SUP means stand up paddling on a water surface. "SUPing is different from surfing as the driving force are your hands, or in the case of SipaBoards also an electric motor, rather than the wind," says the mastermind behind the project, Sebastjan Sitar.

He came to the idea of a board which could also be propelled by a motor, instead of only a paddle, during a family vacation at the sea. His daughters were on a board and had quite some problems tackling the sea currents, which became even stronger as they tried to paddle back to the coast.

SipaBoards gets its name from the word cuttlefish (sipa): the board is designed in the shape of a cuttlebone, which enables good sailing and stability. "The electric motor pushes the water back, which resembles the movement of a cuttlefish – when it has to react fast it squeezes water out of itself in order to accelerate," explains Sitar. The SipaBoards work in a similar way and have several advantages over its competitors. The people behind the project list the electric motor, remote control device, the ability to self inflate and easiness to carry around as the board can be folded into rucksack and be carried on your shoulders. If we accidently fall into the water, the motor automatically shuts down.

SipaBoard prototypes are already available for testing. The first boards from serial production can be expected in the autumn.