Honu Sorrento 12’6 Touring iSUP Review | 2025

Honu Sorrento 12’6 iSUP Review – Overview

Honu is all about paddling performance, and the Sorrento is the pinnacle of their lineup. By using advanced materials, construction techniques, and performance shaping, the Sorrento effortlessly carves across the water with speed and efficiency. Whether you are looking for an overnight touring paddle board, an easy-to-transport fitness SUP, or even an inflatable for entry-level racing, the Sorrento can handle it all with ease.

— Honu Sorrento 12’6 iSUP Review – Ratings and Summary —

Honu Sorrento 12’6 iSUP Review – Construction and Durability

Honu’s newest generation of inflatable SUP materials and construction offer top-tier builds and performance.

Inside the Sorrento we still have the lightweight, yet rigid, system of a woven fabric base layer for the deck and hull connected with crossed drop stitch yarns that make an “X” pattern inside the board. These two together both reduce weight and increase rigidity when compared to more standard construction methods.

The Sorrento’s shell is made of a reinforced PVC shell layer that is heat-fused to the woven fabric base layers. This eliminates the need for, and weight of, adhesives between the layers while still maintaining excellent durability and rigidity. Running along the midline of the Sorrento’s deck and hull is a 50mm wide carbon fiber fabric stringer held in place by a 150mm wide layer of PVC that wraps all the way around the board’s tail and nose. Carbon fiber fabric stringers have – for the purposes of inflatable SUPs – zero elongation and helps the board resist bending.

Honu didn’t stop there when building the Sorrento. Instead of using the triple-bonded PVC rail construction used in their other iSUPs, the Sorrento gets a heat-welded sandwich of PVC with a 50mm carbon fiber fabric filling. That carbon fiber fabric is now also welded in place rather than glued. This provides a ton of abrasion and puncture resistance along the rails, but also (and you’ve probably guessed it already) increases the Sorrento’s rigidity overall.

You’re probably tired of hearing about rigidity by now (unfortunately, we’re not done with it yet), but how stiff an iSUP is on the water makes a big difference in its performance. With all of these awesome construction details, it was no surprise that the Sorrento did incredibly well in our 170 lbs bend test. With a total deflection of just over 1.3 inches.

The Sorrento 12’6 takes a departure from Honu’s other iSUPs in lots of ways, but one of the biggest differences is its thickness. As iSUPs get longer they can become more flexible. Thinner boards (like the 4.7” thick Byron 10’6) are more susceptible to flex than thicker boards. So it makes sense that Honu would build the Sorrento 12’6 with a 5.5” thick core to help improve its rigidity. Now, folks who’ve read a few reviews may notice that this is still different than the more common 6” thickness. Honu wanted to keep the Sorrento 12’6 as thin as possible while still maintaining great rigidity. That half-inch in height difference may not seem like a big deal, but I do believe that I noticed it on the water.

At 20 PSI I had to jump up and down on the Sorrento to notice any real flex in the board – and even then it was minimal. At 230 lbs I’m not a small person, and I couldn’t feel any flex while cruising or sprinting on the Sorrento.

Specifications

Features, Accessories and Versatility

Keeping in line with Honu’s design principles, the Sorrento focuses on maximizing paddling performance with a minimalist, but effective, on-board feature set for a variety of uses.

The Sorrento comes with a basic accessory kit including a 9.4” touring fin, coiled leash and repair kit with patches and a valve wrench. You also get a high-quality wheeled carrying bag. All of this is packaged in recyclable/biodegradable packing materials during shipping.

The Sorrento does not automatically include a pump or paddle in its base kit. However you can bundle a hand or electric pump and/or a paddle with the Sorrento and save 15% on those accessories. Honu made the choice to keep these items separate for a few simple reasons. First, this lets you choose the exact kit that you want. I’m a big fan of electric pumps. While they may be slower than someone cranking away on a hand pump at full speed, they are much easier to use and allow you to get everything else ready for your day on the water. The new Honu E-Pump is quite fast and very easy to use, and the Honu hand pump is compact and efficient. The second reason why Honu is opting to separate these accessories from the boards is to help customers save money if they already have pumps and paddles they like. Lastly, by not including these items it reduces plastic waste for those who already have these items or plan on immediately upgrading to a higher-quality paddle or electric pump.

