I had been looking for a while now for an affordable racing paddle board as I’ve been wanting to join my fellow folks at 954 Race league in Fort Lauderdale.
I was still not ready, financially that is, to purchase a full fledged SUP carbon race board.
Nevertheless I kept looking around for a racing board and talking to different suppliers and manufacturers.
And there just isn’t a good rigid racing SUP board below $1000 USD, I imagine because the material to build a carbon board is expensive and the time invested in manufacturing one is also a good factor in this price. Keep on reading for a review on the Bluefin SUPs. Not to be confused with the Blackfin X SUP– which is a not a racing SUP.
So I kept an eye on Amazon and found a few interesting options. And keeping the original spirit of this website, I focused on researching inflatable paddle boards.
So what were my options for inflatable racing boards?
There weren’t many but the ones available were quite interesting. The Soopotay iSUP is the cheapest racing stand up paddle board I have found!
But it was out of stock during my research, so I did not buy it.
I was divided between the Aqua Marina Competitive Inflatable, as they are also a great brand, but ended up opting for the price and function of the Bluefin SUP Stand Up Inflatable Paddle Board | 14′ Sprint Model. By looking at the pictures, you can already have an idea of the board. It’s a 14′ board with a SLEEK TOURING RACE DESIGN. It’s a pretty board, functional, projected to be fast and at an affordable inexpensive price of 499 U$D in the US. It looked and felt like a great option for faster paddle boarding experience.
The SUP is a great race Stand Up Paddle Board package available on the market and these Bluefin iSUP kits come with everything needed for beginner and experienced paddle boarders. I have been paddling for a while but I’m not that active and was recently out for a few months due to a hernia surgery. Now with this board, I plan to be back for good paddling every chance I get.
The Bluefin Sprint SUP is:
The Bluefin 14′ Sprint board- Perfect for high speed Paddle boarding and Racing: At 14′ long the Bluefin Sprint SUP has been designed for speed and control.
- Suitable For All Types Of Paddle Boarding: Take your Bluefin SUP to any body of water, suitable for lakes, rivers, canals, estuaries and sea. The Bluefin Stand Up Paddle Board can be used for everything from Paddle Board touring to high adrenaline wave riding.
And it comes with: High Pressure Pump, Extendable Paddle, Detachable tracking Fins, and an included backpack. Perfect for high speed paddling and race events the Bluefin Sprint is the ultimate Race Paddle board.
I am currently evaluating this board and will have a review here soon. The board has the following dimensions:
427cm L x 71cm W x 15CM T and weighs only 13kg (28 lbs).
UPDATE AND REVIEW ON THE SUP SPRINT 14″ after receiving it on the mail.
As you can see from the video on the rivers of Fort Lauderdale, the Bluefin is a stable inflatable sup.
I took it up and down the river, going with and against the tide and even against it, it felt great.
It glides over the water when inflated completely and feels like a regular racing board.
I dare to say that the only difference between this and a hard racer board is the flotation during the fast strokes of a sprint.
The weight of the paddler during the sprint is what makes this board wobble compared to a rigid board side by side.
For paddlers that are getting ready to race and join faster paddlers or want to have an easier time when hitting the open water or choppy oceans, the Blue Fin Sprint 14″is a great addition to your stand up paddle boarding quiver.