Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX iSUP Review – Overview
Sea Gods is bold. They have been at the forefront of iSUP construction and technology from the get-go, and their artist-created designs are some of the most eye-catching on the water.
The Sol Flyer CX is no different. Its graphics and unique deck pad have become my favorite in their lineup. The bright, tropical color scheme with artwork by Hawaii-based surf artist Eduardo Bolioli is both intricate and minimalist.
Along with the bold design, Sea Gods has given the Sol Flyer CX a bold new shape. On paper, the dimensions are the same as the Skylla Cross-Touring, but on the water, these boards feel entirely different.
So who is the Sol Flyer CX for?
I wasn’t sure where the Sol Flyer would find its niche when I first put my eyes (and feet) on it. The shape of the board introduces a more challenging feel than a typical all-around iSUP and changes how it behaves depending on where you are standing. I haven’t been able to assign the Sol Flyer CX to any typical category. But, because of the shape’s impact on its stability, the Sol Flyer CX is best suited for petite beginner paddlers or intermediate and advanced paddlers looking for an exciting cruiser.
— Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX iSUP Review Ratings and Summary —
Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX
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Construction & Durability
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Features and Versatility
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Stability
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Speed
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Maneuverability
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Tracking
Overall Score
The Sol Flyer CX is a unique cruiser paddle board that offers surprisingly good speed, but lower overall stability.
Pros
- Absolutely gorgeous artwork on both the deck and hull of the board
- Ultralight, yet rigid, materials and construction
- New custom-cut 3-D deck pad
- Highly maneuverable with good cruising speed performance
- Excellent accessory kit with upgraded double-chamber pump and maintenance kit
- Includes a microfiber towel/ground cloth to protect your board and replace plastic shipping material
- Split fin box for easier rolling
- Limited lifetime warranty
Cons
- The unique shape of the board does make it less stable than anticipated with significant changes in stability depending on where you stand. This also reduces its overall versatility on the water
- Reduced tracking performance makes the board less desirable for distance paddling, even though it has good speed and glide.
Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX iSUP Review – Construction and Durability
Sea Gods has been making high-quality and lightweight boards for years, and their Cross Weave (CX) construction blends lightweight materials to create durable and rigid inflatable paddle boards.
Inside the Sol Flyer CX, Sea Gods uses a woven drop-stitch core to maximize rigidity while reducing overall weight.
The woven core starts with two layers of woven fabric instead of a knitted fabric used in most iSUPs. Woven fabrics have yarns that travel in straight lines along and across the board rather than looping around each other in a knitting process. This keeps the yarns under direct tension for rigidity and uses less material for a lower weight than a knitted core.
The two woven fabric layers are connected with thousands of yarns stitched between them at a specific length and angle to keep the board flat and rigid when inflated. Rather than using a typical “V” pattern for these yarns, the individual pairs are crossed over to create an “X” shape through the middle of the board, further increasing its rigidity when inflated.
The outer shell of the Sol Flyer is made with a Fusion-laminated PVC material. By using heat and pressure, the reinforced PVC material is mechanically bonded to the underlying fabric layer. This eliminates glue between the layers for a stronger bond, fewer volatile chemicals in the manufacturing process, and creates a more rigid material.
The top and bottom layers are joined together around the edge, or rail, of the board with a heat-molded layer of reinforced PVC. While this isn’t a true heat weld, the process uses a pressed mold and heat with high-temperature glue for a solid bond between the materials. A second, larger, layer of reinforced PVC is wrapped around the first for increased durability and rigidity. Lastly, two narrow bands of PVC are glued over the top and bottom edges of the outer rail for further reinforcement.
Sea Gods has added a new CNC-milled 3-D deck pad to the Sol Flyer CX. This process uses two layers of EVA foam (color on the bottom and black on top) and a computer-guided mill to carve the shape you see in the deck pad out of the upper, black, layer to reveal the color layers underneath.
After the deck pad and all of the other accessories are attached, the Sol Flyer weighs in at just 19.5 pounds and has a maximum internal pressure rating of 20 PSI.
With the Sol Flyer CX inflated to its maximum 20 PSI, we put it through our static bend test. Once loaded up with 170 pounds of weight in the standing area, the Sol Flyer bent just 1.26”. That’s significantly stiffer than our current running average of 1.62”, and is right in line with Sea God’s other CX-construction iSUPs.
On the water, I did not feel or notice any bend or flex in the Sol Flyer while standing and paddling normally. I did notice some flex while paddling harder for our sprint test, but not in significant amounts.
