The 2026 Newport Beach International Boat Show (NBIBS) runs April 16–19 at Lido Marina Village, and POPboardco will be on the waterfront with our full inflatable dock lineup, premium paddle boards, and the Rover Marine portable tender collection. Newport Harbor is home turf — the conditions here, wake-heavy channels, tidal swells off the Balboa Peninsula, premium slips with no room to spare — are exactly what our docks are built for.
Here's what we're bringing and why it's relevant for Southern California boaters.
The Problem We're Solving for Newport Boaters
Slip space in Newport Harbor is expensive and finite. Swim platforms are small. Hard dock extensions require permits and contractors. For most boaters, none of those options are practical for adding usable space on demand.
Inflatable docks work differently. Deploy off the stern, anchor at a sandbar, set up at a cove — the platform goes where you go and stores in a bag when you're done. No permits, no permanent footprint, no maintenance contract.
The stability question is the one most people ask first. Here's the engineering answer:
Inflatable Drop Stitch: Rigidity & Load Capacity
Inflatable drop stitch fabric materials can form rigid shapes that resist bending and bowing better than those utilizing standard fabric materials. The inflated drop stitch panels can be highly pressurized to allow for greater load capacity and provide a more robust resistance to loads and damage in hazardous environments.
Exploration of the mechanical properties of both ridged and inflated drop stitch fabric material, 2015
Our docks are 8 inches thick — 33% more air volume than standard 6-inch platforms. In the wake-heavy channels of Newport Harbor and the tidal chop common along the Orange County coastline, that extra volume matters: the dock absorbs wave energy instead of transferring it. At correct inflation pressure, the surface is rigid underfoot. You can step on one at the show and feel it.
What We're Showing at NBIBS 2026
Inflatable Floating Docks
The full dock lineup will be at Lido Marina Village, including the 14' Yacht Dock — 2,500 lb capacity, 98 sq ft of usable deck space, built for deployment off the stern of a yacht or larger vessel. For Newport boaters with limited swim platform space, this is the practical solution: give your group a proper place to swim, hang out, and get back on the boat without crowding the stern. Retrieve it when you're done, store it in a bag.
The 8' POPUP AQUANET will also be on display — the hybrid platform with a built-in mesh cooling net section alongside a solid deck. Half the group stays dry, the other half soaks. For Southern California summer days on the water, it's a different experience than a standard solid platform.
Attendees can step on fully inflated docks at the show. That hands-on test is the fastest way to understand what 8-inch drop-stitch construction actually feels like compared to the thinner platforms common in the generic market.
Premium Paddle Boards
The full inflatable paddle board lineup will be represented. Boards built for West Coast conditions — harbor paddling, coastal exploration, open water. If you want to inspect construction quality in person before buying, the show is the right place to do it.
Rover Marine Portable Tenders
POPboardco and Rover Marine are presenting together at NBIBS — the dock as the destination, the tender as the transportation. The Rover Battle Cat and Battle Boat will both be on display.
The Battle Cat's twin-hull catamaran design delivers stability that standard soft-bottom inflatables can't match — relevant for boarding and gear transfers in the choppy water outside Newport Harbor. Both vessels roll into a compact bag, so yacht owners can carry a capable tender without davit systems or crane infrastructure. For boaters who want to explore from Catalina to Dana Point without trailer logistics or a second slip fee, this is worth a close look.
Built for California Conditions
Generic inflatable gear built for flat freshwater lakes performs differently in a Southern California harbor. Salt concentration, UV intensity, tidal fluctuation, and constant boat wake are a different environment. Our docks use military-grade T3 woven PVC with heat-welded seams — materials spec'd for years of Pacific coast exposure, not a single season. At the show you can inspect the seams, valves, and traction pads in person. That transparency is intentional.
Show Details
- Event: 2026 Newport Beach International Boat Show (NBIBS)
- Dates: Thursday, April 16 – Sunday, April 19, 2026
- Location: Lido Marina Village, Newport Beach, CA
- Show info: nbibs.com
Why Newport Is the Right Show for This
NBIBS draws the Southern California boating community that actually uses this gear — yacht owners, coastal paddlers, families who spend weekends on the water in Newport, Catalina, and up and down the Orange County coast. These aren't casual buyers. They know what works in Pacific conditions and what doesn't. That's exactly the audience we want stepping on our docks and asking hard questions.
If you're in the area April 16–19, come find us at Lido Marina Village. If you can't make it, browse the full inflatable dock lineup and paddle board collection online — or explore all water sports gear to build out your setup.
About POPboardco
POPboardco specializes in ultra-rigid inflatable docks, premium paddle boards, and marine accessories built for real-world use. Our 8-inch thick docks use military-grade drop-stitch PVC construction designed for the conditions that matter — not just flat water demos.
About Rover Marine
Rover Marine designs and manufactures high-performance portable boats that bridge the gap between soft-bottom inflatables and rigid-hull sport boats. The Battle series gives explorers, anglers, and yacht captains a capable tender that requires zero permanent storage space and deploys in minutes.
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