inflatable board kits, the DownDog comes standard with only a few accessories. The base price includes the board, fin, and bungee tie-down, though some key add-ons like an ankle leash, a paddle, or a board cover are available at an extra cost. If you’re considering purchasing your first hard board and plan to use your vehicle to transport it, you’ll also need to make sure you have a proper roof rack, cross bars, bar pads, and tie-down straps, and that you know how to use them correctly. Please learn from my past hugely embarrassing mistake of too-casually tying down a friend’s boards and then watching them crash down the highway in the rearview mirror. 
 

Build Quality and Durability

Build quality and durability are where the DownDog stands out from the competition. Most hard stand-up paddle boards tend to be fragile and can easily earn dings and dents during normal use and transport. If not properly cared for, that damage can cause the board to absorb water into its core or cause the outer layer to delaminate, both which can be disastrous to the board’s performance and lifespan. The DownDog’s foam padding covers the entire top deck and side rails with EVA foam, mitigating most of the risk of everyday wear and tear. This soft-top construction also makes the board more comfortable when paddling with kids or dogs or practicing yoga poses. While we can’t yet speak to its overall longevity, the DownDog feels very well built, and stands out for its simple and classic style.
 

Sustainability

The Dax DownDog has not only impressed me with its build quality, but also its use of eco-friendly materials. Most notably, its foam padding uses Bloom EVA materials, which is an algae-based material that's mixed with the EVA polymers, which could reduce the amount of plastic used in the long term. What’s more, for every paddle board bought, Dax Board Co. plants 10 trees, and we appreciate that intention. This dedication to sustainability sets the brand apart from the competition and certainly sets a high standard for the market.
 

Other Versions of the Dax DownDog

We tested the 11’6” x 33” x 5.2” version of the DownDog in the Terracotta color. It is also available in a shorter 10’6” x 32” x 5.2 “ version, and three other tasteful color combinations. The shorter 10’6” version will likely be slightly less stable than the 11’6” version due to its narrower width and lower overall volume, which affects its buoyancy. In practice, I’d expect their paddling performance to be very similar, but larger paddlers or family paddlers should opt for the larger size. Smaller paddlers or solo child paddlers may opt for the smaller size for better handling and maneuverably. 
 

What We Like

• Algae-based EVA foam padding covers the entire top deck and side rails, protecting the board from dings and dents, and increasing comfort for paddlers and passengers.
• Hybrid design combines the comfort and forgiveness of a soft-top or an inflatable board, with the glide and performance of a traditional epoxy hard board.
• The all-around size and shape provide a comfortable paddling experience in most conditions, with a nice balance of speed and stability. 
• The simple and classic design includes tasteful color options and limited graphics. 
   

What We Don’t

• Similar to most other hard boards, the base price doesn’t include a paddle or other accessories.
• Beyond the full-coverage deck and rail padding, it doesn’t have many features to make it stand out from other similar all-around designs.
• Marketed as a yoga board, but its size and dimensions are that of an all-arounder aiming to balance performance across all paddling conditions. Making it a little wider might sacrifice some speed, but would improve its stability and really make it stand out as an ideal yoga board.
   

Comparison Table

The Competition

Within Dax Board Co.’s line up, the Drifter is the most similar design. It shares the exact same shape and dimensions of the DownDog, at 11’6” long,  33” wide, and 5.2” thick (the Drifter is also available in 10’6” and 11’ versions). The primary difference between the two is material. First, the Drifter doesn’t have the DownDog’s full coverage padding, but it does have a standard EVA traction pad. The Drifter is also available with Paulownia and bamboo constructions. When testing these boards side-by-side, their performance is about equal, but when considering the higher price ($1,000-$1,099), the DownDog is the value winner. 
 

Surftech’s Lido and Chameleon strike us as viable alternatives as well. The Lido also has a very similar shape and dimensions as the DownDog: It’s available in 10’6” long x 32” wide and 11’6” long x 33” wide. It features a full-length deck pad, but its padding doesn’t extend to the side rails like the DownDogs. The Lido’s deck padding also has several cutouts that are apparently meant to reduce weight, but we found them uncomfortable underfoot. Plus, the Lido is still really heavy at a massive 35 pounds. We’d still reach for the DownDog over the Lido for an all-around board, but more experienced paddlers might consider Surftech’s Chameleon, which features a displacement hull and thinner base that cuts through the water more efficiently. The Chameleon is faster at the sacrifice of some stability, and its fiberglass and epoxy build is more susceptible to damage than the DownDog or Lido’s Utility Armor construction. 

Lastly, if transporting and storing a hard stand-up paddle board isn’t an option, it’s worth considering an inflatable model. In this category, the iRocker All-Around is one of our favorites: Like the DownDog, the All-Around is a stable and forgiving ride, but its removable tri-fin configuration allows for a bit more versatility in intended use. We've successfully paddled this board on a few fast paced rivers outside of our normal flat water cruises. And not only is the All-Around cheaper than the DownDog, but it comes with all of the accessories needed to get started: A paddle, pump, leash, and travel backpack. That said, we prefer a hard board over an inflatable for its performance in the water. The DownDog’s epoxy constriction reduces drag and moves more efficiently than the All-Around’s PVC. In our opinion, the DownDog’s unique hard/soft construction makes it the best of both worlds.
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