Glide Retro CORE iSUP Review – A $500 Cruiser with a Top-Notch Build | 2025

Glide Retro CORE iSUP Review – Overview

The Glide Retro CORE is a new, budget-friendly, cruiser style iSUP that packs a huge punch and high value for new paddlers or anyone looking for a stable ride.

It shares the same size and shape as the Glide Retro Elite (formerly known as the Retro 3.0), but has a slightly different construction, feature set, and accessory kit. However, the performance on the water is almost identical between the two boards.

Which board is right for you? That comes down to what features you need and your budget. Read on to see how the new Glide Retro CORE stacks up to the Retro Elite.

— Glide Retro CORE iSUP Review Summary and Ratings —

Glide Retro CORE iSUP Review – Construction and Durability

Glide’s new CORE line of iSUPs has a slightly different, but very similar construction to their Elite boards for a high-quality build.

The biggest difference in the Retro CORE’s construction versus the Retro Elite is inside the board. The Elite series uses Glide’s new AeroMatrix core with cross-woven drop stitching. The CORE uses a woven fabric base layer, but has standard V-stitched drop stitching instead of the newer cross-stitched system. The standard stitching is slightly heavier than the new system and accounts for most of the 1.5 pound difference between the two boards.

The woven base layer still provides weight savings and excellent rigidity, and the outer shell of the Retro CORE is still made with a reinforced PVC material that is fused directly to the base layer with heat and pressure. This eliminates glue and off-gassing between the layers and helps improve both rigidity and longevity. The top and bottom of the board are joined together with a heat-welded interior seam, just like on the Retro Elite. The Elite gets an additional welded rail layer and third outer layer for extreme durability. The CORE has a second layer of PVC adhered over the internal layer to protect it and provide more rigidity. This is a standard construction technique in many iSUPs and still provides great durability.

With the board built, deckpad, D-rings, and all the other accoutrements installed, the Retro CORE clocks in at just 23.2 pounds.

The Retro CORE has a maximum inflation pressure of 25 PSI, just like the Elite, though we don’t use iSUPs beyond 20 PSI. Through our testing we’ve found that the additional effort required to inflate a board beyond 20 PSI yields very, very small improvements in rigidity (and takes a lot more effort and strength!).

In our rigidity testing, we inflated the Retro Core to 20 PSI and measured how far it bent with 170 pounds of weight in the standing area of the board. It did quite well at 1.54” – literally just a touch more bend than the Retro Elite at 1.49”. However, sometimes similar bend test scores result in different feelings on the water.

While I was standing or paddling the Retro CORE normally I could not feel any noticeable flex. I could feel a little bit of flex during a hard sprint. Just a bit, and not enough to affect the board’s performance in my opinion. Jumping on the board generated a moderately high amount of bend, but as soon as I stopped, the Retro CORE had a very comfortable and easy rebound without any springy feeling.

With the Retro CORE and Retro Elite side-by-side on the water I think anyone, myself included, would have a hard time telling them apart by their rigidity.

The main differences in construction between the Retro Core and Retro Elite are:

Specifications

Glide Retro CORE iSUP Review – Features, Accessories and Versatility

The Glide Retro CORE offers a bit more than what I consider a “standard” set of onboard features, though not quite as much as the Retro Elite.

The Glide Retro CORE comes with a great kit of accessories including:

• Retro CORE iSUP
• Padded backpack bag with large zippered pocket
• 3-piece adjustable paddle
• Coiled ankle leash
• 9” all-around/surf-style fin
• Dual-action hand pump
• Basic repair kit

That is definitely what I’d call a full kit of accessories, so the only thing you’ll need to add before getting on the water is a life jacket.

The main differences in features between the Retro CORE and Retro Elite:

Glide Retro CORE iSUP Review – Paddle

The Retro CORE comes with the standard fiberglass and nylon hybrid iSUP paddle that Glide includes with all of their inflatable paddle boards.

The Glide 3-piece hybrid paddle uses a blend of fiberglass and composite materials to create a comfortable and efficient paddle that can be used for either stand up paddling or seated paddling with an optional second paddle blade. The Retro CORE includes just the 3-piece SUP paddle, while the Retro Elite also includes a second paddle blade for a complete hybrid kit.

The paddle blade is made with a fiber-reinforced nylon material to keep it lightweight with just enough flex in the water for a comfortable paddling experience. The medium-size, rectangular blade is very easy to use for most paddler sizes and the curved shape makes it easy for new paddlers to know which way to use the paddle, and the narrower blade reduces fluttering when used as either a SUP or kayak paddle.

The shaft uses fiberglass for a very comfortable experience on the water. Fiberglass shafts have more flex in them than a carbon fiber shaft, but still keep the weight low and provide smooth power transfer for fast paddling.

There is a pin-and-clip adjustment system to change the length of the paddle. This type of system not only makes it easy to securely change the length, but it also automatically aligns the handle to the blade. There are also height and length markings on the handle section so you can quickly and accurately change the paddle length for different paddlers or conditions.

The hand grip is made of molded plastic with texturing on the front and back. The plastic feels solid in your hand, and the shape is quite comfortable.

Overall the Glide 3-piece paddle is a great starter paddle. It feels good in your hands and in the water, and you can change it to a double-bladed paddle for kayaking with the optional second blade.

Glide Retro CORE iSUP Review – Stability

The Retro CORE and Retro Elite share the same size and shape – and both are extremely stable on the water.

