2 
The iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 offers maximum stability in a minute package.
iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 iSUP Review – Overview
iRocker has revamped the compact – but full size – Cruiser Ultra with new construction and new features this year.
In addition to adding an inch of width to the board to make it even more stable, the new Cruiser Ultra 3.0 features new magnetic accessory mounting points, removable center handle, and heat-welded rails. But that’s not all – a new electric pump, new 5-piece paddle, and new 6” fins help make the Cruiser Ultra 3.0 more versatile than ever
—iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 iSUP Review – Ratings and Summary —
iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0
-
Construction & Durability
-
Features and Versatility
-
Stability
-
Speed
-
Maneuverability
-
Tracking
Overall Score
The New Cruiser Ultra 3.0 is a great option for beginner paddlers looking for a super stable compact board.
Pros
- Folding design packs into a bag roughly half the height of a normal iSUP bag
- Woven drop stitching and fusion PVC
- Welded seams
- Super stable shape
- Highly maneuverable
- Lots of mounting and cargo options including new magnetic mounts
- Removable cargo bungees
- Two sets of passenger handles
- Battery Electric pump included
- 3-year warranty
Cons
- Shorter deck pad doesn’t extend to the tail
- Flip lock fin boxes are easy to use, but require proprietary fins.
iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 iSUP Review – Construction and Durability
The new Cruiser Ultra 3.0 has heat-welded rails for improved durability and longevity.
The Cruiser Ultra 3.0 starts with a cross-threaded 6” drop stitch core. Two layers of woven fabric material are connected with thousands of yarns stitched through in alternating angles to increase the strength and stiffness of the board with less weight.
The outer shell of the board is a dual-layer fusion PVC material that is laminated directly onto the fabric of the drop stitch core for uniform adhesion with less glue. The rails (sides) of the board are heat-welded to the top and bottom to create the air-tight chamber and then reinforced with additional PVC layers glued on top and bottom. In addition to iRocker’s first use of welded rails, the material itself has been updated with a lightweight, textured PVC than what we’ve seen on previous versions of the Ultra boards.
There is very little noticeable flex when standing and paddling casually.
All together, the new Cruiser Ultra 3.0 weighs in at just under 20 pounds for the board only. That’s quite light for a 34” wide iSUP!
We inflated the Cruiser Ultra to its maximum recommended 16 PSI and put it through our standardized bend test. With 170 pounds of weight, the board bent 2.05”. That is more bend than what we saw in the previous version of the Cruiser Ultra (1.38”) and more bend than our total running average of all boards tested (1.6”). Our bend test is designed to give us direct comparison of construction, but it doesn’t always tell us how a board feels on the water.
There is moderately high flex when bouncing on the board and during hard paddling.
While standing and paddling normally I could feel a little bit of flex in the board when I was looking for it. Walking on the Cruiser Ultra did create some vibration, and there was some medium to high amount of flex when bouncing and paddling very hard.
While it’s not as rigid as the previous version, I was actually impressed at how it felt on the water. It felt far more rigid than what we typically see from boards that bend 2” in our bend test. And I felt it was completely adequate for casual cruising (what the Cruiser is named for!).
Overall I think iRocker has done a good job of evolving their construction with the new Cruiser Ultra 3.0, and I’m glad to see them embracing welded seams.
iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 iSUP – Specifications
Specifications
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 10’6” |
| Width | 34“ |
| Thickness | 4“ |
| Weight | |
| Max Capacity | 300 pounds |
| Board Weight | 19.8 pounds |
| Kit Weight (SUP & accessories) | 32 pounds |
| Buying Info | |
| List Price | $949.00 |
| Warranty | 2 years |
| Returns period | 90 days |
iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 iSUP Review – Features, Accessories and Versatility
The iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 is 10’ 6” long, 34.25” wide, and 6” thick. It weighs 19.8 pounds, has a maximum recommended capacity of 300 pounds, and inflates to a maximum of 16 PSI.
The nose has a very broad shape that comes to a slight point in the front. This helps maximize stability and capacity.
There are three padded carry handles on the Cruiser Ultra 3.0 – nose, center and tail.
The front cargo area is quite spacious and uses removable bungee cords.
There are also two sets of removable passenger handles between the D-rings of the front and rear cargo areas.
New for this year are the iRocker Magtite magnetic accessory mounting points. There is one in front of the deck pad and behind it on the right side of the board. The Magtite mount is compatible with iRocker’s new line of magnetic accessories including bags, cups, and more.
There are also two threaded accessory mounts on the Cruiser Ultra 3.0.
Four D-rings around the middle of the board make the Cruiser Ultra 3.0 compatible with iRocker’s kayak seats and shoulder straps.
The padded center handle is removable. This lets you get the off-center handle out of the way when you want to lay down or install a kayak seat.
The deck pad has a logo-embossed texture, grooves, and is split down the middle to allow the board to fold in half before storing. This allows it to fit into a significantly smaller bag than a traditional iSUP.
The rear cargo area also has three removable cargo bungees, passenger handles, and a Magtite mount.
There is one more threaded mount at the tail of the board with a D-ring to attach your leash.
The tail handle sits on the edge of the board rather than the top.
