Author Topic: Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+  (Read 5466 times)

NuckaMan

  • Waikiki Status
  • *
  • Posts: 8
    • View Profile
    • Email
Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+
« on: May 30, 2016, 04:53:31 PM »
I figured I put up my thoughts on my new Red Paddle Explorer Plus. It's my first ever board and first time trying a iSUP.

Little about me, longtime surfer from SoCA. I've been renting SUP's for couple years now, never committed to owning one, mainly because didn't want to deal with trying to store the thing. Finally decided to get my own and checked out iSUP's. Sounded like Red Paddle was one of the companies on top of the food chain, Explorer+ seems to fit my needs and bought one. Spent the past 3 mornings paddling the thing. Here are my thoughts.

The board seems really well made, along with the pump. Came with a really nifty roller bag, when packed properly, fits everything inside, including a 3-piece paddle/pump and still room for dry bag/leash/PFD other small items. Pumping up any board is new to me and I found it bit of a PIA, especially getting it to max 25 PSI. Technique, strength and time are the keys. I'd say from fully deflated to max inflated is about a strong 15 minute process, along with some sweat. Always launched from a beach located in a harbor, around 6:30AM in the morning, so conditions were super glassy and calm. Each day, paddled for about 2-3 hours. I tried a few different setups to get a feel of things.

First day, not sure what to expect since it was my first iSUP, I spend the extra time to get it to 25PSI and installed the RSS Battens (which are some fiberglass-type planks that you slide into some pockets that is supposed to add rigidity). I am 5'6", 170lbs....got it out on the water and immediately felt pretty stable on it. This board is narrow than most of the rentals I had in the past (32" to 36"), but felt comfortable right away. To me, the immediate feel reminded me of a soft-top surfboard. When paddling slowly, very stable feel with minimal rocking. When hammering and going for a high cadence, board did start to rock on me a bit. Could be due to the narrow'ish 30" width or my poor paddling technique. There was no noticeable flex in the board, when hammering or not. Only time I could get it to flex was when standing in the middle of the board and jumping up and down. Kept it into the harbor that day, did bunch of laps around rich-people homes and went home.

Second day, for the sake of trying it out, I filled it to just over 20PSI and did NOT install the RSS Battens. Again, super glassy and calm conditions, still felt pretty good. Even when hammering, it still felt pretty solid under me. Where the feel changed was when crossing wakes from passing boats or when jumping up and down on the board....the flex was more noticeable. I suppose this should have been expected as I was running less PSI and without the battens. I did it get it out of the harbor and paddled around the open water a bit but it was still quite early so conditions were really calm and quiet, so running a lower PSI and with no battens was not an issue.

Third day, I got it to just under 25PSI and installed the battens, as I was headed out to the open water. The super rock solid feeling returned and had a good time paddling in the open water. Conditions were again calm so didn't really challenge the board very much. The board tracks pretty well no matter which direction the current was moving. I can't really say if the board is "fast" but I do like the slightly narrow profile, fits my body type better. I took a break in the middle of the water by sitting on it to take in some food and water...felt rock solid, I could have laid there for hours.

Overall....I'm pretty satisfied with my purchase. It's light, well build, has tons of storage capacity, performance well. Is it the same feeling as a glass board? No, but I'm guessing the high-end iSUP retains 95% of the feel and performance of them. Plus, having a inflatable is pretty forgiving to new paddlers for things like paddling management (meaning dinging the side of your board with the paddle). Gotta love the idea of not having to haul and store a 13+FT glass board. But with that said, this is my first inflatable board of any kind, and definitely would prefer to have a feel of full-glass board, but for what it is and what I'm using it for....it fits my needs extremely well.

About the only thing I am going to look at is perhaps investing in a electric pump to speed up the inflation process (or least make it easier on me). Other than that, I'm gonna continue developing my paddling technique/form and invest in a real nice paddle when I feel I am ready to take advantage of it.




spirit4earth

  • Peahi Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 875
    • View Profile
Re: Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+
« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2016, 06:35:55 PM »
Nice review---thank you.  Keep us posted on how the board feels in varying conditions, especially wind.

Quickbeam

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1128
    • View Profile
Re: Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+
« Reply #2 on: May 30, 2016, 07:04:22 PM »
Did your board come with the Titan pump? In my experience this pump makes a big difference over the previous pumps.

One other suggestion for you. It looks like you tried the board at 25 psi with the RSS Batens, and then tried the board at 20 psi without the RSS Batens. If you haven't already, I'd suggest trying the board at 20 psi with the RSS Batens. They really do make a difference and you might find you don't need that electric pump after all.

Congratulations on your new board.
Infinity Blackfish 12’ 6” x 23”
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 24”
Infinity Whiplash 12' 6" x 24 1/2"
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 26”
Bark Competitor 12’ 6” x 29”
Red Paddle Explorer (Inflatable) 13' 2" x 30
Starboard Airline (Inflatable) 12’ 6” x 27

NuckaMan

  • Waikiki Status
  • *
  • Posts: 8
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+
« Reply #3 on: May 30, 2016, 08:47:15 PM »
Thanks quick. Yes, came with the Titan pump. Works well. The honking noise it makes is kinda funny.

