Hi, I bought the 12’ after watching several rave reviews and would like to add my less enthusiastic point of view: first of all, this thing is HEAVY! Reviewers mention this as a small detail but it isn’t. When SUPing with a group of friends I was always the last one to get to the shore or back to the car because I had to drag this beast and struggle to fold it back. It really doesn’t feel good to be that last guy that everyone else has so wait for. BTW that super top-of-the-range pump isn’t that great because it doesn’t have the possibility to extract air. So you are left struggling to get all the air out of the SUPs’ inner chamber, otherwise the air gets trapped and it’s impossible to fold it back correctly. Also, contrary to what people say, you still feel this heaviness once in the water since it has bigger inertia so getting it to move is also a bit of a struggle. Had I known all this beforehand I would never have bought it. Now you’d think this is the price to pay for having a good quality SUP… well not really, because it’s so heavy you tend to drag it more on the floor which means it gets a lot more scratches compared to a lighter one. And, contrary to all the adds saying this is “military grade” and such it actually scratches quite easily… after only a few outings mine is full of scuffs. There was also a general recall on the 2021 model because the inner chamber tended to leak (so much for “military grade quality”…). They offer to exchange it for free… IF you still have the shipping box to prove your series number which of course everyone threw to the bin a long time ago. There are also quite a lot of small details that show that this is certainly NOT as quality made as they claim. I wouldn’t have minded so much had this been a 300€ Aquamarina but this costs more than double the price so I expect perfection at that price level. So yeah, just here to say, think twice before you buy…
Hi Sadhu, Thank you for the comment and thoughts. Do you feel it heavy in the water as well? And feel that it's keeping you behind the other paddlers? I've seen some losing a bit of speed compared to the touring boards but often seen paddlers out paddle most all-round boards when using the Bluefin Carbon. I agree with the weight on land, and that it's heavier than most other boards. Did you try using the shoulder strap? I really find it helps to carry this on long hauls. I've done a lot of paddleboarding on this board as we bring it for every test, to compare the new boards to this for a good compartment of stability. And I've never seen it as a big issue with the weight compared to the stability with the board. Of course, if you compare it to the Aquamarine boards that are really lightweight, there's a big difference, but I don't mind trading the weight for stability. This is of course just my opinion. I'll say I still stand by my recommendation of this. And I can say that this board is the one I choose most often for fun trips (when not out testing other boards).
Hi, I am considering the blue fin carbon range, 1'm 184cm and 89kg, I use a starter board at the moment 11' but feel it really does not glide well as it 36'' wide. I have started to do longer paddles up to about 8km, would you recommend the 10'8 or the 12' ? Cheers Ed
Hi! Thanks for the great review! At the end in the video you mentioned you were going to try to catch some waves with this sup. Did you try this already? We are thinking of buying this sup :)
I got one yesterday for my birthday - wasn't expecting it at all and am very excited! I blew it up indoors and then packed it all away again as it isnt the weather at the moment... One thing I found really strange was that the wheels seem to be on the wrong side of the carrying bag - when you hold the handle at the top, the natural thing to do is then pull the bag towards you, as you would a suitcase with wheels, and then walk away as the wheels hit the ground. But the wheels are on the back at this point so to use them the handle is on the top so you have to support all the weight from the top as you pull - I hope you understand what I mean! It seems like a serious design flaw to me... will check back in when I have had a chance to get on the water un a few weeks! So far it seems like an excellent board and I look forward to trying it out in southern Portugal!
Hi There, I just checked our bag, and it's true about the handles are a bit misplaced in the back. Making it heavier to pull. The reason why the wheels are placed in the front of the bag, and not the back, is to avoid the shoulder and hip straps dragging and getting tangled in the wheels. We have a few other bags with wheels placed in the bag, and I must say I prefer it being in the front. The perfect solution would be for them to place the handle in the front like the wheels.
@@paddle-boarding Yep, definitely! I think I will try to make a handle unless I can find a better bag because as it is I will have trouble wheeling it very far! I will also write to the company about this issue and the fact that nowhere in their info do they mention how to pack the bag... I have realised, perhaps incorrectly, that the paddle and its bits can go on the outside of the bag in the netting bit on the side and be secured with the tensioning straps. Also, nothing seems to fit in the smaller pocket of the bag - I was hoping the pump would go in there but it's too big! To be honest, getting the rolled board in the main section along with the pump and paddles is possible but it is a fairly tight squeeze! Anyway, cheers for the reply😊
You probably still have some air trapped inside the inner chamber… it has to be COMPLETELY void of air for it to fold properly. Of course, this would be a lot easier if the pump had a deflate mode but it doesn’t… the best way I’ve found is to lay flat on it on the ground when it’s being deflated
@@sadhuandrei9461 thanks, I have since managed to pack it properly, you were right. A lot of air still remains in both chambers after using the valves for deflation - so I laid it out and pressed on the board for a couple of minutes.
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