The Hala Atcha 86 is a smaller Whitewater SUP perfect for park ‘n’ play and smaller whitewater paddlers.
Hala Atcha 86 Whitewater iSUP Review – Overview
The Hala Atcha 86 is a scaled-down version of their flagship Atcha 96 designed not just for smaller paddlers, but for anyone who is looking for a rough-and-tumble whitewater SUP designed to catch every eddy and surf every wave as you work your way downriver or through your local whitewater park.
Editor’s Note: Whitewater paddle boards are highly-specialized iSUPs with a very different design and performance profile than boards built primarily for flat water. For our Whitewater SUP reviews we use a separate testing method and scoring scale compared to our all-around and other iSUPs.
Save $50 with code “INFLATABLEBOARD”— Hala Atcha 86 Whitewater iSUP Review Ratings and Summary —
Hala Atcha 86 Whitewater iSUP
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Construction & Durability
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Features and Versatility
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Stability
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Agility
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Control
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Waves and Drops
Overall Score
The Hala Atcha 86 is an whitewater iSUP made to turn rivers into playgrounds
Pros
- High quality construction with welded seams for durability
- PVC stiffening stringer for additional rigidity
- High rocker profile allows you to easily paddle through whitewater features, but offers less flatwater performance than the Hala Atcha 96
- Shorter overall length for better maneuverability and surfability
- StompBox fin system allows you to use full-length fins in shallow water to maintain control without getting tossed
- Includes flexible fins and wheeled carrying bag
- 5-year warranty
Cons
- The Atcha 86 is intended for smaller paddlers or for advanced paddlers and doesn’t have the stability we’d recommend for most beginner whitewater paddlers
- You’ll need to add a quick release leash and paddle separately, but Hala’s accessories match well with the Atcha 86
Hala Atcha 86 Whitewater iSUP Review – Construction and Durability
The Hala Atcha 86 has a woven drop stitch core that uses a lighter and more rigid woven fabric layer for the deck and hull connected by thousands of yarns stitched through both layers. These 6” long threads keep the board a consistent 6” thick when inflated (rather than inflating like a balloon) and help keep it extremely rigid.
The outer shell is made with reinforced PVC tarpaulin fused directly to the inner core with heat and pressure. This ensures a solid, consistent bond between the layers, eliminates glue, and reduces weight without sacrificing durability or rigidity.
The Hala Atcha 86 uses heat-welded seams and reinforced PVC around the rails.
The top and bottom of the board are connected by heat-welding a layer of reinforced PVC to the board. This creates an airtight seal by mechanically fusing the layers together into one continuous piece of PVC fabric. Welded seams reduce the use of volatile glues and are more resistant to damage from high heat. A second layer of PVC is the glued around the entire rail to help protect the inner rail and provide more rigidity.
With the board built and all of the features added, the Atcha 86 weighs in at 24 pounds for just the board. However, the removable StompBox fin system adds just over 2 pounds for a total weight of 26.1 pounds.
The Atcha 86 did great in our bend test with just 1.4” of bend with 170 pounds of weight when inflated to its maximum recommended internal pressure of 18 PSI.
Like Hala’s other whitewater SUPs I couldn’t feel anything flex when paddling the Atcha 86, moving around on the board, or when paddling through and over wave trains.
Save $50 with code “INFLATABLEBOARD”Specifications
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 8’ 6” |
| Width | 34.5“ |
| Thickness | 6“ |
| Weight | |
| Max Capacity | 250 pounds |
| Board Weight | 26 pounds |
| Kit Weight (SUP & accessories) | 35 pounds |
| Buying Info | |
| List Price | $1399 |
| Warranty | 5 years |
| Returns period | 30 days |
Hala Atcha 86 Whitewater iSUP Review – Features, Accessories and Versatility
The Atcha 86 is a smaller whitewater SUP that is made for tearing up your local runs and whitewater parks, so there aren’t a ton of extra features built onto the board for long overnight trips or other uses.
