Cuts like a… Redwoodpaddle Funbox Pro 12’6 x 27.5” x 295L review

Photos: Nick Kingston
We’ve seen of late a whole host of developments within the iSUP market – some good, some not so great. At the performance end of the scale dual chamber boards are now starting to appear. This is the second pointy nose job that we’ve handled to feature this. In the case of Redwoodpaddle’s Funbox Pro 12’6 the tuning ability of the separate nose chamber is there to affect the V concave underneath. So does it work?

First off you have a nice looking inflatable with silver/grey livery and blaring red RWP logo badges. Manufactured in the now standard fusion technology lay up it’s a robust and premium quality air board that any paddler worth his/her salt would be happy to own.

Another point we’ve often made is that touring/race SUPs don’t have to be solely used for this purpose. There’s nothing wrong – and in fact this style of board is arguably better – for all round stand up shenanigans and even surfing! Further to this is RWP’s addition of the hard release edge on the tail. Again, not new per se – we’ve seen other brands in previous seasons include similar. For 2019, however, some companies are utilising this hard rubber edge on pointy nose SUPs to aid water release from the rear.

Inflation is super quick and in no time we were afloat. The raked touring style fin aids tracking and efficiency whilst the feel of paddling is one of decent speed and glide. We needed to dabble a little to locate the sweeping sweet spot. It’s not as far forwards as you initially think. Standing a tad towards the tail is actually better.

So, what of that second chamber’s impact? We used the RWP Funbox Pro in a variety of different paddling scenarios. Where the tunability REALLY comes into its own is if faced with windy/breezy bumps. Stick some air in the tank, increase the V and suddenly the 12’6’s straight line, knifing ability is increased significantly. Cutting through chop is little work. The only thing to be aware of is when pivot turning riders need to stand right on the tail to fully lift the nose clear. Take the air out and the Funbox Pro once again feels more ‘turny’.

CONCLUSION
There’s no question the secondary chamber and tunability of the Redwoodpaddle Funbox Pro gives increased versatility to already efficient iSUP design. Being able to increase the board’s hull V helps with tracking and ultimately glide – choppy waters are no match for the 12’6. The hard release tail edge also helps aid speed and efficiency and overall we had a lot of fun aboard the Funbox Pro. Not all iSUPs are the same and this is an example of something really quite good.

Price: €699

Info: https://redwoodpaddle.com/gb/sup-boards/558-funbox-pro-12-6-x-275.html