Jumping up and down on the Sol Flyer does produce a low-to-moderate amount of flex on the water. Once I stopped jumping, the Sol Flyer settled back down with a very springy and chaotic-feeling rebound. I believe this is mostly being amplified by the shape and stability of the board over-responding to any small changes in weight distribution rather than the material rebound itself.
The Sol Flyer CX is made with the same high quality and high standards that we’ve come to expect with Sea God’s paddle boards. It has great rigidity during normal use and should last for many, many years with basic care and maintenance.
Specifications
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 11’ 0” |
| Width | 33“ |
| Thickness | 6“ |
| Weight | |
| Max Capacity | 350 pounds |
| Board Weight | 19.5 pounds |
| Kit Weight (SUP & accessories) | 33.5 pounds |
| Buying Info | |
| List Price | $1352 |
| Warranty | 5 years |
| Returns period | 30 days |
Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX iSUP Review – Features, Accessories, and Versatility
The Sol Flyer CX is outfitted much like the Skylla crossover iSUP – a well-balanced set of accessories for all-around paddling with plenty of room for everything you need for a long day on the water.
The Sol Flyer CX comes with the new Sea Gods accessory kit included. In addition to the upgraded accessory kit, the Sol Flyer is also packaged with reusable and recyclable materials rather than heaps of single-use plastic. The most noticeable shift in packing materials is the microfiber towel/ground cloth that protects the board during shipping (and inflation/deflation) rather than a light plastic film.
Other upgrades in the Sol Flyer kit include a new double-chamber, a high-efficiency hand pump, a new semi-straight leash, an advanced maintenance kit with more spare parts, a screwdriver for easily adjusting the paddle, and lubricant for the pump.
When the Sol Flyer CX arrives at your doorstep you’ll find the following in the box:
- Sol Flyer CX iSUP
- Sea Gods roller backpack
- Double-chamber/triple-action hand pump
- 12’ microfiber towel/ground cloth w/ bag
- Sea Gods carbon fiber/nylon hybrid paddle
- 9” flex touring fin
- Semi-straight, lay-flat leash
- Advanced maintenance and repair kit
Whether you are out for a casual cruise or looking to spend a full day on the water, the Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX includes everything you’ll need except for a life jacket.
Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX iSUP Review – Paddle
Sea Gods includes a carbon fiber and nylon hybrid three-piece SUP paddle with the Sol Flyer CX.
The Sea Gods hybrid SUP paddle uses a blend of carbon fiber for the shaft and handle to reduce weight and a fiber-reinforced nylon blade for durable and user-friendly paddling.
The teardrop blade shape is a classic all-around design that puts most of the power of your paddle stroke into the bottom half of the paddle blade. This is great for taking casual strokes at a slower pace, or for getting the most power as quickly as possible in the first part of your stroke (great for catching a wave). The fiber-reinforced material is relatively light but is very impact and abrasion-resistant. It also has a moderate amount of flex for increased comfort in the water.
The paddle shaft and handle section are both made from carbon fiber for a lightweight feel that provides a pleasant blend of stiffness for power and flex for comfort. Both the blade attachment point and the handle adjustment use a compression collar to fix those pieces in place without any wobble or looseness.
The handle section is also made of carbon fiber and even has a molded carbon fiber T-grip. There is also an indexing groove that helps align the paddle handle with the paddle blade. This makes it quick and easy to adjust the length of the paddle on the fly. However, I do urge you to check the alignment of the handle and blade when you first get your paddle. Over the last few years about one-third of the Sea Gods paddles we have received have had misalignments in various amounts. Because the indexing groove prevents the handle from twisting, you can’t simply adjust it to fix the misalignment. This is a manufacturing error and is covered under Sea Gods’ 1-year accessory and equipment warranty. If your paddle is misaligned, contact Sea Gods to get a replacement paddle.
In the water, the Sea Gods hybrid paddle feels comfortable. It’s a little bit blade-heavy, but only just. The stiffness of the carbon fiber shaft and the slight bend in the nylon blade make it comfortable to use for long periods of time, but it can still put out some decent power with a few strong strokes. The carbon fiber handle is comfortable on your skin, and the T-grip shape gives excellent control of the blade in the water.
The shaft is also compatible with an optional second blade. Simply replace the handle section with the additional blade and you have a double-bladed paddle for use while seated.
Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX iSUP Review – Stability
On paper, the Sol Flyer CX should be a stable paddle board. It’s 11’ long and 33” wide. However, the Sol Flyer is a prime example of how the actual shape of a paddle board can impact its performance on the water regardless of its overall dimensions. Because of its shape, the Sol Flyer CX’s stability is comparable to a 30-31” wide iSUP but is still not quite the same.
