With 949 Eurothe Siren Ray is a serious alternative to cheap eBay bargains. But you can get branded goods here - in selected shops or by direct mail order. So it's not always possible to grab, inflate and feel it in the shop - we've done that for you.
On land:The board comes neatly packed in the post and is then placed in a high-quality carrier backpack with robust-looking wheels. The pump meets the quality standards of renowned brand manufacturers and is thin enough to generate the necessary high pressure. The board has a rather thick-walled construction and makes a solid impression when rolled out. All bonding is flawless, without creases or bubbles. When pressurised to the appropriate pressure - we set it to 15 psi - it looks nice and stiff (it is also a full 6 inches thick), the stretched shape with a slim tail looks quite sleek. Two luggage nets (front and rear) hold everything you might need on a tour, the eyelet for the leash is solidly glued, the deck pad (the "carpet") extends far enough to the rear and front - everything is perfectly solved. The fin is attached in a US box. Using a small tommy screw, no tools are required. If the worst comes to the worst, this box system ensures a good supply of spare parts worldwide. At a light 9.8 kilos, the board is easy to handle even on land.
On the water: Mirror-smooth water on Lake Kaltern, four force winds on Lake Starnberg - our test conditions for riding the Siren Ray were perfect. At 12'6" x 30", the Ray is in the sporty touring segment. Thanks to the narrow stern and very clean watercut at the rear, it feels fast and light-footed when accelerating. The very harmonious, slightly raised bow doesn't give away too much length in the water (this is important for fast displacement sailing), but also hardly cuts in in wavy conditions, just go back a foot and you can also tackle waves on the lake with four wind forces. When going back, the Ray is stable enough in the water for fast turns, but a little more tippy than the usually wider, more leisurely touring boards. We really enjoyed the board because it feels very fast with good tipping stability. It also feels really stiff, but we can't say whether this is due to the overall rather thick material or the Dyneema straps used according to the manufacturer. But it doesn't really matter, it works very well in any case.
Conclusion: A sporty touring board with which you don't stand a chance even in iSUP sprint races. Cleanly finished and fully equipped. A very fair offer for 949 euros.
Info: i-SUP.de