The Hala Atcha is 8’ 6” long, 34.5” wide (as measured), and 6” thick. It weighs 26.1 pounds with the StompBox fin and has a maximum recommended rider weight of 250 pounds. There is a significant amount of rocker in the nose and tail that does create a continuous curve from end to end.
The nose has a wide triangular shape that is a little more broad than the Atcha 96 because of the board’s shorter length overall. But the pointed tip does help break through larger waves and holes when needed.
There are three carry handles on the Atcha 86, and the inflation valve is located on the nose to make deflating and rolling the board easier.
The front cargo area is relatively small, but can still hold a medium size dry bag for your immediate essentials. Hala uses soft webbing tie down points instead of D-rings to help minimize the risk of injury during or after a fall.
There are two more tie down points at the front of the deck pad that can be used to extend the front cargo area or create a mini cargo spot for water bottles and other small items. There are also two handles on either side of the board for additional safety in more extreme whitewater and for controlling the board from the side after falling.
The main carry handle is lightly padded, but still lays flat to prevent catching on your feet. The deck pad is made with a multi-color EVA foam with a heavy diamond texture for maximum traction.
There raised kick pad on the tail of the board gives you more solid footing when stepping back to adjust your trim for paddling over a drop or when lifting the nose for a quick pivot turn.
There is also a raised indexing pad under the center of the deck pad in front of the kick pad to give you tactile feedback on your foot position on the board. The tail is fairly wide with a very slight fish-tail shape to help improve maneuverability when surfing on river waves.
The Atcha 86 is equipped with Hala’s removable StompBox fin system that allows you to use a full-size 9” flex fin that can retract into the board when contacting rocks or other objects under the surface. There are also two FCS/2-tab style fin boxes on the sides and the Atcha 86 includes 4.5” flex fins for those side bites.
The Atcha 86 comes with a basic accessory kit, but no paddle or leash.
The Hala Atcha 86 is a River Play Machine – and I don’t use that phrase lightly. I began as a whitewater kayaker and the Dagger RPM is one of the most venerated boats in the game! It’s built specifically for shredding your local runs and as a scaled-down whitewater SUP for more petite paddlers. While there aren’t a ton of built-in features on the Atcha 86, it’s not really a negative for the board. It’s designed for a single purpose, not as an all-around SUP.
Included with the Hala Atcha 86 is:
- Hala Radito Whitewater/Adventure iSUP
- Removable StompBox fin box with a 9” surf-style fin preinstalled
- Two 4.5” FCS/two-tab flexible side fins
- Fin key/wrench
- Dual-action hand pump
- Repair kit
- Wheeled, duffel-style transportation bag
The Atcha 86 does not come with a paddle or leash. Hala does make two versions of their Grafik paddle if you are looking for a durable whitewater paddle. They also have dedicated whitewater quick-release leashes. If you are unfamiliar with this leash style or would like to learn more about why standard leg-leashes are extremely dangerous on moving water, check out our blog post about leashes.
Save $50 with code “INFLATABLEBOARD”Hala Atcha 86 Whitewater iSUP Review – Paddle
Hala’s Grafik and Lock & Load Grafik paddles make a great match for the Atcha 86 with a responsive and durable blade and easy to use adjustment system. It’s available as a 2-piece adjustable (Grafik) and 3-piece adjustable travel version (Lock & Load Grafik) with the same materials and designs.
The Hala Grafik paddle has a thermoplastic and carbon fiber blade and lever-lock adjustable handle.
The Grafik’s 7-layer “CFRT” – Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic – blade uses a combination of thermoplastic resin along with fiberglass and carbon fibers to create a blade that is lightweight, more durable than traditional fiberglassblades, and has more flex than pure carbon fiber in order to provide power when you need it and comfort for all-day paddling without worrying about bashing into the occasional shallow rock.
The outer layer of the blade is made with a unidirectional carbon fiber for improved stiffness. I did find a small downside here. Where the fibers meet the edge of the blade, they can splinter out. Both the Grafik and Lock and Load Grafik put a few splinters in my hand when I grabbed them by the blade while unloading from my truck after a day on the river. I talked to Hala about this and it’s not an issue they’ve encountered before, but they recommended lightly sanding the edge of the paddle to knock down any potential splinters.
The paddle shaft is made with a 3k carbon fiber weave for a lightweight and stiff paddle shaft. The handle section is also primarily made with carbon fiber, but has a plastic T-grip at the top to accommodate the lever-lock adjustment system. The lever lock handle has a printed length scale, but it is relative, not absolute. So you’ll need to play around to find out what “handle length” you prefer rather than setting it to an overall paddle length.
The lever-lock system uses a rubber stopper at the end of the handle section connected to the grip with a metal wire inside the handle. Opening the lever in the grip releases tension on the stopper and allows you to adjust the length and orientation of the handle. Closing the lever tensions the whole system for a snug fit. The Lock & Load 3-piece Grafik paddle uses the same type of system to connect the blade section to the shaft. You can adjust the tension in the system with a pair of needle nose pliers by loosening or tightening the nut on the bottom of the stopper. You want it to be just tight enough to hold securely, but not so tight that it becomes difficult to close the lever (potentially damaging the paddle). Straight from the box I only had to make a tiny adjustment to the Lock and Load paddle’s lower section, but it was otherwise set appropriately.
Overall I think the Hala Grafik and Lock & Load Grafik paddles are great options for whitewater paddlers.
Save $50 with code “INFLATABLEBOARD”Hala Atcha 86 Whitewater iSUP Review – Stability
The Hala Atcha 86 is designed for maximizing agility and surfability while still being a river-runner iSUP. At just over 34” wide, it does offer good stability, but is not ideal for beginner whitewater paddlers.
The smaller overall size makes the Atcha 86 more responsive to shifts in weight distribution.
It’s not really fair to call the Atcha 86 unstable, but it is the least stable of the whitewater iSUPs we’ve tested so far. But I want to reiterate this is how the board is designed! I’m also a larger paddler and with my whitewater gear am pressing the upper limits of the Atcha 86’s intended rider size.
While just hanging out on the flat sections of river, the Atcha 86 did have a bit of a twitchy feel to it. Small shifts in weight distribution translated into board movement quickly and responsively. The smaller size board has less overall volume and sits lower in the water for me. So if I tilted too far I would start to catch the edge of the board. I really noticed this when I was ferrying and attaining (more on that below).
I would refer to myself more as an intermediate whitewater paddler rather than an advanced whitewater paddler. I was able to acclimate to the responsiveness of the Atcha 86 fairly well, but it is more of a challenging board for me to use overall compared to the Hala Atcha 96 or Hala Radito.
Smaller paddlers (especially under 160 pounds), and advanced paddlers up to the 250 pound recommended weight capacity will love the responsiveness of this board compared to the larger whitewater SUP offerings, especially in park ‘n’ play situations rather than longer-distance river trips with more flat sections between the fun.
Save $50 with code “INFLATABLEBOARD”Hala Atcha 86 Whitewater iSUP Review – Agility and Control
When you want to be able to rip around rocks, and catch surf waves on the fly, you need to be agile – and that’s just what the Atcha 86 does.
Ferrying through slower current is easy, but medium and faster current with bigger chop is harder to maintain your angle.
The Atcha 86 can spin on a dime – and that’s without stepping back for a full pivot turn. The shorter board length and high rocker profile make it easy to turn to begin with, but the lower volume also makes it easier to sink the rail of the board and really carve a turn.
At the same time, there is a 9” fin sticking out of the bottom of this board (and two 4.5” fins if you put them in like I did). So you do get some amount of control and tracking. I will say, though, that the Atcha 86 is a bit more squirrely on the water than its larger siblings. It’s easy to catch and edge and easy to over-correct or over-steer the board.
When ferrying across moderate speed current, I could feel the 9” fin trying to keep me on track, but it often became overpowered by the lack of stability and tilting the board/catching the edge through the bumpy water.
I found attaining upstream difficult on the Atcha 86 due to its size and stability.
The shorter length and lower stability also make the Atcha 86 a difficult board to use to attain upstream. Even with all three fins, every stroke upriver wanted to quickly turn the Atcha 86, so every stroke needed to be a compromise between power and course correction. Even in a calm stretch of river, getting upstream was some serious work.
While the Atcha 86 isn’t getting the highest marks for overall control and attainment, it is super agile. Carving in and out of eddies is a breeze, and getting the Atcha 86 oriented for whatever maneuver I was planning took very little effort. If I’m going to go play in a whitewater park all day, that’s the kind of performance I’m looking for.
The StompBox 9” retractable fin gives the Atcha 86 more hold in the current, but still has a loose feel on the water overall.
The StompBox fin system is really quite nice. It’s easy to install (just don’t forget to do it before fully inflating the board!) and holds securely in place. It does only retract in one direction, so you should be wary when moving backwards for whatever reason, but the fins are still quite flexible, so off-axis impacts won’t break the fin.
As a river play board I would like it if Hala included the shorter center fin option. While it wouldn’t help attaining or ferrying, it would make the Atcha 86 looser for surfing and reduce the risk of catching on submerged objects when moving backward. The StompBox does require a proprietary fin from Hala, so you’ll need to plan ahead if you want to swap fins.
Save $50 with code “INFLATABLEBOARD”Hala Atcha 86 Whitewater iSUP Review – Waves, Drops, and Surfability
The Atcha 86 has an aggressive, continuous rocker profile to handle waves and drops with ease, and the shorter length lets you more easily fit onto surf waves of different sizes and shapes.
The Atcha 86’s continuous rocker lets you easily adjust the trim by shifting forward or back on the board.
If you haven’t guessed it by this point… The Atcha 86 is fantastic for riding through wave trains, punching out of holes, and catching surf waves on the fly.
Though it’s not as stable or buoyant as the larger Atcha 96, the Atcha 86 can still tackle Class III features without blinking. The continuous rocker profile makes it very easy to adjust the trim of the board for steeper drops and waves, and when it does cut through the top of a wave, the pointed nose helps keep the Atcha 86 moving instead of slamming to a stop.
But what really separates the Atcha 86 from other whitewater SUPs is how easy it is to surf. The shorter overall length and high rocker fits nicely into waves from glassy green tongues to steep foamy piles. The 9” fin does help keep you pointed into the current, but the rocker and tail shape gives you more freedom to maneuver around..
Like I’ve said – the Atcha 86 is a river play machine. It’ll make features feel a little bigger and let you catch more action on the fly.
Save $50 with code “INFLATABLEBOARD”Hala Atcha 86 Whitewater iSUP Review – Warranty and Customer Support
Hala Gear offers a 5-year warranty for their inflatable paddle boards. If you have any issues with your Atcha 96, call up the customer care team in Steamboat, CO (or drop by if you are in the neighborhood) and they’ll take care of you. Paddles and other accessories are warrantied for one year from the date of purchase. Hala does have a 30-day return period, however it is for new, unused, products only. If you have any questions about Hala, their boards, or a warranty issue, you can contact them via website chat, email, phone, at their HQ, or through social media.
Save $50 with code “INFLATABLEBOARD”Hala Atcha 86 Whitewater iSUP Review – Final Thoughts
The Hala Atcha 86 is a fun, nimble whitewater board perfect for whitewater parks and short playful runs.
The Atcha 86 makes me want to move to Golden, or Durango, or Boise, or somewhere I can have a whitewater park in my backyard (not two hours away). It’s not going to be my full-day river runner or expedition river trip choice , but it does make a great choice as a classic river runner for smaller paddlers. It’s the whitewater SUP I want to use to push my skill level without necessarily increasing my risk level. It’s agile, responsive, and can handle Class III whitewater, and makes catching (and riding) surf waves easier than on larger whitewater SUPs.
Save $50 with code “INFLATABLEBOARD”
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