Hala vs Red Paddle Voyager 13'2" vs 12'6"

[Windwarrior]

So now I'm eyeballing another board for cruising/expedition.

I'm pretty happy with my Hala Carbon Hoss and it might actually suffice for my plans so I'm not sure if I'll even buy a second board but I'm curious about a couple of things.

So, the main use for the board or any other board is to go on lakes. I may try a lazy river if the feeling is right. I am considering doing some camping style paddling now with the group I'm a part of and lead outings in.

I recently bought a cooler(Ozark Trail) that I've taken out and it's a great addition for keeping things nice and cold. It's completely waterproof too. Only thing I don't like about it is how tall it sits. Anyhow, it takes up some room at the front and not sure about loading camping gear to the mix. Which is why I'm debating buying a longer board now to hold a tent,sleeping bag, chair,stove etc.

Maybe somebody out there has used any of the three boards mentioned and can give some feedback.

Who knows, maybe I'm over thinking this. LOL!

I've seen some reviews regarding the tracking differences between the red paddle boards and that the 12'6" tracks better in rougher waters but that's about it.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

[Green Water Sports]

See my reply on your other thread: https://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,32308.msg382359/topicseen.html#new

[switters]

I paddled a HOSS, like pushing a barge.  fine for rivers and social outings and camping short distances flat water.  My idea of a short paddle with all my gear is less than three miles.  I have camped on an 11' Isle explorer the last three years, which is a little narrower and a smaller barge.  Have also paddled several hours one weekend but not camped on the Red paddle voyager.  My latest camping board is an inflatable GUSU 12' 6'.

My camping rig is usually a huge drybag (boundary waters II from cabelas) on the front  and a 35l dry bag behind me.  The girlfiend who has had her own GUSU touring board for three years carries a cooler up front and the tent in back. 

She likes to camp but she also likes comfort so we have a roomy two person tent and an inflatable 4-inch queen mattress, full size pillows, al the glamping things.  60 pounds of gear on mine and about 40 on hers.

Any inflatable will start to twist if you have too much wight out at the ends, especially noticeable on the front in wake or chop.  Which is why I got a new board for camping.  you can put a lot of weight on a board if it is kept low.  You may want to experiment with weight distribution, alot.  Moving a 40 pounds up front 6-inches closer to your feet makes a noticeable difference on an inflatable.

If you want a new and faster board you cant go wrong with the red paddle.  But you can camp the hoss just fine.

the "nest" as I call it on the 11' Isle last year. 

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk221/switters_bucket/IMG_20160817_195510133_zpsar2s4muk.jpg

I forgot to mention I have a first generation HalaNass that has been camping, glide matters.  While I am sure the newer Hala's are stiffer the old nass is not as as stiff as the GUSU touring board.

[robon]

I realize you already have the Hoss, and remember why you ended up getting one, but the comparison should be the Hala Nass 12'6" to the Red offerings, rather than the Hoss. Totally different boards.

I have the carbon Hoss (love it) and with the dimensions, it's much more of a pure river board than a lake board. It does ok on the flat sections of rivers and works for lakes, but at only 11 feet long and 34 inches wide, it's just not in the category of the 12'6" and 13'+ foot cruisers from Red or Hala. Hala has a 14' foot board, but it's only 26" wide compared to the 12'6" Nass at 30" wide. Haven't tried either yet, but the carbon Nass is well reviewed.

I see the Red 12'6" and 13'2 Voyager around here quite often now and they are both good boards. I'm not sure what happened with the Voyager when you tried it, but it should be faster and track better than the 12'6" Red and the Hoss. If you are more comfortable balance wise on the 12'6", it may have seemed like it was tracking better, and if you were doing a lot of balance checks it could have actually been faster than the 13.2, or the inflation might have been off as well. Otherwise, the 13.2 should be the faster board of the three for sure. Certainly much faster and straighter tracking than the Hoss, which is the short  porker of the three boards with a bias for river use.

[Windwarrior]

I realize you already have the Hoss, and remember why you ended up getting one, but the comparison should be the Hala Nass 12'6" to the Red offerings, rather than the Hoss. Totally different boards.

