recently, Laser Performance announced a few new products that they are adding to their catalog of several sailboats (Laser, Sunfish, Pico, Bahia, etc); Laser Performance will now offer a few versions of stand-up paddle boards (or SUP). SUP’s are all the rage these days and are a fun and easy way to get you out of the water.
but the strange thing (to me, anyway) is that Laser Performance is branding the new SUP’s with the Sunfish logo – and name. so now, you have your standard Sunfish sailboat and also (3) options of Sunfish stand up paddle boards. what’s next, a slightly more aerodynamic & sporty version of an SUP called the Laser?
they are calling this branding the “world of Sunfish” and lumping these new SUP’s together with the standard Sunfish sailboat.
After more than 60 years, the thrill of Sunfish is still going strong. Its iconic design is part of the evolution of surfing and closely related to contemporary paddle boarding.
they call it a “return to it’s boarding roots”, which itself has some truth to it, as the original creators of the Sunfish (and it’s predecessor, the Sailfish) were tasked to create a paddle board for the Red Cross way back in the beginning of the Sailfish and Sunfish history.
interestingly enough, though, the term “Sunfish” is already such a strong brand name for a small sailboat, that many of it’s similar sized & shaped competitors are often mis-labeled as Sunfish when talked about or advertised, simply because in the small sailboat world, most everyone knows what a Sunfish sailboat looks like. with the recent spike in popularity for the stand up paddle boards (you can even buy them at Costco!), does slapping the “Sunfish” logo and name on these ones improve their appeal? or just cause more confusion?
I think they’ve obviously missed an opportunity to join the two ideas, and could have simply called the new stand-up paddle boards: the SUPfish.
I mean, I’ve been stand up sailing on my Sunfish for a while now. you don’t need to buy a fancy a new board and paddle to do that!
so the biggest thing missing from these new SUP’s offered by LP is a sail. every other boat option they manufacturer has a sail on it.
so now, after hours of deep research and deep Google dives, I’ve stumbled upon the solution.
just add a sail to your paddle!
now we’re talking! surfing, sailing and stand-up paddle boarding all mixed up into one neat little package!
(some photoshop liberties may have been taken with that last photo…)
my2fish: a blog about sunfish sailing 
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