A few years ago, stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) made their debut at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Trade Show in Salt Lake City. Outdoor Retailer is the place that just about every key outdoor manufacturer shows its gear for the upcoming season.

It was weird at first, watching a guy demo this new sport that looked like a hybrid of surfing and canoeing. If anybody could have predicted what would become of paddleboarding then, they weren't sharing it freely. The sport has absolutely blown up, and it was claimed a considerable portion of the attention given to paddlesports at the 2008 Summer Market Show.

One manufacturer, Hobie, which made a name for itself with its line of pedal-powered sit-on-top kayaks, now makes three SUP models: the CP Stinger, Tour/Race, and this one, the APR.

Hobie describes the APR as "a perfect family board designed for both ocean and lake paddling. A great big guy surfing SUP in waves from one to eight feet-plus. The 12-footer comes with tie down inserts in front of and behind standing position. Tie down fishing gear, a cooler or dry bag for a different type of paddling experience."

Fishing gear? A cooler? Bet you never thought of an SUP like this.

The APR comes in three sizes: 10'6", 11'2", and 12'. They MSRP for $1,549, $1,599, and $1,699, respectively.

In a couple of months, start to keep an eye out for Paddler's July-August issue for a full review.