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

The perfect balance between agile and stable.

The monarch is exceptional in versatility and FUN. It has great glide and maneuverability across a wide range of sizes so it’s great for the family or individual looking for a cross-over board to take anywhere there’s water. Badfish’s service is exceptional as well!

If you want the best SUP on the market, you just found it. I have the river shred and monarch. Both phenomenal. So well thought out, and feature rich. Nothing else compares.

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.