Red 12'6" x 28" Race as a touring board?

[cascade17]

Just noticed that the 2015 version of the Red 12'6" Race is now 28" wide, whereas last year it was 30" wide.  This sort of bugs me, as I thought that the 30" width made the board more versatile, but now it seems it's more skewed towards racing only.   Can anyone speak to the ability of the 12'6" x 28" to serve as a decent touring board?  How much more unstable would it be compared to the 30" width version?  What's sort of strange is that the volume, thickness, and length are the same for each version (340 L, 5.9", 12'6"), even though the width is different.......

[TallDude]

True RACE boards are not really meant to be 'versatile'. The name says RACE, so a 30" wide board is not a race width and should be called Touring'. 28" and under are what I would call a race board.

[cascade17]

True RACE boards are not really meant to be 'versatile'. The name says RACE, so a 30" wide board is not a race width and should be called Touring'. 28" and under are what I would call a race board.

Am looking for a board with racing performance properties (tracking, glide, speed), but with stablity of a narrow touring board.   The original Red 12'6" 'RACE' seemed to fit the bill, but the new narrower version might lose a bit of stability.  Thx for your feedback, but can you comment on the stability of the 28" version?  The volume has stayed the same as the older 30" width version, so perhaps stability has remained pretty well the same?

[Fog City Rider]

I am familiar w/ both.  Depending on your weight & experience  - which you should mention - one or the other would be better for you.  Talldude is correct, last year's 30" width was a total misnomer.  For me @ 165 lbs., that board felt like an aircraft carrier. 

For an intermediate or lighter weight paddler, the 28" width is perfectly suitable for touring. 

Don't get caught up on the names - one man's race board is another man's touring board, and vice versa.  The only difference between "tour" and "race," in most cases, is how wide the board is. 

[cascade17]

I am familiar w/ both.  Depending on your weight & experience  - which you should mention - one or the other would be better for you.  Talldude is correct, last year's 30" width was a total misnomer.  For me @ 165 lbs., that board felt like an aircraft carrier. 

For an intermediate or lighter weight paddler, the 28" width is perfectly suitable for touring. 

Don't get caught up on the names - one man's race board is another man's touring board, and vice versa.  The only difference between "tour" and "race," in most cases, is how wide the board is.

Hi Fog......great, thank you!   I'm 165 lbs too, so maybe the 28" wide model would work out just fine.  If I went with this particular board, do  you have any thoughts on how it would perform carrying a 40lb kid once in a while?

[Fog City Rider]

Hey Cascade,

That board can float 200 lbs. easy, although it might take getting a little used to the difference. 

It's hard to judge how stable a board will be for someone else, because we all have different experience, balance, etc.  But I can say that at 165 lbs., that board would make a perfectly suitable touring board & would ultimately be a sleeker craft than the 30" version.  I think you'd be happy with it.

[Fog City Rider]

Whoops replied twice... 

[Green Water Sports]

I'm 190lbs and at my weight the 2014 Race is a better tourer, but I would agree with Fog City Rider, at 165lbs the 2015 Race at 28" wide will work well for you. It'll still paddle well at 200lbs. We've got the Race in stock and it ships with the Titan Pump.

http://greenwatersports.com/shop/red-paddle-co-12-6-race

[Quickbeam]

I've been lurking on this forum for a while now and saw this thread and thought I'd respond. Like the OP, I was also disappointed when Red Paddle Co. did away with the 12' 6" x 30" Race model, although for a slightly different reason.
I am brand new to paddle boarding and at the end of last season bought my first paddle board. I bought the 2014 Red 12' 6" x 30" Race. I don't know a lot about boards, but I bought this one for a few reasons. First of all, I wanted an inflatable. I also wanted something that had some speed to it, tracked fairly well and that I could learn on and grow into. I also wanted a board that I could use for touring and I was also advised that I should get a board with a displacement hull. I thought this board filled all those requirements. Still not 100% sure it does as I've only been out on it a few times.

