Guys,
Plenty has been said about inflatables, mostly good these days, but has anybody had any first hand experience with the Astro Whopper? Couldn't really find any feedback.
Thinking it may be an option for a family board, predominately for my wife, but also for myself with our kids on it also.
In summary, 70kgs for a beginner, myself and kids (combined) 100kg. Mainly flat water, but I would also like to be able to use it in the surf myself when on holidays.

Thanks,
Scott.

hay Scott79, inflatable is the way to go for the family, just took mine up to crescent head and had a ball. the kids had a go, they cant bash the board with the paddle and if they fall on it they wont hurt themselves or the board. my father in law had a go (he is 105kg) the missus too and i rode it in the surf. Mine is the Hobie 10" drifta.

They will never compete with a epoxy board but so much more versatile. Mine does flex even at 14psi, and i found that the nose tries to stick to the water so it will try and submarine on some waves then others it was fine. might be me thou. Flat water they are great.

I had heaps of trouble finding any feed back on many of the boards and ended up deciding with the Hobie as they are a big company and have been making inflatable kayaks for ages, and they had 12 mths warranty..

sorry could help you on the whopper try a few stores and see if anyone has ridden them or you can demo??

I have a Whopper Deluxe (without cheese)
SUPER stable and fun board but all that width makes it a little slow in flat water. I would be looking at a Blend or Converse for your type of use.
Even with you + kids the other sizes will work.

Jas

Thanks Air80, definitely gives me confidence that inflatable could be a likely option. Unfortunately not really in a position to demo much though. I will check out the Hobies for comparison.

Thanks Jas, I probably expected it to be a little slower - do you find the whopper 'submarines' at all, as Air80 has indicated with the Hobie? Maybe not if you have the 300 litre version? Will also check out the others you have mentioned, I passed up a cheap second hand AST Blend as I was concerned about it being to tippy for my wife, kicking myself a bit now, it probably would have been fine.

Thanks,
Scott.

Definitely no problems. These pump to 18Psi and are 6" thick. Rock solid. Paddled the Mekong river on my 12'6" last month without a problem.

hI SCOTT79,
i have got the inflatable Starboard Astro wide point 8'2 x 32.
and for its purpose its awesome.
i bought it for interstate trips and back up board for friends to come paddle. it does not stack up against normal boards in the surf in relation to responsiveness on a wave , but it does the job.

I have the 8'2 which is 32 inches wide , its very stable and very fun in small surf and any beginner can still paddle it on flat water .
its real advantage is its size for travel and storage , it easily fits in your luggage on trips and easily fits in the back of a rental hatch back

used it a few times on the interstate work trips when i just had it in the car for when an opportunity arouse to get a wave in i was ready.
time form back of rental car to being in the water is about 20 minutes.

Hey Scott,

I have both an Uli Steamroller 10' and the Starboard Astro Converse 9'x30" and after a full summer (in the U.S.) on both, I definitely prefer the Starboard. I've had it on lakes, rivers (up to class II rapids), and in small surf in the ocean and it is truly a fun and stable board. I weigh 70 kg and feel that there is plenty of extra stability and float on the Converse, where the Steamroller just feels big in most situations. I was tempted to get the widepoint like the previous poster, but I like having the tie-downs on the nose of the converse, use them frequently. Highly recommend.

eric

Thanks everyone, I am pretty convinced I will get an inflatable. Have started a new thread "Starboard Whopper vs Fanatic Fly" thread, at this stage it is a decision between the 2.
Thanks,
Scott.

Do you think you'd be able to SUP in the red and yellow flags? Could just imagine the arguments that it would cause here in Manly - even though you can ride foamies!