Some interesting additions to the line up and a 20% lighter construction. The 12'6x 30 sport and 13'2x30 explorer models look very nice indeed. www.redpaddleco.com/product-category/inflatable-paddle-boards/

Love to give the big boy sport a go. I wonder if it will be any good as a down breezier/downwinder?

Love to give the big boy sport a go. I wonder if it will be any good as a downbreezier/downwinder?

I doubt it. Too much volume in the tail, not enough length, not enough rocker, no hard edges for planing or control.

But I guess if you are a beginner with balance issues who wants to get blown along a river by 10 knots it could be OK.

Yep . More a flat water cruiser for sure , as they say.

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Jonopaddle said..
Love to give the big boy sport a go. I wonder if it will be any good as a downbreezier/downwinder?

Be VERY careful with inflatables out at sea. If it deflates, you are dead in the water... hopefully not literally.
Even if you are not alone, buddies may not see you, or even cannot go back upwind to help you..

Yes. It is ridiculous that iSUP manufacturers do not use multi-chamber construction, when even a 10 dollar kids' inflatable boat does.

Badfish iSUPs are multi chamber.

I have done several downwinds on my inflatable 14 starboard racer. Fast and strong board.. But while you are in the sea you want something hard.

I've had a look at the the 2016 red is sups and they are noticeably lighter.

since I've had an Isup explode on me (fortunately while on shore) my trust for venturing too far off shore is very low.

if you did have an isup blow on the water you'd loose the sup as it would sink and you'd probably have to ditch the paddle as it would be too difficult to swim with it.

so a life jacket is a must for using an Isup any further than you can swim.

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Waiting4wind said...
I've had a look at the the 2016 red is sups and they are noticeably lighter.

since I've had an Isup explode on me (fortunately while on shore) my trust for venturing too far off shore is very low.

if you did have an isup blow on the water you'd loose the sup as it would sink and you'd probably have to ditch the paddle as it would be too difficult to swim with it.

so a life jacket is a must for using an Isup any further than you can swim.

Yes.

ISUPs aren't really intended for serious SUPing. If they were, the manufacturers would have addressed this obvious safety hazard. I wonder what will happen the first time a person loses their life through an iSUP going pop, and their relatives sue the brand for selling a product not fit for purpose. The disclaimer note they'd have to fit to subsequent boards would be long and extensive. I can imagine it now:

"Disclaimer: not suitable for use in water deeper than your waist; not suitable for paddling further offshore than you can easily swim; paddler should always wear a full lifejacket; in the event of this board deflating due to puncture or valve failure, it will sink like a stone, leaving the child you'd bought the board for being dragged to the ocean floor by their leash; in the event of the death of your friend, partner or child, the manufacturer will accept no responsibility for building in even the most basic safety features in this expensive piece of kit".

In this case we could say that we are given our safety to a chinese manufacturer, as inflatable are becoming the cheaper entry level of sup and they are popular, more and more people are purchasing them for all conditions. I love my 14' inflatable, for river and lake paddling and travel option. But never went more than 100 mts from the shore, as I know that it could deflate due to a valve or construction failure.

Exactly powermi . I will be using mine as a coastal cruiser And to travel with on my regular trips to Samui. The construction of the upmarket boards now is excellent. Sales of inflatables are a huge percentage of the European market . Storage is a huge factor in this. I am waiting for a look at the 12'6 x 30 red paddle sport. I will be deciding between that, the starbie 12'6 x 31 touring deluxe and the fanatic Air ray premium 12'6 x 32 . All look great , are well constructed and around the same price. I'm sure I'll be happy with whatever I buy. Got 3 hardboards a already so storage is now an issue for me. I can't bear to part with any of them!

If they would just build in one small seperate chamber, that would atleast provide enough float to give you buoyancy for the swim home.

Yes. Although I'd have thought that there might be a way to use multiple chamber technology to simultaneously increase the stiffness. Win-win.

I had a look at the Badfish as suggested above. It looks like the design heritage for the multi chamber models stems from river rapids riding, where the risk of damage is higher. Its Not a conventional shape so it would be interesting to know how well they work as a general paddler and if there is a weight penalty for the chambers.

Anyway, its good to see that someone has gone down that path and it may push others to follow suite.

I love riding the red paddle boards the new 2016 models are a couple kilos lighter. The 12'6 race is lighter then my starboard allstar. You can't go wrong with a red paddle for quality and travelling, check out the backpack with wheels. Enjoy your travels!

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Jonopaddle said..
Love to give the big boy sport a go. I wonder if it will be any good as a downbreezier/downwinder?

I have the 12'6 x 30" Race from a couple of years ago, goes surprisingly well as a downbreezer (to 15-20knts or so) but not sure I'd want to DW with it on 35+ and a bit of swell.

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HumanCartoon said...

Jonopaddle said..
Love to give the big boy sport a go. I wonder if it will be any good as a downbreezier/downwinder?

I have the 12'6 x 30" Race from a couple of years ago, goes surprisingly well as a downbreezer (to 15-20knts or so) but not sure I'd want to DW with it on 35+ and a bit of swell.

Yeah, a friend of mine downwinded one in about 25 knots and described the experience as "getting blown along" rather than downwinding. He actually maintained a respectable average pace, but I didn't see him doing much in the way of bump-riding.