I have the carbon Hoss (love it) and with the dimensions, it's much more of a pure river board than a lake board. It does ok on the flat sections of rivers and works for lakes, but at only 11 feet long and 34 inches wide, it's just not in the category of the 12'6" and 13'+ foot cruisers from Red or Hala. Hala has a 14' foot board, but it's only 26" wide compared to the 12'6" Nass at 30" wide. Haven't tried either yet, but the carbon Nass is well reviewed.

I see the Red 12'6" and 13'2 Voyager around here quite often now and they are both good boards. I'm not sure what happened with the Voyager when you tried it, but it should be faster and track better than the 12'6" Red and the Hoss. If you are more comfortable balance wise on the 12'6", it may have seemed like it was tracking better, and if you were doing a lot of balance checks it could have actually been faster than the 13.2, or the inflation might have been off as well. Otherwise, the 13.2 should be the faster board of the three for sure. Certainly much faster and straighter tracking than the Hoss, which is the short  porker of the three boards with a bias for river use.

Chuckle, I realized after I posted it all that the boards were different. I really never even thought about checking out the other Hala line up. The T14 looks like a great alternative but holy smokes is that thing narrow!! LOL! A whopping 8 inches narrower than the Hoss!! I'm sure that it's a bullet in the water but I'm wondering how well it would do with gear I mentioned and keeping ME on the board!! LOL! I missed the demo tour last month out here so I didn't get a chance to do a comparison ride.

It seems that the T14 would be more of a comparison to the Elite Reds??

[Green Water Sports]

Dimension wise the T14 is closer to the 2017 14'x26" Race or 2018 14'x27" Elite. Or a Starboard All Star Airline 14' x 26" or x28". But they are all designed as racing boards or boards you just want to paddle fast. Not so much expedition style boards.

[Windwarrior]

Dimension wise the T14 is closer to the 2017 14'x26" Race or 2018 14'x27" Elite. Or a Starboard All Star Airline 14' x 26" or x28". But they are all designed as racing boards or boards you just want to paddle fast. Not so much expedition style boards.

Yep, I figured as much. So it seems the Nass really isn't in the same class as far as lengths go. Looks more like the Voyager 13'2" is in a class of its own as far as inflatables go. Since the closest comparison as far as expedition boards go is the Hala Nass but it only sits at 12'6". Both sitting at 30" wide.

[Windwarrior]

Looks like 4 options are where I'm at....

1) Red- 12'6" Sport
2) Red- 12'6" Voyager
3) Hala- 12'6" Nass Carbon
4) Red- 13'2" Voyager

I'll need to test drive these and make a comparison now.

Any other feedback from anyone or even current owners would be great!


Thanks!!

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

I took a Red 13'2" for a spin last year and was really pleased with it. It almost felt like a hardboard, and the speed was nice. However, if I ever get to a place where I can afford a new board again, I'm going to go for the Red 12'6" Voyager. The big difference for me is stability. 30" wide is fine for day cruising with a bag on the deck, but wider is important if you want to shlep a lot of stuff. Yes, you sacrifice speed for stability, but that's not a terrible choice. If you hit any real chop you'll be glad for the extra width. I think the 13'2" is a little narrow for a cooler. Not saying it can't be done, but you'll get top-heavy quicker.

You mentioned paddling on lazy rivers. I don't know about your river, but mine (the Hudson) can get very choppy. Sometimes we get tidal chop coming out of nowhere, and I'm 40 miles from the ocean. Winds stir it up. So a lazy river isn't always as placid as it looks. I think the Voyager is the best choice for what you're looking for.

[Green Water Sports]

My thoughts:

1) https://greenwatersports.com/6878/review-of-the-2016-red-paddle-co-12-6-sport-inflatable-paddle-board
2) https://greenwatersports.com/11171/review-of-the-2018-red-paddle-co-12-6-voyager-inflatable-paddle-board
4) https://greenwatersports.com/11689/review-of-the-2018-red-paddle-co-13-2-voyager-plus-inflatable-paddle-board

[yugi]

Looks like 4 options are where I'm at....