We test paddle boards from the perspective of the intended user. For the Sol Flyer CX, Sea Gods informed us that it was primarily intended as a cruiser for newer paddlers. This section is written with that paddler in mind. We did not find the Sol Flyer CX to be a great option for beginners except for petite paddlers. However, the Sol Flyer CX does have wings as a fun all-around iSUP for intermediate and advanced paddlers. More on that at the end of this section.
Right away I could tell that the Sol Flyer CX felt different on the water from every other Sea Gods iSUP I’ve used. I’ll get into more direct comparisons a bit further down, but suffice it to say, that this board is not as stable as one might assume based on its size alone. Rather than being something I would put a new paddler on right away, the Sol Flyer feels more like an all-around board designed for an intermediate paddler who is looking for a bit of challenge in their casual paddling.
While standing and paddling normally on the board, I found the Sol Flyer to feel twitchy, even in calm conditions, and when the wind and boat wake picked up, it even became challenging at times unless I was pointed directly into or with the waves and wake.
Holding the board on its edge was likewise difficult. The same tapered shape has less resistance to rolling and doesn’t provide a consistent level of support through the length of the board.
Stepping back to the tail for a pivot turn also tests your balance. As the board tapers, each step back toward the tail is noticeably less stable. Once the nose is lifted off the surface, the small, pointed, tail of the board slices easily through the water for quick, snappy turns. It is also very responsive to shifts in weight and pressure between your toes and heels, again making it feel quite sporty and twitchy like what you would expect with a racing-style board like the Sea Gods Ketos.
So what’s happening here? The board is 33” wide after all.
The driving factor behind this discrepancy is the shape of the board. While the widest part is 33”, the actual standing area of the board is only about 31” wide. Once you put the Sol Flyer into this perspective, things begin to make more sense. It does feel more like how I would expect a 31” wide board to feel on the water but still has a unique feeling from the aggressively tapered shape.
When we talked to Sea Gods about the intended user for the Sol Flyer and their thoughts behind the shape of the board, their responses did not resonate with any of our testers’ experiences.
Sea Gods describes the Sol Flyer CX as a board for paddlers who like to stand tall and use a long paddle and paddle stroke for casual cruising. The problem with this is by standing tall and paddling with long strokes behind you, your center of gravity is higher, and you put more pressure on your heels and the back of the board.
You actually need more width and volume in the rear of the board for this style of paddling to feel stable.
The one exception to this is for petite paddlers. The shape of the Sol Flyer CX is less impactful for paddlers under 5’6” and under 150 pounds. That’s not surprising, as the normal recommendation for new paddlers this size is to use a smaller all-around board that is around 31” wide.
Overall, except for petite paddlers, I would not recommend the Sol Flyer CX for a new paddler looking for an easily stable paddle board. Rather, I would point those paddlers to the Skylla CX or Carta Marina CX if you want stability with more speed, or the Elemental Wave CX or DiatomTen6 CX for paddlers who want stability with more maneuverability.
Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX vs the Sea Gods Skylla Cross-Touring – Shape and Stability
Though these two iSUPs share the same overall dimensions, they have drastically different shapes impacting their stability.
With the coffin-like shape of the Sol Flyer CX, the standing area is only around 31” wide on average. Compare this to the Sea Gods Skylla – which is also 11’ x 33” – and you can see that the wide point is much closer to the standing area, and the outline of the board keeps the entire standing area between 32-33” wide.
The rear halves and tail shapes are also drastically different. The Sol Flyer tapers aggressively toward a 17” tail (measured one foot off the end) and continues to taper to a triangular pin tail. The Skylla, on the other hand, remains wide with a 22” tail (one foot off), and has a very wide square tail shape that is still 14” wide at the very end.
Side-by-side you can easily see how much of a volume difference there is in the rear of these two boards. This tail shape makes a huge difference in the overall stability and ability of the board to resist rolling or twitching on the water.
You could try moving forward on the Sol Flyer, to the top of the deck pad, and try to take advantage of the wider area. But this will push the nose down and lift the tail of the board. Now you’ll be pushing more water with the wide nose as you paddle, and the tail will “wag” more with each stroke reducing its tracking ability.
Sea Gods recently sent a marketing email comparing the Sol Flyer CX and Skylla CX stability. In this email, they described the Sol Flyer as intended for casual cruising and even paddling with a passenger, and the Skylla as “for more intensity and less chill.” We find this to be the opposite of our experiences on the Sol Flyer and Skylla.
