**nb...I posted this in the windsurf section but nobody answered so hoping the SUP riders out there might have tried these boards :)


hello to the SUP / iSUP / WindSup community around Oz...have enjoyed reading all your posts...some very knowledgable legends out there amongst you..

I am a medium ability SUPer & wanting to begin WindSup & looking to invest in a complete package. Im looking at inflatable as I have storage & transport restrictions. In the inflatable range it seems that the best board options in Windsup were between the NaishCrossoverAir the FanaticFlyAirPremium & the Starboard Winsup 10' 34". All 3 are inflatable with mounts for windsurfing.

* Naish Crossover Air 11'0L 30"W 6"T, 210L Vol, 11.5kg Weight & 95kg Max Rider, M8 Universal Insert, 2 X 10.0 Fins (back & centrefin), Price $1500

* Fanatic FlyAirPremium 10'8L 34"W 4.5"T, 245L Vol, Weight? MaxRider?, Mastfoot insert, tri fin (back), Price $ 1200

* Starboard Windsup 10'0L 34"W 6"T, 300L Vol, Weight? MaxRider?, Mastfoot insert ,Fins Drake Shallow 220 + DaggerBoard, Price $ 2100 deluxe $1600 fun


I could not find a review anywhere on either board let alone a review comparing the three. I was really hoping to get an understanding of the pro's con's of each for both SUP and for WindSup usage.

75% of my usage will be for SUP & I really needed a great all rounder, something that is good for beginners & can take out onto the ocean & especially into the surf, is reasonable on flat water & even be able to use in white water.

25% windsup time I was just looking for a great beginner board for light sailing wind up to 15 knots bay style riding.

I am 96kg so I see that I am pushing the limits of the Crossover but imagine it would still be ok. The Crossover is a little more expensive and the narrow shape seems more suited for flatwater so am not sure how it would go in surf conditions but judging by the 30"W it would appear to have better glide for both flatwater & windsurfing. The M8 universal insert looks stronger than the inserts of the other boards & may have more longevity but would need someone to confirm.

The Starboard looks like a good all round sup board a little shorter than the other two but at 300L has the most volume & therefore stability I assume. May be a better all rounder as a sup as its based on the apparantly famous whopper shape. Assume better in the surf & white water than the other 2 boards given stability & shape, not sure if it would be slightly slower on the flat. Looks like a pretty good board but price reflects that especially for the Deluxe.

I was a bit concerned with the 4.5' Thickness on the Flyairpremium thinking that it might have bend in it for someone my weight ( i did see a video that said it was 6' thickness but website shows 4') & also concerned i havent seen any reviews for this around the world so am wondering if anyone is actually buying. Unlike the the other 2 boards the fanatic does not have a centre fin. Its $300 cheaper than the Naish & $400 cheaper than the Starboard Fun so thats one big advantage.

From a windsup view I havent seen any reviews on how these boards windsurf but from the website marketing videos the fanatic & starboard windsurfing looks pretty sedate in low wind & they dont appear to be going anywhere fast. In the Naish Crossover video looks like theyre windsurfing along at a reasonable / moderate speed.

Anyway thought i'd throw it out there & see if any of you legends could assist with some great advice on either option or perhaps another model i may have missed. Cheers to anyone who takes the time to help. :)

I've checked them all out and I like the Naish best for sure.. and not just because it's a Naish..

Try and demo them all.. or at least have a close look at them all and I'm sure you will agree..

I'd try the Starboard submerged it sounds lik the better option. At your weight, the Fanatic will bend like a noodle. I've owned 3 x Naish inflatables, 2 11'6" mana airs and 1 11' Nalu air. The second Mana air was a warranty replacement for the first which developed a wicked twist along the board over the first couple of paddles (to their credit Naish replaced it without to much pressure on the thumb screws). Both the second Mana and the Nalu both developed a wicked banana bend (ie excessive rocker) over a short period if left inflated at full pressure. I don't think the deck tread stretched at the same rate as the bottom of the hull. It could be corrected temporarily by throwing the sup across a couple of trestles up side down with a bag of sand in the middle.....and left out the sun that way for a couple of hours on a hot day! Not the ideal situation! When the naishes were working, the extra thickness and stiffness was evident and critical for my 90 kg weight.

I've got nothing against Naish, I actually sold the inflatables (after finally giving up) and boat a rigid Nalu 10.6. But I reckon you would be better to er on the side of a slightly heavier fabric and construction for your isup (the Naish is very light).

You could try Red Paddle Co as well.

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Dezz said..

You could try Red Paddle Co as well.

Neither RED nor ULI offer an inflatable with a mast base, which is what the OP is looking for.

