The Maine Island Trail and Endurance

Spanning the entire length of the Maine coastline, the Maine Island Trail is the country's oldest water based adventure trail. Owned by a mix of private landowners, conservation groups, federal, state, and municipal agencies the trail is formed through a series of handshake agreements allowing members of the Maine Island Trail Association to travel to approximately 200 small islands and land sites for day trips or overnight camping. Perfectly suitable for small watercraft, including paddleboards, kayaks, and sailboats this trail offers a taste of nature that you would be left unseen in larger vessels. The Leave No Trace policy of the MITA allows its members to enjoy this trail at a very low cost (yearly membership available here) with no additional fees (or need for reservations) for overnight camping spots. The yearly membership includes a trail guide and access to their exclusive app, biannual newsletter, and a HUGE list of awesome discounts at local mooring spots, outfitters, kayak and gear rentals, sailing lessons (sign me up please!), and even coffee shops located along the route.

Todd Caranto and his Pau Hana crew took the NEW 2017 Endurance touring SUP for a weekend test ride to many of the islands that make up the trail to test out their awesome ricochet technology (check out that seriously delicious dinner, these guys know how to camp!)

The Pau Hana Endurance essentially is the perfect touring board. Named after Ernest Shackleton’s famous trans-antarctic attempt at the turn of the century, this board is dedicated to the hardy characters who choose create their own adventure. The board is built with Pau Hana's one of a kind Ricochet technology, allowing the board to withstand rough contact with rocks, logs, or anything else that may cross its path. Despite its heavy duty construction, the Endurance only weighs slightly over 31 lbs and glides seamlessly even at its max weight capacity of 317 lbs. An obscene amount (39 to be exact) of strategically placed Seamounts mean that you can strap down enough gear to both front and rear of the board to head out for a multi-day adventure. The super soft deck pad provides a comfortable sleeping platform and is designed to accommodate a sleeping nag. Extra handles in the front and rear make it easy to pull out of the water and drag across the ground. Pau Hana has even catered a touring kit specifically for water bound adventures on the Endurance that includes a 10' coiled leash, Rotogrip paddle clips, 2 sets of D-Rings and bungees, 2 base plate load distributors, 1.5″ RAM tough ball, 4 36″ cinch straps, a 1″ tough ball, a RAM Revolution fishing rod holder, 2 cargo tie-down nets, and a RAM drink cup holder!