In order to paddle the Sol Flyer CX with a passenger (as shown in their photo above) the standing paddler only has about 29” of width to keep them stable while the front passenger is seated (and inherently more stable) at the widest point of the board. The same positioning on the Skylla has far more space and stability for the rear paddler without impacting the front passenger’s comfort.
Widepoint-forward shapes are extremely commonplace in paddle boards, just not to the extreme degree of the Sol Flyer CX. Board designers have tried this exaggerated shape before and found that it offers no advantages over more traditional, and more stable, shapes. The widest points are kept closer to the main standing area (where you need the support), and the outlines are more generous through the standing area and toward the back of the board. This gives you the support and stability you need when paddling, standing up straight, and adjusting position on the board in a variety of different conditions.
Between the Sol Flyer CX and the Skylla Cross-Touring, hands-down the Skylla has far more primary (flat) and secondary (tilted) stability than the Sol Flyer CX for an average-size paddler of any skill level.
Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX for Intermediate/Advanced Paddlers
Both I and our other testers agree that, because of its stability quirks, the Sol Flyer CX is not an ideal paddle board for most beginner paddlers.
But intermediate and advanced paddlers have a fun opportunity with the Sol Flyer.
The same shape and features that make the Sol Flyer CX less than ideal for beginners can make the board lively and exciting for more advanced paddlers.
With the standing area being just 31” wide on average and a narrow tail, the Sol Flyer CX is easily maneuverable and has a very reactive feeling on the water.
If you are looking for an all-around iSUP that is more challenging and fun to paddle while you are cruising around with your friends, the Sol Flyer CX provides that opportunity. Using a paddle board that is more challenging is a great way to work on your skills, balance, and strength.
Advanced paddlers will also be more comfortable paddling the Sol Flyer CX with a small passenger or pet (though you may want to extend the deck pad for more comfort).
If you are a coastal paddler, you can also take advantage of this “hybrid longboard” shape and let the narrow tail get pushed into wave faces far easier than a wider and more voluminous tail normally found in an all-around iSUP. However, you may want to swap the touring-style fin for an all-around/surf-style fin for even more agility.
Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX iSUP Review – Speed
When looking at the shape of the Sol Flyer CX, it may not strike you to be a very fast iSUP at first sight. However, the Sol Flyer did surprisingly well in our speed testing – particularly at a more casual cruising pace.
Speed Review Text 5.1 5.7 3.8 1.9
The Sol Flyer CX performed well in our sprint speed testing. At a sustained sprinting pace of 75 strokes per minute, the Sol Flyer had an average speed of 5.1 MPH. However, I was able to force my way up to a whopping 5.7 MPH for a short period of time. It takes an awful lot of effort to hit that top speed, though.
I did find that the Sol Flyer CX had some mild flex in the board while I was sprinting, but more importantly, the low and wide nose pushed a lot of water rather than gliding smoothly across the surface.
If speed is your thing, then I would recommend looking at the Carta Marina CX or Ketos CX for a much more efficient high-speed paddling experience.
But, if you are more keen on cruising, the Sol Flyer CX is a great choice. It crushed my expectations with an average speed of 3.8 MPH at a casual pace of 25 strokes per minute.
The flex and pushing subsides at these cruising speeds and the Sol Flyer CX actually glides quite well. At this cruising speed, I was able to travel an average of about 21 feet with a single stroke. That gives it a gliding ratio of 1.9 board lengths per stroke – a result that we normally see with touring-oriented paddle boards.
The Sol Flyer’s speed performance matches well with its playful and sporty stability for intermediate and advanced paddlers looking for a more exciting cruiser.
Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX iSUP Review – Maneuverability and Tracking
The Sol Flyer’s shape gives it great maneuverability on the water but does reduce its tracking performance.
Our maneuverability testing is designed to put paddle boards through a fairly difficult and inefficient task to highlight the differences between boards, rather than just see how fast we can turn a board.
From a standstill, the Sol Flyer CX completed our flat-turn maneuverability test in an average of just 5.75 strokes. Most all-around style iSUPs need a bit over six strokes to make the same 360° turn. When completing the test in reverse, the Sol Flyer needs just 3.5 reverse sweep strokes to make the same turn.
While paddling the Sol Flyer CX, the narrow tail made the board very easy to turn whenever I wanted to. Stepping back to the tail of the board for a pivot turn was challenging as the board narrows quite rapidly. However, once balanced, the small tail slices through the water with very little resistance. You actually don’t need to step back too far to take advantage of this design, either. Getting about halfway to the tail is enough to change the pivot point of the board without needing to fully sink the tail and lift the nose out of the water.
