Since 01/2015 I have had two JP-Australia inflatable SUPs and each has given way at the seams. The first one burst at the seam 04/2016 and the second one (which was a replacement under warranty) has had slow leaks from the seam since 04/2017 but last weekend a new but fast leak from the seam development so I have given up on it. I am therefore seeking recommendations for a replacement brand of inflatable SUP that will last longer; even more than 3 years.

You may want to try boards with welded seams instead of glued ones (many brands have them now), something at your location or way of storage (too hot?) may be bad for glued boards durability.

I think JP switched to some form of welded boards in 2017 (a bit late to the game), but it is hard to understand from their site if they still have some glued seams or not.

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colas said..
You may want to try boards with welded seams instead of glued ones (many brands have them now), something at your location or way of storage (too hot?) may be bad for glued boards durability.

I think JP switched to some form of welded boards in 2017 (a bit late to the game), but it is hard to understand from their site if they still have welded seams or not.

Colas - thank you for the tip - I will investigate which brands provide welded - Red Paddle Co was recommended to me after my first board burst so I will check what type of seam construction they have

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GCS2 said..
Colas - thank you for the tip - I will investigate which brands provide welded

Actually, it depends on the model. Gong for instance has the entry level line glued, but the regular line welded, with a 100euros difference (269 vs 369).

This said, the welded technology used by most brands now has been pioneered and developed by Red Paddle, so they are definitely boards to check.

I've had a Red Paddle inflatable since late 2015. I don't get to paddle as often as I would like and it's not used in large (for me) surf but so far no problems.

I would second Red Paddle. My brother has two 10'6" rides. His wife's they have had for 6 years with no problems and his their second board for a year. His son also has one of their touring boards for a couple of years and no issues.

bob

Red paddle is the way to go as they have been setting the bench mark for a while in this market, but fanatic and jp actually offer the same construction as RED Paddle co. Just need to choose from a Branding stand point.
If you are looking to get it fixed again, Stern First in Windbourne rd Brookvale on the northern Beaches are very good at what they do.

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LR110 said..
I've had a Red Paddle inflatable since late 2015. I don't get to paddle as often as I would like and it's not used in large (for me) surf but so far no problems.

No offense meant, but I guess a lot of people also have JP inflatables with no issues, otherwise this problem would be well known.

Either GCS2 is extremely unlucky, or something in his setup is stressing more the boards than regular customers. So saying (I have a board of brand X and no issue so far) is not really meaningful :-)

GCS2, I forgot, you should perhaps chose your next brand based on their effective warranty: ask them beforehand what would they do if their boards gave at the seams once bought...

The longevity of all inflatable paddle boards are suspect. My 2015 Red Paddle suffered from a dual layer failure as well as seam splits in less than a year. Sure, the new bonded dual layer boards should last longer, but they still all use glue and there is no guarantee on the longevity of isups.

It's easy to point a finger at the customer, but glue failures are a factory QA issue and it has nothing to do with how a user handles their equipment. In my case, my board might have been used 20 times, never sat in the sun, always rinsed and dried and stored indoors. This was a known QA issue for Red and the next year they went to the bonded MSL dual layer.

Red's warranty is one year (register and it's two) and I think Starboard's is still just a one year warranty. So when you spend big bucks on an inflatable toy, don't be surprised if it only lasts a year or two regardless of the name brand.

Don't store them in sunlight, or fully inflated, or rolled up...

Were you able to have the board repaired successfully? Keen to know a place in sydney that will do a seam repair on a C4 iSUP

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baddog said..
It's easy to point a finger at the customer

I was not blaming the customer. We are all different, I know for instance that I am on the heavy side, and putting my weight on my heels, so I tend to get depressions on the deck faster than the average customer, so my boards will age differently than others.

You are right in stressing that the process to glue inflatables is surprisingly manual, and thus it is hard to avoid defects, especially since glue defects are invisible.

This said, the percentage of boards that gave at the seams is still quite small (At least for the Gong brand I am familiar with, but they are made in the same factories as other big brands) you can ask owners of rental fleets for instance. But better check the warranty beforehand :-)

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baddog said..
The longevity of all inflatable paddle boards are suspect. My 2015 Red Paddle suffered from a dual layer failure as well as seam splits in less than a year. Sure, the new bonded dual layer boards should last longer, but they still all use glue and there is no guarantee on the longevity of isups.

It's easy to point a finger at the customer, but glue failures are a factory QA issue and it has nothing to do with how a user handles their equipment. In my case, my board might have been used 20 times, never sat in the sun, always rinsed and dried and stored indoors. This was a known QA issue for Red and the next year they went to the bonded MSL dual layer.

Red's warranty is one year (register and it's two) and I think Starboard's is still just a one year warranty. So when you spend big bucks on an inflatable toy, don't be surprised if it only lasts a year or two regardless of the name brand.

Did you speak with red and did they sort it out warranty wise?
A lot of people forget and even i do every now and again that salt, sun, sand, kids and pets ruin everything if you don't avoid them. So not always is it fault of the customer or supplier / maker of them.

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Area10 said..
Don't store them in sunlight, or fully inflated, or rolled up...

I am interested to hear that you recommend not storing inflatables rolled up - I have only stored my board rolled up - limited storage space is part of the reason I chose inflatable - how do you store yours?

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GCS2 said..
I am interested to hear that you recommend not storing inflatables rolled up - I have only stored my board rolled up - limited storage space is part of the reason I chose inflatable - how do you store yours?

The best way is sligthly inflated: just enough pressure to not have major folds, but no more.

This said, I keep mine rolled up :-)

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KP. said..

baddog said..
The longevity of all inflatable paddle boards are suspect. My 2015 Red Paddle suffered from a dual layer failure as well as seam splits in less than a year. Sure, the new bonded dual layer boards should last longer, but they still all use glue and there is no guarantee on the longevity of isups.

It's easy to point a finger at the customer, but glue failures are a factory QA issue and it has nothing to do with how a user handles their equipment. In my case, my board might have been used 20 times, never sat in the sun, always rinsed and dried and stored indoors. This was a known QA issue for Red and the next year they went to the bonded MSL dual layer.

Red's warranty is one year (register and it's two) and I think Starboard's is still just a one year warranty. So when you spend big bucks on an inflatable toy, don't be surprised if it only lasts a year or two regardless of the name brand.

Did you speak with red and did they sort it out warranty wise?
A lot of people forget and even i do every now and again that salt, sun, sand, kids and pets ruin everything if you don't avoid them. So not always is it fault of the customer or supplier / maker of them.

Thanks for the feedback - your experience proves that mine is not unique - did Red Paddle Co. honour their warranty by replacing your board?

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KP. said..
Red paddle is the way to go as they have been setting the bench mark for a while in this market, but fanatic and jp actually offer the same construction as RED Paddle co. Just need to choose from a Branding stand point.
If you are looking to get it fixed again, Stern First in Windbourne rd Brookvale on the northern Beaches are very good at what they do.

Thanks for the recommendation of a repairer - I had been looking around Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast for an experienced repairer but without success