From the Red Paddle Co website:

"Can I use the Red Air with sails and kites:
YES YES YES !!! the Red Air boards work great with sails and kites, see the video below. In fact its our favourite sup board for kites because the flex in the board and fins means its a way smoother and more controllable ride, not too mention safer for you and everyone else on and off the board than solid sups, and if you have a windsurf sail just tie it to the center carry handle, it wont damage the board regardless of how hard it falls over and you will be more confident than on a solid board = more fun."

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Dezz said..

From the Red Paddle Co website:

"Can I use the Red Air with sails and kites:
YES YES YES !!! and if you have a windsurf sail just tie it to the center carry handle, it wont damage the board regardless of how hard it falls over"

Ummm, a windsurfing mast base will rip the bejesus out of an inflatable sup deck tied onto the handle! True the mast falling over won't damage the rail but the base of the mast with your body weight hanging off it will damage your inflato toy in a few sessions!

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greenleader said..

Dezz said..

From the Red Paddle Co website:

"Can I use the Red Air with sails and kites:
YES YES YES !!! and if you have a windsurf sail just tie it to the center carry handle, it wont damage the board regardless of how hard it falls over"

Ummm, a windsurfing mast base will rip the bejesus out of an inflatable sup deck tied onto the handle! True the mast falling over won't damage the rail but the base of the mast with your body weight hanging off it will damage your inflato toy in a few sessions!

What he said. I have a RED 12'6 Race - very excellent board and I'm a big fan of it but there's no way in hades I'd 'just tie a windsurf sail to the centre handle' and attempt to sail it...the handle is just a strip of 1" webbing FFS. I suppose you could do it and maybe puddle around in a tiny puff but really that's just about the dumbest thing I've read on the internet today (so far, but it's only mid-morning). Buy something that is designed and built for the purpose.

(Edit: I watched the vid on the Aussie RED site...there's 2minutes of my life I won't get back and the guy is strapless kiting anyway...nothing on there about windsurfing or how to '"just tie a sail to it" & no evidence that anyone has actually done it)

I also can't see how just tieing a mast base to an inflatable boards handle will work.. Maybe if you're careful in almost glassy water with the gentlest breeze.. but once you start putting any load through it you'd be asking for trouble.. Getting back to the original question.. The Naish and Starboard are your real options here.. The Starboard uses a huge cassette daggerboard case that is not only very bulky.. but totally unnesserry.. The Naish system is not only much more simple but it works better.. IMO

Hi Submerged,

I did a bit of research on this topic. I am primarily a windsurfer and wanted a SUP and the main criteria was:
1) Can throw it in when going windsurfing and use if not enough wind. I already have multiple windsurf boards heaps of sails etc. So storage was important.
2) I wanted to be able to windsurf/paddle with the kids as a stable platform (Teach the kids windsurfing and paddling, just get them on the water having fun safely).
3) I was mostly looking for medium distance paddling but wanted some versatility

I see you are going for the shorter models but i prefer the longer ones and I think it depends on purpose. I chose the Fly Air Premium 12 ft. It is 300 ltrs 34" wide and 6 " thick. It inflates easily for me to 20 PSI (about 10 minutes and I break it into two 5 minute sessions in between getting wettie on etc) which makes it super stiff but apparantly if you are keen you can get to 25 PSI (this stiffness and the thickness makes it not behave like a lilo and is important). Since I weigh around 98kgs with my 5 year old on board I am way over the Naish crossover recommended weight. The naish looks really good though (they are a great brand) and I have used the 12ft 6 naish inflatable and really like it (it does not have windsurf attachment though but compares to non inflatables....). I think the best dedicated windSUP on the market is probably the Starboard WindSUP 12ft 6 inches but I did not want to spend that coin (1800 plus) for an inflatable.

I used the 10' 8" fanatic and mine feels faster in a straight line both windsurfing and paddling. It has really good glide and stays straight compared to the slightly shorter ones. I used it in small 2/3 foot surf and it is not perfect and purpose built but really good fun. You really need to get your weight back as you get on the wave but they catch heaps of small waves. I am thinking of a non inflatable dedicated surf SUP for the surf though, but in the bay the fanatic is great. I think for surf the inflatables have a fair way to go due to rocker line holding shape and edges needing to be stiffer. Fanatic do O.K in this area and edges seem fairly stiff compared to other inflatables.
I have done quite a few trips across the bay and take one of the kids and lunch and find a beach then paddle back. I can cover good distance and I let my five year old paddle part of the way with her kids paddle and I have a sit down. Kids can't do any damage to rails on an inflatable and if they fall they do not get hurt. They are fantastic for this type of thing but you want the longer ones IMHO. I had some issues with delamination of the skin, but it was replaced quickly by fanatic through the shop. We will have to see how longevity goes.