Similar to our maneuverability test, our tracking test highlights the differences in board designs rather than trying to maximize everything.
After 10 strokes on a single side of the board, I found the Sol Flyer deviates off course by an average of around 19°. That’s a fairly normal result for a traditional cruiser-style iSUP, but not as good as a typical all-around board.
While paddling outside of the test, I could feel the board turning more off course with each paddle stroke than I would expect for a board this long. The narrow, tapering, tail shape encourages the board to “wag” a little more, amplifying the effect of paddling longer on a single side. I found myself needing to take more steering strokes and switching sides more frequently than I normally do on an 11’ all-around paddle board.
Included with the Sol Flyer CX is a flexible 9” touring-style fin. Touring fins have more surface area than a standard all-around/surf-style/”dolphin” shape fin and typically provide more stability and tracking ability.
The flexible material of the fin helps protect it and the fin box against accidental bumps in shallow water. However, it also flexes in the water and doesn’t resist turning or tilting quite as well as a rigid fin.
With the split-style Universal Standard (US) fin box, though, you can easily swap the stock fin with any other US fin to adjust the tracking, and maneuverability, or prepare for paddling in shallow conditions.
With the Sol Flyer CX’s current stability and tracking performance I would like to see how switching to a twin 6” fin system would work for this board. I feel like it would help increase both to some degree without drastically reducing its maneuverability on the water.
Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX iSUP Review – Artwork
The Sol Flyer CX is a beautiful paddle board. The sunset colors and artwork scream Pacific Islands. It should be no surprise that the design is based on the painting “Flyer” by Eduardo Bolioli (@eduardobolioi) – a surf artist based in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Combined with the unique, color-matched, 3-D deck pad, the artwork of the Sol Flyer CX makes it one of the most eye-catching paddle boards on the water.
As always, the Sol Flyer CX is a limited-edition paddle board. Once it’s sold out, these flying fish will be flying away for good!
Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX iSUP Review – Warranty and Customer Support
Sea Gods is known for their lifetime warranty on their inflatable iSUPs. If you experience any manufacturing defects over the reasonable life of your board, simply contact Sea Gods for a warranty claim. In addition to the lifetime warranty for the boards, all of the included accessories are warrantied for 1 year, and there is a 30-day return period if you decide that the Sol Flyer CX isn’t quite what you want. To contact Sea Gods you can reach them via phone, email, online chat, or through their social media channels.
Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX iSUP Review – Final Thoughts
The Sol Flyer CX is not what I expected. Of course, I didn’t really know what to expect with such a unique board shape. I don’t think it effectively matches Sea Gods’ description as a “chill” stable cruiser suitable for new paddlers. I do think this is the case for petite paddlers under 150 pounds who would normally be on a narrower all-around board to begin with.
Where I think the Sol Flyer CX has the most potential is with intermediate and advanced paddlers who want a sporty and challenging all-around or cruiser-style iSUP. There’s just enough stability to easily hang out with friends during a casual cruise, but the shape of the board gives you a great opportunity to hone your balance, strength, and paddling skills at the same time.
Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX iSUP Review – FAQ
Is the Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX a good paddle board for beginners?
Because of how the Sol Flyer’s shape reduces its overall stability, we recommend it only for petite beginner paddlers under 150 pounds. However, it is a fun and challenging paddle board for intermediate and advanced paddlers up to 250 pounds. Beginners who want a more stable ride should look into the Sea Gods Skylla Cross-Touring, Diatom Ten6 CX, or Elemental Wave CX.
Can I use a kayak seat with the Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX?
Yes. The Sol Flyer CX has four D-rings around the middle of the board for attaching a kayak seat.
Can I paddle with a passenger or pet on the Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX?
That will depend on the size of the paddler and passenger, and your overall comfort and skill level. New paddlers may find the Sol Flyer CX to be too unstable to paddle with another adult or a larger pet.
Is the Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX good for fishing?
Because of its overall stability, the Sol Flyer CX is not recommended for fishing. Check out our list of favorite iSUPs for fishing for other recommendations.
How durable is the artwork on the Sea Gods Sol Flyer CX?
The artwork is printed directly onto the PVC material and covered with a protective coating. However, dragging the board on the ground or in shallow water will scrape the printed artwork. We recommend always using the included microfiber ground cloth when inflating and deflating the board, and never drag it on the ground.