Pau Hana Malibu Classic Review

The Malibu Classic is decently priced and includes a paddle, making it a great choice for someone starting out looking for a complete package to get out on the water.

Glide Performance

In flat water, we were actually very impressed with the Malibu's performance, given its shape. This board is on the shorter side with a rounded nose, so it definitely pales in comparison to any of the longer and pointier race or touring boards. It accelerates fairly fast, and you will get some noticeable glide for each paddle stroke.

Previous Next

However, the Malibu struggles to make much headway against wind and waves. We also found that it doesn't surf too well and tends to slap when moving through waves. Overall, it glides well enough for longer tours as long as you are reasonably confident that the water will remain calm — or you might be in for an unpleasant experience.

Stability

The Malibu Classic is 34" wide, one of the wider boards relative to its length. We found it to be very stable on flat water and great for lakes or ponds. It's a fantastic option for beginners or novices, offering both stability and style.

Stability can degrade a bit in wavy water. The board actually handles the waves fairly well from a tipping perspective, but the flat nose tends to slap a bit when going head-on into waves. This slapping motion can be a bit jarring — to the point where you can lose your balance and take the unexpected dunk if you're not paying attention.

Maneuverability

The Malibu is definitely a flatwater board, so it doesn't respond particularly well to leaning aggressively into a turn. However, this is also a shorter board, so it fared fairly well in the U-turn and slalom tests. It's fairly nimble, but we could definitely see a collision happening if you don't spot an object in front of you until the last moment.

Ease of Transport

The Malibu is shorter compared to the touring options, which makes it a bit easier to haul. However, at 31 pounds, it's on the heavier side. Fortunately, the molded handle is fairly comfortable, and the board feels just fine to hold, just a little fatiguing over time due to its heft.

Construction Quality

This board has a VFT shell that makes it much sturdier than some of the composite boards we tested. It seems to handle minor bumps and abrasions very well. However, we did notice that some of these scuffs and scrapes showed a bit more clearly due to the coloration of the board, so it lost some marks for that.

Should You Buy the Pau Hana Malibu Classic?

If you are a beginner or intermediate paddler searching for an all-around SUP, we think the Malibu Classic is definitely worth checking out — as long as you stick to flat water. It's stable, has a decent glide, and is fairly maneuverable when the water is calm, but we found it struggled a bit when the afternoon wind and waves kicked up or when surrounded by boat wakes. Overall, we think this board could be a good budget buy, offering a generalist performance at a below-average price that includes a paddle.

What Other Stand Up Paddle Boards Should You Consider?