In regards to windsurfing. My mate also got one and he is not impressed for windsurfing, primarily as he used his in a rushing tide at Inverloch. My model does not work well in this situation. I have sailed in the bay with the board pretty much planing and with a small sail, light winds and a kid sitting on the nose in front of the mast and it is fantastic for this. You need some upwind sailing technique without the dagger, but i did not think the dagger is necessary personally and possibly adds weight. Although may help with situations like a rushing tide.

Thanks guys for your input some really good advice there...mixed results for the boards & sounds like everyone has their own preferences

I'm tending towards the Naish as per your recommendation DJ...I went & viewed in store & looks really impressive...unfortunately no one will allow me to demo which I would of preferred...but I think from what i have read & comments the board will win over the other two in terms of glide & strong windsurfing base...the only slight concern was the recommended PSI of 14 seems light...I did have someone say it can do 18psi no problems but a recommended of only 14 seems strange when red & fanatic are pushing 20+ (96kgs so need the rigidity)...Ill double check this point before purchasing..

cameron thanks for your extensive feedback I was able to find a Fanatic Fly 10'8 & 10'6 to take out & demo and the 10'8 was definitely more rigid & a really stable board to stand on...on the down side I didnt think the glide was that great & after CP's comment about bend in the middle I gave the board a solid test jumping my weight up & down in the middle & there def was a bit of bend & flex...guess im a heavy bastard but would prefer not to have the bend...the really strong original red colouring was completely bleached out with the sun too...appart from that it seems like a pretty reasonable all round board and given several hundred dollars cheaper than the naish I certainly considered it closely

CP ive crossed the starboard off the list just because the cost is too high ( also not sure about its centre board construction)

so for now Im just trying to find a Naish Crossover I can demo & so long as the rigidity is good & not too much bend then I think thats what ill go with...anyone who has any idea a store or event where I might be able to demo one of these boards please let me know...


thanks again for all your comments & look fwd to getting out & on the water & letting you know how it goes


ps....a great little NZ website I saw with great tips for what to look for when sourcing a board

http://www.inflatable-paddleboards.co.nz/what_to_look_for.html

those boards were demoed and tested for the 2014 wind magazine test edition :

clear winner was the starboard

Sean did you have a link to that article at all? cheers

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Submerged said..
Sean did you have a link to that article at all? cheers

What did you end up getting? I was thinking about an inflatable wind sup for the trips where I don't want to take my van.

i read the SB review and it looks like it had high praise due to its up wind ability, given it has a dagger.

im not fussed with the sail side as it would only be occasional windsurf use for light days.

im curious as to why the Fanatic price is low compared to others and SB high. Is this a quality or marketing difference.

The last five years, I have been kitesurfing and still really enjoy the sport, but before that I spent at least 15 years windsurfing. As a result of that, I still have a large amount of windsurfing gear lying around gathering dust. There are many days over here where the surf is on at the Mid Coast, but little wind, so I decided to have a go at SUPing, but was a little put off by the enormous size of the larger, more stable boards. Earlier this year, I was up at Port Douglas and tried some different Isups out in the water and was very impressed! So I came back and did some research, and found that if you want to surf, you need to have a very rigid Isup, and it would seem that can be achieved by having at least six inches thickness. I found one on the net that looked OK, and as they are only charging $29 airmail shipping to Australia, I bought a Tower 9'10" x 6" Adventurer Isup, and six days later, it arrived at my door from San Diego.
It paddles really well and is very stable, and easily turns on waves, so I'm happy! It appeared to me that it would also make a great light wind sailboard, so I worked on a simple, strong solution to attach a mast base to the deck, that would not damage the integrity of the board. First of all, I ground away a small circle of deck pad in front of the handle using a Dremel drum sander, and then cut a same size plastic disk, which was glued to the deck using contact cement. This disk is deigned to separate from the deck when excessive force is applied, without damaging the deck itself. I then attached strong marine Velcro to the top of the plate and the bottom of the Tyronsea mast base. The front of the base is then attached by cord to the front D ring and the rear is attached to the front of the handle using a stainless steel D ring. The purpose of this is to spread the load away from the deck and as security if the Velcro came apart. So far I have only used a 5 metre rig and it works perfectly and is surprisingly fast. The whole mast base can be totally removed in less than a minute and hopefully somebody out there might find this of interest. I also plan on taking it out with a kite, but that is for another day!

www.towerpaddleboards.com/isup