Honu Sorrento 12’6 iSUP Review – Paddle

The Evolution Carbon paddles by Honu are high-performance paddles at an incredibly approachable price point.

The 12K carbon fiber Evolution paddles are lightweight (22-24 oz), and very stiff. Combined with a medium-size paddle blade this allows for a high paddling cadence with lots of power output. In addition to the high quality materials, the Evolution also has a new hexagonal shaft ferrule to connect the blade to the paddle shaft. This new ferrule completely eliminates any chance of twisting or play between the two sections of the paddle. All of this together makes a fantastic pairing with the Sorrento for fast acceleration and high speeds.

The stiff paddles are great for fast paddling, but can be hard on the body for longer distances if you are not used to such a paddle. Honu does also make a “Large” size Evolution Paddle. The larger paddle blade can put down some serious watts for quick acceleration, but I absolutely feel it in my shoulders at the end of the day. I think it’s a great choice for surfing where you need short bursts of high speed, but I prefer the standard size paddles for everything else.

If you want a high quality paddle with more flex, check out the Honu Element paddle.

The Element paddle uses a 3K carbon fiber shaft and handle in conjunction with a fiber-reinforced nylon blade for a softer feel in the water. It’s also available at a lower price point than the Evolution paddle. The Element paddle is great for cruising around in calm waters, but the difference in stiffness also means that it does not transfer as much power in the water as the Evolution and weighs a handful of ounces more (which can really add up over a long day).

Overall, Honu’s paddles are one of my most-recommended options for paddlers looking for a truly great paddle without breaking the bank. And when you purchase the paddle with the Sorrento (or any of Honu’s boards) they are discounted by 15%, making them an even better value.

Honu Sorrento 12’6 iSUP Review – Stability

The Honu Sorrento 12’6 went through a slight re-shaping for 2025, and the outcome has vastly improved its stability.

Honu specifies the Sorrento 12’6 as 30” wide. The previous generation measured closer to 29” for us, however our new 2025 Sorrento 12’6 measured 30.5” at its widest point. Combined with the new 5.5” thick profile and slightly wider tail and nose, the Sorrento 12’6 has really improved its stability.

On the water I really felt the effects of these shape changes. My notes read “surprisingly stable” in several places! I didn’t feel any twitching that can happen with some lightweight iSUPs. Over the years I’ve noticed that there’s a point around 21 pounds where lighter boards begin to feel twitchier on the water (but not always). At just over 23 pounds I think there’s enough mass in the Sorrento 12’6 to help temper any slight changes in weight shifting or from small chop.

In addition to feeling stable while standing and paddling normally, I was also surprised at how easy it was to hold the Sorrento on its rail (secondary stability). I believe the slightly wider tail, nose, and overall width have really helped improve the secondary stability from the previous version. I was equally as impressed with how consistent and stable the Sorrento felt when I was walking on the board and moving to the tail for a quick pivot turn.

Overall I found the Sorrento to have great stability. So why did it get a 4.0 for stability? Our scale and ratings are, with very limited exception, universal across all of the boards we test. If I were to rate it just for touring-style boards, the Sorrento’s stability would be more like a 4.8 out of 5. While it’s not what I consider to be a beginner’s paddle board, if a new paddler knows they want a faster touring SUP for paddling longer distances, then the Sorrento would be a good choice to fill that niche.

Honu Sorrento 12’6 iSUP Review – Speed

In boat design, longer and narrower almost always means faster. The Sorrento 12’6 may have gained ¾” of width this year, but that isn’t holding it back from being fast and efficient.

Our speed testing evaluates sprinting speed, maximum speed, cruising speed, and efficiency. I tested the Sorrento 12’6 with the Honu Evolution Large paddle, and it did fantastic in each category.

In our sprinting test, the Sorrento 12’6 sped along at an average of 5.7 MPH at 75 strokes per minute. That’s a cadence I can sustain for 100-200m at a time, but when going all-out, I was able to hit a peak speed of 6.0 MPH for a few paddle strokes.

