SUP comparison: ISUP vs hardboards
Real men don't use inflatable toys - real men don't need inflatable toys. That's a valid opinion. Last year, the SUP industry only had a weary smile for Mistral's plans to produce iSUP raceboards. Rubber sausages for inflated roosters? No, because today even harsh critics recognise that these things do work.
What does that mean? Are they really as good as real raceboards? Do iSUP raceboards even make sense? "Yes!" says Mistral designer Ernstfried Prade, who is even dreaming of an "M1 Inflatable International One Design Class". The idea is to tie in with the former Mistral One Design Class ( MOD) in windsurfing and thus counteract the explosive costs of racing equipment through unity - all with the same weapons. "The one-design class is a nice idea," says SUP racer Stephan Gölnitz calmly, "but iSUPs will probably not prevail in a performance-orientated, mixed class. The day that happens and iSUPs become faster than hard boards, I'll mark a red cross in my diary."
Professional racers only want the fastest In the high-end sector, racers assume that iSUPs will never stand a chance. Paid team riders will always want to ride the latest high-tech material. "If the shape is the same, the hard board will probably always have the edge," explains Gölnitz, who has also ridden a sprint race on the M1 iSUP. Sports editor and long-time stand-up paddler Dimitri Lehner takes a different view of iSUP racing: "A four-metre race board on the roof? Sorry, I don't want that!" However, Lehner does want to paddle across the lake, train and experience nature. "For me, the advantages of an iSUP raceboard outweigh the disadvantages: As an amateur athlete, seconds don't count and the performance of hard versus inflatable is comparable. So I prefer an inflatable from my rucksack ten times over. What's more, the Mistral has the look and performance of a serious piece of sports equipment. It's got nothing to do with a rubbery, squishy cow."
Nevertheless, we wanted to know what the reality on the water was like and pitted the two Mistral Raceboards against each other? The result was astonishing. In addition to the Mistral (12'6'' Race) and C4 Waterman (12'6'' iTrekker), Starboard has now developed an inflatable 12'6'' touring board to complement the hard 12'6'' counterpart. In this case, a racer doesn't need to think twice: Inflatable touring boards make sense. But what can they really do better?
The complete comparison of iSPU vs. hardboards is available below as a PDF download.
Text: Steve Chismar Photos: Markus Greber
Mistral 14'0" M1 Race (left) vs. Mistral 14'0" M1 Race Inflatable (right).
Starboard 12'6" Touring Wood (left) vs. Starboard 12'6" Atsro Touring Inflatable (right).
