Go with the Flow – Red Paddle Co 9.6ft Flow
Review by Dave Adams (aka Wavecloud)
The Flow 9.6ft arrived in a stunning new bag with comfy padded shoulder straps and the best bit: airport style wheels. Also included is the usual repair kit with some spare bits and bobs, D rings and a valve tool. The supplied pump did the job but the new improved Titan version allows the inflation process to be so much easier.
At first glance the Flow looks different to any other white water SUP I’ve tried. The first thing that strikes you is the width. At 34” wide it’s narrower than similar offerings out there. Quad fin set up and narrow rounded down tail completes the look.
The Flow does have similarity with other WW SUPs in terms of increased volume, plenty of grab handles, tie down points for carrying kit and its fairly short length of 9.6ft. There’s plenty of thickness (6”), giving it loads of stability – primary and secondary – which is great when navigating white water foam.
Being an iSUP, the Flow is very light compared to other rigid WW SUPs and it’s a breeze to carry from van to the put in. I took the Flow on my local small standing wave – a perfectly formed curl that’s ideal for river surfing. The biggest attraction to WW SUP is surfing an endless river wave. All WW SUPs should excel at this and make it easy and comfortable to boost paddler’s confidence.
The lack of centre fin makes it best suited to riders with some experience. Side bites give the board a lively and carvey feel – intermediate to advanced river SUPers will love the responsive feel. The Flow river surfs very well indeed but may benefit from a middle skeg to give even more versatility. An experienced river surfer will love the Flow and enjoy the effortless carving turns that can be had on more powerful river waves.
CONCLUSION
The Flow is without doubt the stiffest, most rigid iSUP I’ve paddled. It really is almost as stiff as a solid plastic white water board. It excels more than other WW iSUPs I have tried and basic white water moves – running rapids, breaking in and out of eddies and ferry gliding – can be performed with ease. The Flow’s narrow tail allows it to sink and pivot on a sixpence as well as a solid WW SUP does and intermediate to experienced river surfers will love its carving ability on standing waves. Red’s construction is amazing, with scuffs simply shrugged off to leave your board looking great.
Price: £749
Leave a Reply