1) Red- 12'6" Sport
2) Red- 12'6" Voyager
3) Hala- 12'6" Nass Carbon
4) Red- 13'2" Voyager

I'll need to test drive these and make a comparison now.

Any other feedback from anyone or even current owners would be great!


Thanks!!

I don't know #3 but of the others the obvious answer is 4. The 13'2.

Your original Post said expedition. The 13'2 not only has a slightly better glide (slightly longer at 30" wide) but also tie down and deck grip front and back.

The Red 12'6 voyager is wider and probably unnecessary. The 12'6 sport is same width but shorter. The 13'2 has the best glide of the 3 reds and the obvious choice even if just to paddle (rather than expedition).

I see you mentioning tracking. The 13'2 has the best but honestly you would be well to learn how to track straight with better paddling technique. That really is the answer to the tracking question.

[Quickbeam]

Windwarrior,

I had posted in the other thread you started on the same subject and you asked me to post here. As mentioned I have the 2017, 13’ 2” Red Explorer. I really like the Board, but in answer to your question I haven’t used it to pack a lot of gear on. I don’t go SUP camping and just don’t have the need to load it down. I’m sure it could handle larger loads, but I haven’t tried that.

I haven’t paddled the 12’ 6” Explorer (now Voyageur) but I have paddled the 12’6” Sport. Honestly didn’t care for that board. Just felt like a dog in the water to me. It’s been a year or so since I paddled it, so can’t remember all the particulars, but I remember I went in expecting to like the Sport, and was surprised during a test paddle that I really didn’t care for it. I then jumped in the 13’ 2” Explorer and really liked it. It’s not a racing machine, but for a touring inflatable is a very nice board to paddle.

I'm sure you would be happy with it, but as always I would test paddle if you can. I should also mention that I find the 13' 2" Explorer to be extremely stable. I've also had others try it and make the same comment.

[Windwarrior]

My thoughts:

1) https://greenwatersports.com/6878/review-of-the-2016-red-paddle-co-12-6-sport-inflatable-paddle-board
2) https://greenwatersports.com/11171/review-of-the-2018-red-paddle-co-12-6-voyager-inflatable-paddle-board
4) https://greenwatersports.com/11689/review-of-the-2018-red-paddle-co-13-2-voyager-plus-inflatable-paddle-board

I'll read through all those. I'm looking through a boatload of YT vids too.  I'm hoping to find people actually using them to get feedback or an idea of pros and cons for each of them. It all helps!

Thanks!

[yugi]

I have the same experience as quickbeam.

Most people who try the 3 red boards you mention have the same conclusion as Quickbeam.

There is little reason to get a shorter iSup. Wrapped up they are pretty much the same. In the water the 13'2 is the clear winner. Plus has all the expedition tie downs you are looking for. It's a no brainer frankly.

I don't have experience w the Hala.

[Windwarrior]

Looks like 4 options are where I'm at....

1) Red- 12'6" Sport
2) Red- 12'6" Voyager
3) Hala- 12'6" Nass Carbon
4) Red- 13'2" Voyager

I'll need to test drive these and make a comparison now.

Any other feedback from anyone or even current owners would be great!


Thanks!!

I don't know #3 but of the others the obvious answer is 4. The 13'2.

Your original Post said expedition. The 13'2 not only has a slightly better glide (slightly longer at 30" wide) but also tie down and deck grip front and back.

The Red 12'6 voyager is wider and probably unnecessary. The 12'6 sport is same width but shorter. The 13'2 has the best glide of the 3 reds and the obvious choice even if just to paddle (rather than expedition).

I see you mentioning tracking. The 13'2 has the best but honestly you would be well to learn how to track straight with better paddling technique. That really is the answer to the tracking question.

I think I should've used "exploring" rather than "expedition". I mean, the distances I've encountered thus far is quite a few miles and only 4 hours + in those miles. Not sure if that's even considered a long trip. Some days I'm out all day long paddling around so my thought is to start checking out places to camp along lake shorlines etc. Camping with either a tent or hammock with cooking supplies, chair and things.