My wife and I have both have enjoyed paddle sports in the past, but our first love is climbing. Recently we moved to Las Vegas which has endless rock climbing opportunities, but in the summer it's HOT. With Lake Mead and the Colorado River in our backyard we took the plunge and purchased two Monarchs. As first time paddleboarders we could be happier with our decision. As an all rounder, the Monarch has been a great board for learning the subtleties of balance and correct paddling form. We have ventured out in choppy conditions, "surfed" some passing power boat wakes and even loaded up the boards with overnight gear and camped out along Lake Mead. We both can't wait for more adventures with these awesome paddle boards! Here is a link to our overnight camping trip https://youtu.be/jrytE81QDW0

I previously had a beloved MCIT SUP that lasted for 8+ years of solid use on whitewater, slow rivers, fishing, and ocean surf before I finally couldn't repair it. I appreciated the build quality and wanted another badfish. My other boats are a >6 foot white water kayak and a 17 foot sea kayak. I wanted a SUP that could be given to my wife while I was in the whitewater kayak on a river or that I could paddle to keep up with her in the sea kayak on flat water. The MCIT handled this job well. The Monarch unfortunately feels noticeably slower. I really wish badfish sold a 11'3'' -12'6'' board that was not as wide as the Monarch by 1-3'' or maybe different board shape? On the plus side, the Monarch handles well for its size and is more stable and predictable than the old MCIT design. True beginners will have an easy time. I don't miss standing in a small puddle like I did with the MCIT. Ideally, it would be possible to swap out the center fin. While I understand the appeal of not having to remember a fin while packing, having forgot a fin at the beach before, the improved tracking of a longer fin is worth it in my opinion. Other's may make a different call. I also miss having the valve in the nose as that made rolling it up a little easier, but I've only rolled it up 2x so far. Definitely recommend for a first SUP or do-it-all at some level board.

This is my 4th Badfish SUP and it did NOT disappoint! The Monarch is a speed demon while still maintaining great stability. The relatively short 3 fixed fin system keeps it in a straight line while still allowing it to be paddled through shallow river sections. It also performs well in class 2 rapids and does a good job of surfing .As always, quality is impressive and Badfish customer service is unmatched! Shouout to Noah for hooking me up with another great Badfish!

The Badfish Monarch is a great portable SUP. The inflation process is pretty straightforward and relatively easy. Getting the deflated board back into it's bag is pretty difficult at first. After a few times it gets much easier as you learn the best way to break it down. I highly recommend this SUB to anyone who needs a super portable SUP. Love it!!

We love the boards! Easy to use and easy to setup. Hard to go anywhere and not bring them along! Highly recommend!! Customer service was also top notch.