The problem however, is that I recently noticed the back of the front fin was separating from my board. I took it in to my dealer and Red fixed it for me. First time I went to use it after I got it back I noticed that while the back part of the front fin was fixed, now the front part of the same fin was slightly separating from the board. We have a lake front cabin out of town, and I was at the cabin when I noticed this so I couldn't take the board back right away. It wasn't serious, so I just used the board a couple of times. A couple of days ago I was rolling up the board to bring home and take in to my dealer, and the front fin literally split in half. Now I'm not sure that Red will be able to fix this? I just have no idea, and if they can't and want to replace the board I have no idea what to replace it with, as they no longer make this model. I hope I'm not hi-jacking this thread, as I don't mean to. I do however have a question. If Red is not able to fix my board, can anyone here help me on what board I should be looking at?

For some details about me, I'm male, 5'8" tall and about 150 pounds. I'm 62 years old and am in decent shape. I will primarily be using the board at our lake cabin, although I will take it on the odd car trip. I have kayaked for a number of years, so I would like a board with a bit of speed that I can still use for touring. The lake does get an afternoon wind, so there can be some chop on it. Remember that I am brand new to this sport, so I would like something I can learn on, but still grow into. The new Race at 28" scares me a little. I just think that at this point this board is probably too narrow for me. From what I read from the other posts on this thread, at my weight the 28" would be O.K., but I am just not sure I would be stable enough on a 28" board. The new 11' Sport looks interesting, but I'm concerned that it won't be as fast as what I have, and maybe won't track as well given that it's shorter and has no front fin? Although with all the problems I've had with the front fin on my board, maybe it's better to get a board without the front fin? Any suggestions for me would be much appreciated. Again, hope I'm not hi-jacking this thread.

[Fog City Rider]

Hi Quickbeam,

Sounds like a relatively easy fix.  No need to purchase an entirely new board.  Have your dealer take a look, maybe they can give you some tips on rolling it up, etc., that won't compromise the plastic attachments.  Good luck. 
 

[DavidJohn]

I would find 28 a bit tippy in anything but very calm water..

I recently bought a Naish inflatable.. I found the 12'6''x30'' One too narrow.

So I bought the 12'x34'' GlideAir..

[Quickbeam]

Thanks Fog City and DavidJohn,

For your replies. I just took my board into the dealer today and they are going to get it to Red Paddle Co. so they can have a look at it. Really hope it is an easy fix. I'm just getting a bit paranoid with that front fin as I've had quite a bit of trouble with it. This is the boards' second trip to Red to get the fin fixed and this time, not only is the fin separating from the board, the fin is also split in half.

As for rolling the board up, I really don't think I'm doing anything wrong. In Red's promotional videos, they show their boards being thrown off buildings and run over by trucks. Surely you should be able to roll the board up without worrying that the fin will split in half? Just doesn't make sense to me. I did ask the dealer if there was anything I could be doing wrong and they said no. Said they have never seen this happen on a Red board before.

I guess I'll wait and see what the verdict from Red is.

Thanks again for the replies.

[Green Water Sports]

Red don't get many, if any warranty claims. If they do, they are on it right away.

[Quickbeam]

Please don't think I'm saying anything against Red, because I'm not. So far they've been pretty good, although I do have to admit I was disappointed that this problem wasn't taken care of the first time.

I'm also the first to admit that sometimes shit happens. To me, it's not an issue if there is a problem, it's how the problem is dealt with. I have my fingers crossed that they'll be able to fix my board and I'll be able to use it like it was intended.

[Quickbeam]

Thought I should let everyone know that Red came through for me. They took a look and found a brand new, 2014, 12' 6" x 30" Race in their Warehouse, so they took my old board and gave me the new one. It was even in the original packaging. I'm pretty happy. I also found out that the problems I was having were not my fault. Apparently the plastic on the front fin was a different or stiffer plastic than it should have been. Not sure of the reason for that, but they said that was the problem. I also took a look at the new board when I unwrapped it today. It was wrapped way tighter than I had been wrapping my old board, so it definitely was not anything I was doing wrong. Unfortunately I won't be able to get out on the water for another couple of weeks, but I did pump the board up just to make sure everything was O.K., and it all looks good. So all is good at my end, and big thank you to Red for taking care of me.