The guy said he had to keep paddling very fast to keep it afloat until he could reach the beach/dock.
That's a Wily Coyote/Roadrunner image.
It also reminds me of the stories of snow-mobilers who break through the ice, but manage to surf to safety by gunning the motor... the ridged snow belt underneath provides propulsion, and they plane up on the skis. It's supposed to work... sometimes... for a while.
Never seen it myself, maybe its a rural legend.