There are tons of different factors that go into a paddleboard’s stability – size, shape, rigidity, even the fins can play a part in how stable a board feels on the water.

The Retro CORE is a wide cruiser with a broad, round nose, 34” max width, and gently sweeping outline to a medium-small square tail. Along with a more-than-average rigidity, this board feels great on the water.

I couldn’t feel any rocking, rolling, or twitching while standing on it or paddling at any speed. Even walking and bouncing on the board felt confident. I could easily heel the board over onto its rail and hold it there, and rocking the board side to side felt smooth as it transitioned between edges and dipped under the surface.

Walking on the board is easy, and felt consistent almost all the way back. On the very tail of the board it narrows up a bit and does become a bit less stable. But it still feels comfortable as you lift the nose and spin around for a quick pivot turn.

Glide Retro CORE iSUP Review – Speed

The Retro CORE is surprisingly fast given its size and stability.

I was very impressed with our speed test results on the Glide Retro CORE. It essentially performed exactly as well as the Retro Elite.

In our sprint test, the Retro CORE (and Elite) clocked a continuous sprinting speed of 4.9 MPH at 75 strokes per minute. While that’s not an overall fastest sprinting speed, considering it is 34” wide, that is very impressive. For very short bursts I was able to push that up to a top speed of 5.5 MPH (again, the same as the Retro Elite).

That is an impressive outcome for the Retro, but it’s not really the intended use as a cruiser style board. At a comfortable cruising pace of 25 strokes per minute (basically continuous paddling with a slight pause between strokes), the Retro CORE glides along at 3.6 MPH. Again, great for its width, and in lock-step with the Retro Elite. The only difference I found in the speed testing between the Retro CORE and Elite is their gliding efficiency. At their cruising speed a single paddle stroke will move the Retro Elite 21 feet on average whereas the Retro CORE traveled only 20 feet on average. Huge difference, I know! But for real, this puts the Retro CORE at a 1.9 board length gliding ratio – which is what we see in high quality touring style SUPs, not cruisers.

Glide Retro CORE iSUP Review – Maneuverability and Tracking

The Retro CORE has a great blend of maneuverability and tracking performance that leans toward easy straight-line paddling.

In our maneuverability testing the Retro CORE felt a little more like a typical all-around than a typical cruiser-style paddle board. It took just under 7 forward sweep paddle strokes (paddling in an arc from nose to tail) to turn the board in a full circle from a standstill. Generally, cruiser iSUPs this size are a little faster turning (between 4-6 strokes). However, this does track with the Retro Elite’s performance as well.

Of course all paddle boards will turn faster with a reverse sweep stroke (paddling in an arc from tail to nose) and the Retro CORE spins around easily with just 3.5 strokes on average.

As mentioned in the stability section, the gentle curve of the board outline gives it a nice consistent feeling as you move around and loses just a little stability when standing on the very tail of the board. But it does feel smooth and stable as you lift the nose and spin the board around for a quick pivot turn (only needing about 2 strokes to make a full circle).

While paddling I did find it easy to turn the Retro CORE when I wanted, though large changes in course (more than 90 degrees) did take some effort.

On the flip side, and like the Retro Elite, the Retro CORE has incredibly good tracking performance for a wide cruiser SUP. In our 10-stroke tracking test, the Retro CORE only deviated an average of 10 degrees after 10 forward strokes on one side.

While paddling normally I had no issues maintaining my course over long distances and rarely needed to do any major course corrections.

These results are all very similar to the Retro Elite, but the Elite has a 1+2 fin system and we tested it with the included side fins (we always test with all included fins). So what gives here? Well, tracking and maneuverability are impacted by board size, shape, number of fins, size of fins, and fin locations. Both versions of the Retro have their center fin fairly far back on the board’s tail. This helps improve tracking/reduce maneuverability compared to fins that are closer to the mid section of the board.

The side fins on the Retro Elite are also significantly smaller than the main fin and don’t really provide a lot of additional directional or lateral stability compared to that much larger center fin.

We do like 1+2 fin setups for their versatility. You can use all three fins, just the center fin, or just the side fins depending on what you want to do. However, for most flatwater paddling, the main center fin is doing 90% or more of the work and is really all most paddlers need.

Glide Retro CORE iSUP Review – Warranty and Customer Support

Glide warranties their paddleboards against manufacturing defects for the reasonable lifetime of the board, and their accessories carry a one-year warranty as well. There is a 30-day return period, however the customer is responsible for shipping costs and a 20% restocking fee. You can contact Glide customer service through their website, via email, over the phone, on social media, or in person through their retail network or at their Salt Lake City, UT warehouse if you happen to be in the area!

Glide Retro CORE iSUP Review – Final Thoughts

I was a bit worried when Glide owner Ken Driscoll told me that they were making a line of more budget-friendly paddle boards. I really like how the main lineup of Glide boards feel on the water and was worried that these CORE boards may not live up to that standard. But oh, I was wrong to worry.

The Retro CORE is a fantastic cruiser iSUP. The main differences between the Retro CORE and Retro Elite are in the included accessories and built-in features, not in the durability or performance. That makes recommending the Retro CORE so easy to do. If you are looking for a stable cruiser SUP that feels great on the water and performs well, this is it!

So when should you choose the Retro Elite over the Retro CORE? If you want a full hybrid iSUP/kayak kit, or if you want a full-length deck pad for SUP yoga or paddling with a pet or child, then the Retro Elite is the better choice.

Glide Retro CORE iSUP Review – FAQ