I did try the board little over 20psi with the battens, felt super solid. I'll try to board in more adverse conditions when I get a chance. I'm a early riser so usually hit the water before winds and crowds pick up.

No regrets with the purchase, may skip a afterwork surf sess and paddle it instead, to to to catch some windy conditions. I am curious to see how it performs in chop and winds.


Quickbeam

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1128
    • View Profile
Re: Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+
« Reply #4 on: May 30, 2016, 09:24:53 PM »
Let me know how it does in the wind. The only complaint I have with my Red inflatable is that it is almost impossible to paddle it against the wind. I have the 12' 6" x 29" Red Race board. It is the 2014 model.
Infinity Blackfish 12’ 6” x 23”
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 24”
Infinity Whiplash 12' 6" x 24 1/2"
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 26”
Bark Competitor 12’ 6” x 29”
Red Paddle Explorer (Inflatable) 13' 2" x 30
Starboard Airline (Inflatable) 12’ 6” x 27

burchas

  • Custom Built
  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2508
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2016, 09:41:47 PM »
Thanks quick. Yes, came with the Titan pump. Works well. The honking noise it makes is kinda funny.

I did try the board little over 20psi with the battens, felt super solid. I'll try to board in more adverse conditions when I get a chance. I'm a early riser so usually hit the water before winds and crowds pick up.

No regrets with the purchase, may skip a afterwork surf sess and paddle it instead, to to to catch some windy conditions. I am curious to see how it performs in chop and winds.



That's a great board. Few more session and you'll be dancing on it heavy chop.
wind however, could prove more of a chore with these boards in my experience.

The time you spend for pumping seems a bit much, I get my 340 litter board to 20psi in 7 minutes (including the battens), though I never bother going over 18psi, unless I'm going for a downwinder.

If you're just out for fun, keep it that way and pump it to 15-16. That's about 4 minutes with the Titan, 1 more minute for the battens and you're good to go.

This is not a performance board after all, it more of a touring board and it is a lot of board for your size. If you have a traveling partner about your size, you could go flat water tandem on it soon enough. I used to do it with my wife on the Explorer 12.6 (do pump it to the max when you do) :D Have fun!
in progress...

Green Water Sports

  • Site Sponsor
  • Peahi Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 695
  • https://greenwatersports.com
    • View Profile
    • Green Water Sports - Inflatable SUP boards & stand up paddle boards & more
Re: Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+
« Reply #6 on: May 31, 2016, 06:59:13 AM »
Nice review NuckaMan, always good to hear from paddlers in the wild and their experiences. Pumping will come easier. With the Titan pump, I calculate about 0.75 seconds per litre of volume and about 1 min for RSS battens and 30 seconds for the fin.

The honking noise does get some funny looks, but not as many as when you dump 20 PSI out of the valve!

I'm 190lbs and usually pump to 20PSI and figure that's a good balance of rigidity and getting on the water faster.

Hammer down, you may find the board rolls more. That's due to the rounded rails and a result of the construction. A hard board will have a better rail profile with a more defined point of balancing and tipping. The other side of it is, the inflatables are super forgiving and can be tilted a lot before throwing you off.
Julian
https://greenwatersports.com
Green Water Sports LLC - Inflatable SUP boards & stand up paddle boards & more. Call us on 1-888-252-4983
Red Paddle Co, Starboard, SIC Maui, Tahe, Naish, Fanatic, Accent Paddles, Onyx, FCS, Vamo

burchas

  • Custom Built
  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2508
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+
« Reply #7 on: May 31, 2016, 08:36:58 AM »
I calculate about 0.75 seconds per litre of volume and about 1 min for RSS battens and 30 seconds for the fin.

Don't forget you now have the option to cut down the fin installation to 3 seconds:
http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,29854.0.html
in progress...

Green Water Sports

  • Site Sponsor
  • Peahi Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 695
  • https://greenwatersports.com
    • View Profile
    • Green Water Sports - Inflatable SUP boards & stand up paddle boards & more
Re: Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+
« Reply #8 on: May 31, 2016, 12:17:43 PM »
I calculate about 0.75 seconds per litre of volume and about 1 min for RSS battens and 30 seconds for the fin.

Don't forget you now have the option to cut down the fin installation to 3 seconds:
http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,29854.0.html

Yeh I saw that, makes life easier. 3 seconds it is.
Julian
https://greenwatersports.com
Green Water Sports LLC - Inflatable SUP boards & stand up paddle boards & more. Call us on 1-888-252-4983
Red Paddle Co, Starboard, SIC Maui, Tahe, Naish, Fanatic, Accent Paddles, Onyx, FCS, Vamo

NuckaMan

  • Waikiki Status
  • *
  • Posts: 8
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+
« Reply #9 on: June 06, 2016, 07:42:21 AM »
Just a quick update regarding my new board. Took it out in open ocean over the weekend with a pretty good on-shore breeze going.