In addition to board shape and size, paddler technique and paddle shape/size also play a big role in speed. I did find it hard to paddle at an extremely fast cadence (closer to 100 spm) with the Large paddle blade. I do believe I could potentially add another 0.1 or 0.2 MPH to the top speed with my Quick Blade racing paddle (easier to hit a high cadence), but that’s a whole different review!

At a more reasonable paddling cadence, the Sorrento 12’6 hits an average cruising speed of 4.1 MPH at 25 strokes per minute. That’s a fairly relaxed pace that you can easily maintain all day with a slight pause between each paddle stroke. At that cruising pace I also found that the Sorrento 12’6 could travel about 25 feet on a single stroke before I felt it slowing down. That gliding ratio of 2.0 board lengths is among our top-performing boards.

Honu Sorrento 12’6 iSUP Review – Maneuverability and Tracking

As a touring paddle board, the Sorrento 12’6 is designed for efficiently paddling long distances. That means it’s easy to keep moving straight, but can be hard to turn quickly.

Our maneuverability test focuses on using basic turning strokes that paddlers of all skill levels can use. Intermediate and advanced paddlers have more techniques that can turn any paddle board quickly by changing the board’s effective length in the water. So we like to know how the board works for everyone, not just advanced paddlers.

From a standstill, the Sorrento 12’6 needs an average of 9 forward sweep paddle strokes (paddling in an arc from nose to tail) to turn the board in a complete circle. That is pretty typical for SUPs this size, but harder to turn than your standard all-around paddle board. Doing the same test with reverse sweep strokes (tail to nose) will spin the Sorrento around in half the number of paddle strokes. The downside with these reverse strokes is if you decide to use them while moving forward, you’ll completely stop the board (and may end up going for a swim as you hit the brakes).

The new shape and size do make the Sorrento 12’6 more stable on the water, and that includes when standing on the tail for a pivot turn. I was really impressed with how consistent and stable the Sorrento felt with the nose lifted out of the water, and how smooth it was to spin around.

While out paddling, I was able to guide the Sorrento where I wanted to go without much fuss using sweeps and bow-draw strokes.

Paddling long distances can be extremely fun, but can also become quite frustrating if your board doesn’t like to keep to a straight course. The Sorrento does an excellent job of tracking in a straight line over longer distances.

In our tracking test the Sorrento veered an extremely small 5° off course after 10 forward strokes on a single side. This is excellent news for those who like to paddle far and fast as more energy can be spent on forward movement rather than course correction.

While out for a fitness session I had no problems keeping the Sorrento on track, and my GPS log shows very little deviation while paddling on one side. In those type of paddling sessions I usually spend 15-20 strokes on a single side and cant the paddle to help keep me on course, but I can definitely feel when a board likes to wander around – and the Sorrento does not!

The Sorrento comes with a 9.4” touring-style fin with a little bit of extra rake and surface area at the tip of the fin. I found it to be a great fin for fitness and touring paddling (what the Sorrento is built for). The fin box on the Sorrento also moved back toward the tail by about 6” this year. Moving the fin further to the tail will improve your tracking performance as well (while decreasing maneuverability). That does track with the measured performance difference between the current and former Sorrento models.

Honu Sorrento 12’6 iSUP Review – Warranty and Customer Support

Honu includes a 2+2, 4 year warranty to repair or replace your board for any manufacturing defects. For the first two years, Honu will offer full warranty service for any issues with theo board. For the second two years, Honu will offer free repair service for any issues. If you decide that the Sorrento doesn’t suit your paddling style, Honu does have a 30-day return period for unused or like-new condition equipment. If you have questions about your Honu board, paddle, accessory, or need to file a warranty claim, you can reach Honu directly via phone, email, web form, or social media.

Honu Sorrento 12’6 iSUP Review – Final Thoughts

The Honu Sorrento is an incredibly well-built touring and fitness iSUP that is just a ton of fun to paddle. It’s lightweight, but extremely stiff. I think the changes made for this year’s Sorrento have all been positive. The expanded width and lower deck height make it very stable without reducing its speed or efficiency. I like the new deck rigging options for improved cargo storage and accessory mounting. As always, Honu’s construction is top-notch in their boards, but also their accessories. If you’re looking for a fantastic touring or fitness SUP, I don’t hesitate at all to recommend the Honu Sorrento 12’6.

Honu Sorrento 12’6 iSUP Review – FAQ