Sun Dolphin 5 Seat Pedal Boat Review
Pedal boat, paddle boat? Seriously, call it what you want, but you and up to 2 of your friends will help you propel this boat around a lake with your feet, or hands if they are really young. This is a workout, there is no free lunch included with this experience.
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Sun Dolphin Video Review
Here is a video from unwrapping the Sun Dolphin pedal boat to setting up the boat for use, to taking it to school. Yes, the kids use it as their school bus…
What Comes in the Box
The pedal boat comes wrapped up with everything that you need included. Assembly has three steps.
- Find the cushion piece for the steering rod, place over steering rod
- If you purchased the canopy, secure to the front and back with the clips attached to the canopy.
- Once the boat is in or near the water you need to rotate the rudder from travel mode to lake mode. Simply remove the pin, rotate the rudder and insert the pin. There are only 2 holes in the rudder so this step is hard to get wrong. The end result is that the rudder should be longer, and stick further into the water.
Sun Dolphin Company Policies
Their products are designed, molded and assembled in Muskegon, Michigan. They are sold through a variety of online retailers such as, Amazon, Dick’s sporting goods, Bass pro shops.
Lake Testing Results
The weight limit is just over 500 pounds. Our family is about 375 without the dog so we don’t have any issues with balance or tipping. My 300 pound plus friend and his wife took it for a spin and ran into a pretty serious issue. His side sunk so much that it lifted her side out of the water. This was not only uncomfortable for them, but it also made her pedaling impossible and had the bonus of sending them in circles. Needless to say, balancing the boat is an issue for adults.
It takes awhile to cruise around the lake, but this is an amazing, fun boat for kids. 2 adults under 200 pounds each fit comfortably in the front pedal seats. A 8-13 year old would fit in the middle section which has pedals so they could also help propel the boat.
In the back the 2 seats are comfortable for adults as long as they aren’t in the 6′ tall range. A person that tall may end up having to dangle their feet in the water to stretch their legs comfortably. The back 2 seats provide enough space for fishing.
In between the 2 back seats is a storage space that could double as a cooler, or hold personal items like purses and small backpacks. Our youngest thought it was a toilet when she unwrapped the paddle boat, but I don’t think it should be used for that purpose…
Our kids are able to cruise around the lake, and use it for fishing. The storage has ample space for 2 tackle boxes, sunscreen, hats and sunglasses.
I wouldn’t recommend it for heavy adults, but it is a perfect family fun boat. Kids between 7 and 14 will love this boat.
FAQ
We purchased it from Dick’s sporting goods. We didn’t have Amazon Prime so we didn’t want to wait for the standard shipping.
Yes plenty, but Sun Dolphin has a large share of the market as the product is competitively priced and easy to purchase online.