Simply put, it sucked. I think the thickness of the board simply catches too much air and makes it difficult to track and manage. Going into the wind is a very tiring affair. Cross winds, little better but the board does not track very well. In the wind is where I begin to see the iSUP deficiencies compared to a glass board.

It handles swell and chop relatively well though....just need to paddle it like you where driving a boat. I did almost go over a few times when it got a little hairy....managed to keep myself out of the water. Ran it about 20psi with the battens installed, very solid with only little flex...mainly when going up and over a swell or larger chop.

I won't be taking it out in the windy or even semi-windy conditions again, it was not a fun time for me.

Green Water Sports

  • Site Sponsor
  • Peahi Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 695
  • https://greenwatersports.com
    • View Profile
    • Green Water Sports - Inflatable SUP boards & stand up paddle boards & more
Re: Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+
« Reply #10 on: June 06, 2016, 10:16:16 AM »
Just a quick update regarding my new board. Took it out in open ocean over the weekend with a pretty good on-shore breeze going.

How many knots is pretty good?
Julian
https://greenwatersports.com
Green Water Sports LLC - Inflatable SUP boards & stand up paddle boards & more. Call us on 1-888-252-4983
Red Paddle Co, Starboard, SIC Maui, Tahe, Naish, Fanatic, Accent Paddles, Onyx, FCS, Vamo

burchas

  • Custom Built
  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2508
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+
« Reply #11 on: June 06, 2016, 04:33:37 PM »
Just a quick update regarding my new board. Took it out in open ocean over the weekend with a pretty good on-shore breeze going.

Simply put, it sucked...

NuckaMan, when you go head wind, especially with these high volume boards with their nose rocker, is to stand forward and burry the nose as much as you can
before the board starts having stability issues, that will minimize the exposure to the wind and will help with tracking. Don't expect performance of a solid
hardboard but you'll still managed to have some fun with it.

The other thing is to look for better fin for these conditions. The fin I mention here on the thread will help you both with tracking and with cross wind performance.

I would not recommend to try it at first with winds over 10mph, at least until you got it dialed-in on mild wind.
in progress...

Quickbeam

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1128
    • View Profile
Re: Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+
« Reply #12 on: June 06, 2016, 05:32:06 PM »
Just a quick update regarding my new board. Took it out in open ocean over the weekend with a pretty good on-shore breeze going.

Simply put, it sucked. I think the thickness of the board simply catches too much air and makes it difficult to track and manage. Going into the wind is a very tiring affair. Cross winds, little better but the board does not track very well. In the wind is where I begin to see the iSUP deficiencies compared to a glass board.

It handles swell and chop relatively well though....just need to paddle it like you where driving a boat. I did almost go over a few times when it got a little hairy....managed to keep myself out of the water. Ran it about 20psi with the battens installed, very solid with only little flex...mainly when going up and over a swell or larger chop.

I won't be taking it out in the windy or even semi-windy conditions again, it was not a fun time for me.


Yours is the exact same experience I had with my Red Inflatable. In wind I used to have fun in with my kayak, it took everything I had to move my Red against it. In other words, the wind wasn't crazy strong. I've also had my Red out in wind on the lake I live on. Again, same issue. I ended up buying a different board (ie. - a hard board) as a touring board because of how the Red handled, or rather didn't handle, against the wind. I still have my Red, but I swore I would never take it out in wind again.
« Last Edit: June 06, 2016, 05:34:38 PM by Quickbeam »
Infinity Blackfish 12’ 6” x 23”
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 24”
Infinity Whiplash 12' 6" x 24 1/2"
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 26”
Bark Competitor 12’ 6” x 29”
Red Paddle Explorer (Inflatable) 13' 2" x 30
Starboard Airline (Inflatable) 12’ 6” x 27

NuckaMan

  • Waikiki Status
  • *
  • Posts: 8
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+
« Reply #13 on: June 07, 2016, 07:44:02 AM »
Thanks for the tip Burchas-I did kind figure that out as I could visibility see the nose pick up at times so I move up the board a bit. Helped a little but still sucked.

I started at a slight breeze (maybe 5MPH) then picked up to little over 10MPH about a hour into the paddle. I didn't have to get my knees to cut the wind down but it was quite tiring. Great workout though.

I'm with quickbeam...not doing that again unless I think life is getting too easy and want a challenge.

burchas

  • Custom Built
  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2508
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Review: 2016 Red Paddle 13' 2" Explorer+
« Reply #14 on: June 07, 2016, 08:07:28 AM »
not doing that again unless I think life is getting too easy and want a challenge.

I suspect you'll be up to the challenge soon enough. especially if you'll be able to improve your tracking on headwind. I really grew to love the headwind bumpy rides (15mph it's where it starts to suck for me).
Keep us updated.
in progress...

 


SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal