The Hala Radito is a whitewater SUP ready for beginners and weekend river trips.
Hala Radito Whitewater iSUP Review – Overview
The Hala Radito confused me at first. I wasn’t sure what to make of it before I took it to the river. It’s almost the size and shape of the Atcha 96, but with a few key differences. Will I notice those? How will it handle on whitewater? Will it paddle well on the flats?
To put it short, I really like the Radito!
It does feel different from the Atcha, it does handle whitewater well, and it does paddle well on the flats. I like to think of it as a whitewater SUP that trades in some aggressive design for overall versatility. It’s a great choice for those just getting started in Whitewater SUP, but it also works well for more advanced paddlers going on shorter overnight river trips up through Class III whitewater.
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 Radito Whitewater iSUP Review Ratings and Summary —
Hala Radito 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 Radito is built for longer adventures on technical water and is a great beginner whitewater SUP.
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 more flatwater performance than the Hala Atcha 96
- Longer flat mid section provides improved primary stability
- StompBox fin system allows you to use full-length fins in shallow water to maintain control without getting tossed
- Fantastic tracking and board control
- Includes flexible fins and wheeled carrying bag
- 5-year warranty
Cons
- The Radito is a whitewater board first, and adventure board second, so cargo space and capacity is limited
- The larger fin / StompBox system takes some getting used to and can sometimes lock or change your course when you don’t expect it
Hala Radito Whitewater iSUP Review – Construction and Durability
The Hala Atcha 96 uses a woven drop stitch core to help keep the board rigid and reduce weight. The top and bottom of the board are built with a woven fabric material, and they are connected with thousands of yarns stitched through the top and bottom in a high-density pattern. This gives the board its 6” thickness and keeps the layers parallel to each other when inflated.
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 Radito uses heat-welded seams and reinforced PVC around the rails.
Hala uses a heat-welded interior seam to bond the deck and hull material together, and then reinforces the rails of the board with a second layer of reinforced PVC.
With the board built and all of the features added, the Atcha 96 weighs in at 26.2 pounds for just the board. However, the removable StompBox fin system adds just over 2 pounds for a total weight of 28.3 pounds.
At its maximum inflation pressure of 18 PSI, the Hala Atcha 96 recorded 1.46” of bend in our static bend test – a bit better than our running average of 1.61”, but actually on the lower-end for whitewater SUPs we’ve tested. However, while our bend test is fun for us tech nerds, what really matters is how it feels on the water.
Whether I was standing still, paddling hard to attain upriver, or bracing over the first drop of a wave train, I didn’t notice any flex in the Atcha 96.
Save $50 with code “INFLATABLEBOARD”Specifications
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 10’ 0” |
| Width | 35.5“ |
| Thickness | 6“ |
| Weight | |
| Max Capacity | 275 pounds |
| Board Weight | 26.2 pounds |
| Kit Weight (SUP & accessories) | 38 pounds |
| Buying Info | |
| List Price | $1399 |
| Warranty | 5 years |
| Returns period | 30 days |
Hala Radito Whitewater iSUP Review – Features, Accessories and Versatility
The Radito is designed to expand on the adventurous capacity of the dedicated Hala whitewater SUPs while still retaining the features needed to ride rapids.
The Hala Radito is 10’ 0” long, 34.5” wide (as measured), and 6” thick. It weighs 27.2 pounds with the StompBox fin and has a maximum recommended rider weight of 300 pounds. The rocker profile is significant, but lower than the Atcha series.
The nose has a longer-taper triangular shape designed to combine efficiency with buoyancy and the ability to punch through larger river features.
There are three flat webbing carry handles on the Radito’s nose, center, and tail, 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 with your immediate essentials close at hand. The Radio uses soft-webbing tie downs instead of steel D-rings for increased safety while on the river.
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 padded, but still has a low profile 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.
The Radito features three more pairs of soft rigging points along the rear half of the board. These allow you to easily carry more equipment for longer overnight trips, though the overall length of the board is more limiting in total capacity compared to the larger Hala Rado (10’10”).
There is a raised indexing bump just in front of the raised kick pad to help you identify where your feet are on the board without looking, and to give you more control when stepping back to the tail to control your board trim.
The Radito has a wide tail with a slight fish-tail shape to help balance maximum stability and maneuverability.
There are two two-tab/FCS style fin boxes for the Radito’s smaller 4.5” flex fins. The Radito also uses Hala’s removable StompBox fin box system that allows the 9” flex fin to nearly fully retract into the fin box when paddling through shallow water or on forward-impact with rocks and other obstacles. To install the StompBox fin, simply inflate the board with just enough air to give it shape, insert it into the box, and then fully inflate the board. Small blocks and the pressure from the board hold it firmly in place.
The Radito comes with a basic accessory kit, but no paddle or leash.
The Hala Radito straddles the design worlds of a pure whitewater SUP and an adventure/expedition style board. The longer, flatter, and narrower midsection of the Radito makes it more stable and faster than the whitewater-specific Atcha 96, but it still boasts a large nose rocker and StompBox fin system for handling challenging whitewater. The Radito also has more cargo capacity and tie down points to help porter your overnight gear down the river.
Included with the Hala Radito 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 Radito does not include a paddle or leash. Hala’s Grafik paddle is a great match and is available as a 2-piece or 3-piece travel 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 Radito Whitewater iSUP Review – Paddle
The Radito does not include a paddle automatically. However, Hala’s Grafik and Lock & Load Grafik paddles make a great match for this river runner.
The Hala Grafik paddle has a thermoplastic and carbon fiber blade and lever-lock adjustable handle.
The Hala Grafik paddle is perfect for river running. It’s built for durability and performance rather than shaving ounces that could potentially shorten the paddle’s life span. 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 7-layer blade uses a combination of thermoplastic resin along with composite fibers to create a blade that is lightweight, more durable than fiberglass, but with more flex than pure carbon fiber in order to provide power when you need it and comfort for all-day paddling.
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. 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. I talked to Hala about this and they recommended lightly sanding the edge of the paddle to knock down any potential splinters. A small piece of 220 grit sandpaper and two minutes later and the paddle edges feel smooth to me – though I’ll be sure to be careful with the blades in the future.
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.
There is both a printed length scale and indexing mark on the paddle shaft/handle to help you set up your paddle. 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 releases tension on the cable and stopper and allows you to adjust the length and orientation of the handle, and clamping the lever down 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. When properly adjusted, the lever-lock system is very secure and basically eliminates external pieces and feels very much like a single-piece paddle.
It is important to make sure that the tension is properly adjusted on the lever lock system. It should be just tight enough to hold without slipping, but not over-tightened as this can stress the entire system. You’ll need a pair of needle-nose pliers to loosen or tighten the bolt that tensions the lever-lock cable.
Overall I think the Hala Grafik and Lock & Load Grafik paddles are great options for whitewater paddlers.
Save $50 with code “INFLATABLEBOARD”Hala Radito Whitewater iSUP Review – Stability
The Hala Radito offers a great amount of primary stability for whitewater paddlers even though it falls on the slightly “narrow” side of the design spectrum at 34.5” wide.
The flatter midsection of the Radito gives you more surface contact with the water, improving stability, even during a pivot turn.
Typically the widest boards will have the most primary stability – how they feel flat on the water. Of course there are all sorts of other elements that impact stability, which is why the Hala Radito at 34.5” wide feels more stable on flat water than its wider cousin the Hala Atcha 96 at 35.5” wide.
The big departure here is in the rocker profile. The Radito has a narrower nose and tail than the Atcha, but because the rocker in the nose is lower, and the rocker in the tail is significantly reduced, there is far more surface area in contact with the water even though the board is narrower.
While paddling the Radito on flat sections of the river and even while crossing through faster and choppier riffles and small waves, the Radito feels very secure and doesn’t have any twitching or rolling. That stable feeling continued while lifting the nose for a pivot turn around some rocks, and I had no issues holding the Radito on its edge when catching an eddy. I could feel a difference in overall stability when ferrying in heavy current. The narrower profile of the board did tilt and twitch a little faster than the wider Atcha 96, but it handled itself very well even in those instances.
However, there is a notable instance – and a pretty important one – where the Radito did not feel as stable as the Atcha 96. When paddling through larger wave trains, the Radito’s lower rocker profile has a higher tendency to pearl when dropping into the wave and pierces through the tops of the waves as you come out the other side. The sharper nose profile did this cleanly, and the wider shoulders helped pop the Radito back up to the surface quickly. While it didn’t slam me to a stop, I did feel it slow the board and load the nose up with weight before popping back out of the wave. Of course, this is in comparison to the Atcha 96 – one of the premier hard water iSUPs on the market!
Overall, though, I’d have no problems recommending the Radito to handle itself up through Class III whitewater as a stable and confidence-inspiring paddle board.
Save $50 with code “INFLATABLEBOARD”Hala Radito Whitewater iSUP Review – Agility and Control
The Radito’s lowered rocker profile and the large fin in the StompBox system give it fantastic control on the water with almost no loss in agility.
The 9” fin and longer/narrower shape makes ferrying across the current nearly thoughtless.
Hala’s StompBox fin system is quite a feat of design and engineering. Having a 9” fin on the river gives a degree of control that’s just not possible, even with multiple shorter fins.
The Radito’s flatter midsection and narrower overall width, combined with the StompBox fin, make it a master of board control on the water. Ferrying across current of nearly any speed was almost “set it and forget it.” Point your nose at the upstream angle you want, and this board just drives across the water. “Beast mode” for ferrying is what I wrote in my notes.
If you aren’t used to having a bigger fin, though, the Radito can throw you for a bit of a surprise. In heavy current I did find that the large fin really wanted to engage head-on and, like the Atcha 96, I had to work to keep my ferry angle set rather than stall out pointed straight upstream.
Attaining upstream and ferrying cross-current were both incredibly easy on the Radito.
While not as aggressively rockered as the Atcha 96, the Radito does keep its nose clean in most situations and lends the board to easy maneuverability on the water. It is slightly more sluggish to flat-turn when standing in the middle of the board, but even one staggered step back gives you just enough trim control to quickly turn with your basic sweep and draw strokes.
And with the increased stability when standing on the tail of the board, pushing the tail down for a quick pivot turn was also easy and confidence-inspiring. Almost too easy. On one testing run I almost turned the board directly into the rock I was navigating around and had to correct it back toward the river bank for a moment before completing my turn downriver.
The Radito’s 9” retractable fin gives the board immense control and drive, but can duck out of the way when paddling over shallow objects.
Another funny adjustment note I made as I got used to the longer 9” fin – it keeps the board from reacting to wind and current more than I am used to. So when starting the “obstacle” course I set up to test how the Radito attains, catchies eddies, and peels out, I ran into a little problem rock. Normally around the time the middle of the board crosses an eddy fence when ferrying out upstream a SUP will begin to turn its nose downstream. Well, with the extra drive and control of the 9” fin, I tried ferrying out from behind a rock as normal, but rather than the board swinging a little wide like I expected, the Radito just drove forward and clipped the shoulder of the board right into the rock. D’oh! It only took me one or two times of this happening to learn how to adjust. Definitely a paddler issue, not a board issue, but if you are used to smaller fins in your whitewater board, be ready to re-learn your stroke timing!
The Radito comes with a 9” surf-style fin, though a 9” touring-shape and 4.5” short fin are available from Hala. The biggest drawback with this system is that these are proprietary fins. You can only replace them with compatible fins from Hala. The good news is, the flexible construction means they are incredibly hard to break.
Overall, the Radito is a bit of a control freak on the river. It’s easy to lock into course upstream and down, but will still spin on a dime when you need it to.
Save $50 with code “INFLATABLEBOARD”Hala Radito Whitewater iSUP Review – Waves, Drops, and Surfability
The Hala Radito is built for running whitewater and playing in the river, and it shows!
The Radito’s pointed nose helps drive through wave trains.
The Radito is a whitewater SUP first, but it’s designed to let you have fun on those rougher waters while still being able to outfit for a fast-and-light overnight trip and make the flat sections between rapids melt away.
There is some tradeoff here in how big the Radito is designed to go. It’s only a few inches longer than the Atcha 96, but the bigger change is in the rocker profile. There’s still a good amount of nose rocker, but not as much, and the tail is almost flattened out. Realistically, the Radito is not going to handle the extra large waves and holes of a Class IV river, or even a Class III river, as cleanly or confidently as the more aggressively-shaped Atcha 96.
But it’s still a whitewater board. Paddling through a Class II+ wave train the Radito barely paused. I did notice the nose pearl as I came down the wave face, but the sharper nose punched through with only the slightest bit of resistance. The wider shoulders of the board then helped pop back up and over the wave by the time I reached it with my feet. Staggering back and putting more pressure on the tail gives the nose a bit of extra lift over these smaller features, and helps drive through higher on larger waves.
The Radito is more limited in its surfability because of its flatter overall shape. Small green waves with a long tongue will hold the Radito well, but steeper waves will cause it to pearl and flush rather quickly unless you are standing very far back on the tail.
While the Atcha 96 is the hardest-charging whitewater SUP in Hala’s lineup, the Radito definitely gives it a run for its money up until the larger Class III features.
Save $50 with code “INFLATABLEBOARD”Hala Radito 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 Radito Whitewater iSUP Review – Final Thoughts
The Hala Radito is a whitewater board at heart, tuned for longer days and overnight trips.
Part of me is really struggling to wrap up this review of the Hala Radito. It’s sized as a playful whitewater board, but rockered to handle better on flats versus bigger features. But it still handles those well. I’m not sure if I’d call it a quiver-killer for river runners, but it’s close. It’s not large enough for longer expedition trips (like the Rado), and it’s not as aggressive as the Atcha for really big whitewater.
Before I began using the Hala Radito, I couldn’t figure out when I’d want to use the Radito over the Atcha, but after using it for a few weeks, I’ve figured it out.
It’s a full-weekend-warrior, and I do mean that in the best way possible. It’s great for those higher-mileage day trips and 1-2 night trips on class II-III whitewater rivers where you don’t need to bring the kitchen sink, but you won’t need the most aggressive board in your garage. It’s also a great choice for paddlers just getting into whitewater and learning the ropes on Class II rivers where you need to focus on learning good board control, river reading, and other whitewater SUP specific skills.
Save $50 with code “INFLATABLEBOARD”
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