Looking into 2016 with Starboard

Inflatable boards

There were some technical changes to the Astro inflatable range that will be invisible to the consumer particularly that materials used in construction have been tweaked to make them lighter. A striking change is the addition of dual carbon stringers which have been added to the Astro Racer range, not only does this increase stiffness but it looks fantastic.

With the new Astro range comes a new single barrel dual action pump and, for the Deluxe models the Magic bag which will make moving and storing boards a little easier.

As well as the new dual stringer the Astro Racer has carbon rails. Including carbon fibres in the rail is designed to increase stiffness and make the rail stronger. The Racer range also includes the Railedge, a hard strip at the tail designed to aid water release. Astro Racers are also available for the first time as a 28″ wide board for more stability and for larger riders. The colour scheme now mirrors the hardboard race series, Starboard blue and red. A great looking board (that we couldn’t get our hands on!)

Across the Astro range, the material used for the Deluxe boards outer shell is now a half layer PVC laminate, where material has been removed from the inner surface of the material to reduce weight with no detriment to performance. For the Zen boards the outer shell remains a full laminate. US centre fin boxes are now standard across the range.

New boards in the Astro range include; a new Wide Point 10’5″ x 32″m the SUP Polo board which is just too much fun in it’s intended environment and makes a reasonable short board away from the polo field, and a revised range of Yoga boards.

Biggest changes in the Astro range were to the Stream Family. What was one single board has now grown to a set of three for all white water conditions with the original 9’6″ x 36″ board joined by the Stream Cross Over 11′ x 34″ and the X Stream 8’6″ x 33″.

There is also a new Astro Sportsman that replaces the Astro Fisherman and some innovation with the Ocean Rescue board that now has a secondary air chamber for those times when things go really, really wrong! A truly unsinkable iSUP.

SUPboarder pick of the range

The 2016 range really does have something for every one. But there are a few things that all paddlers have to try this year.

• The Allstar is so stable for its width that you will have to paddle it to believe it. If you only try one performance race board this year this should be it and it looks pretty fast too.
• The Racer inflatable is a board with so much tech you won’t know where to look, carbon rails, railedge and dual stringers. Could this be the fastest iSUP this year?!
• The Hypernut range is a surf SUP that has to be tried. Short, fat and fast it is super stable for its size, a board that makes 2 foot of mush fun.
• The Bolt in either construction is a very forgiving and stable paddle to use. Put the credit card somewhere safe before going to a demo as pairing the Bolt with an Allstar will be a very, very tempting proposition.

The list could go on but to try these great pieces of kit get yourself along to a Starboard Demo in 2016.  And if you get the chance to give SUP polo a go it’s great fun and a great way of improving your paddling skills. Stay up to date with demos and events on the SUPboarder event page here.

Starboard have certainly put a lot of effort into their 2016 range, with a great mix of subtle changes to some boards and a complete re-work of others.  But it’s good to see that it’s not only their range they’ve been working on but the boards environmental impact too. Well done to Starboard for leading the way with their SUP environmental programme. Will the other brands be following? We hope so.