The only features on the bottom of the Cruiser Ultra 3.0 are the twin fliplock fin boxes. These fin boxes are easy to use, but are only compatible with iRocker’s short-base fliplock fins.
The Cruiser Ultra 3.0 comes with a complete accessory kit including a new electric pump.
The iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 is fully decked out to meet your needs. Large, adjustable cargo areas, threaded accessory mounts, and new Magtite magnetic accessory mounts make it easy to bring whatever you need on the water.
The iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 kit comes with:
- iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 iSUP
- Power Pump Max rechargeable electric pump
- Two 5” fliplock “river” fins
- 5-piece carbon fiber hybrid paddle
- Water proof accessory bag
- Repair kit
- Water resistant Ultra backpack
The new cordless / rechargeable battery electric pump is a huge improvement over the previous 12v-only model, completely freeing you from needing a vehicle or separate battery option to take the compact Cruiser Ultra wherever you wish to go.
The new backpack shares much of the same design as the previous version but is rated for water resistance (splash resistance) when fully closed.
There are a ton of features and accessories with the Cruiser Ultra 3.0 that make it as versatile as it is stable!
iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 iSUP Review – Paddle
The Cruiser Ultra 3.0 comes with a new take on iRocker’s class carbon fiber hybrid paddle.
iRocker has updated its five-piece paddle for the 3.0 series Ultra iSUPs. This new paddle uses the same materials for the shaft and blade, and the same shape and size of the blade, as the original paddle, but improves the connections between the sections with a hexagonal insert.
The iRocker paddle blade is pretty different from what many other manufacturers in this space have done. It’s a relatively small surface area blade with a rectangular shape rather than a teardrop. This makes the paddle easier for smaller paddlers to use and also lets you paddle with a faster cadence if you are wanting to do a little fitness paddling.
The five-piece version feels mostly the same in the water as their regular five piece paddle. They’ve done a great job of controlling the additional flex and play that can happen in some five-piece paddles. And they’ve done that by introducing a hexagonal insert between the sections.
The new compact paddle has hexagonal ferrules instead of round ferrules to eliminate play.
Once the carbon fiber paddle shaft is assembled, the handle section locks into place with a pin-and clip adjustment system. The numbered holes in the handle make it easy to remember which setting you prefer, and the whole system can only be set up in one direction which keeps the handle properly aligned with the blade.
iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 iSUP Review – Stability
The iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 has excellent stability for paddlers of any skill level.
At 34” wide, the Cruiser Ultra 3.0 offers great stability in all conditions.
The iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 is, simply put, extremely stable. With a measured width of just over 34” at its wide point, an extra-wide square tail, and a broad nose, this board borders on being “over stable” at times.
While paddling I noticed that the Cruiser Ultra feels a little “light” and potentially overbuoyant, but it didn’t have the twitchy feeling that some narrower lightweight iSUPs can have. I didn’t notice any irregular rocking or rolling, and I didn’t really notice any flex when paddling normally.
Rocking the board side to side was easy and predictable, and I could basically hold it on edge all day thanks to that extra wide shape.
Rocking the board side to side is easy and predictable.
The only caveat I’ve found with the Cruiser Ultra’s stability is in its deck pad. Because the deck pad is quite short overall, it really limits you on where you can comfortably and securely stand or sit. I found it very difficult to get far enough back on the tail of the board to sink it for an effective pivot turn and had to very gingerly walk to that area of the board to avoid slipping. I do wish that iRocker would extend the length of the deck pad since its length doesn’t interfere with how the board folds to fit into the compact backpack.
iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 iSUP Review – Speed
As a cruiser paddle board, the iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 is built for stability and comfort rather than speed on the water.
Cruiser iSUPs are not really known for, nor designed for, speed, but the Cruiser Ultra 3.0 paddles comfortably at typical speeds.
Cruiser boards are designed for comfort and fun on the water, not fitness paddling and high speed or long-distance trips. And that is totally OK!
The Cruiser Ultra 3.0 did about how well I expected it to do in our speed testing. In our sprint speed test, the Cruiser Ultra averaged 4.7 MPH at 75 strokes per minute and topped out at 5.1 MPH. That’s typical for a board of this size.
In our cruising test, the Cruise Ultra averaged 3.6 MPH at 25 strokes per minute and could glide about 19 feet / 1.8 board lengths before noticeably slowing down. Again, this is pretty much on par for a cruiser-style paddle board.
While the iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 isn’t what I’d consider a fast paddle board by any means, I do believe it has reasonable speed performance for its category.
iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 iSUP Review – Maneuverability and Tracking
With newly-designed fins, the Cruiser Ultra 3.0 now has a great balance of maneuverability and tracking for its class.
Twin 5” fins make it easier to turn the Cruiser Ultra 3.0 compared to its previous iterations.
As a compact iSUP, the Cruiser Ultra 3.0 is designed to fold in half (hot dog style) before being folded to fit into its bag. This cuts the height of the bag nearly in half! The tradeoff is you can’t really have a center fin and easily fold the board in half. So iRocker uses a twin fin system on their Ultra series iSUPs.
The previous versions of the Ultra boards all came with twin 9” fins that, while they improved tracking, made turning the boards quite burdensome. With the 3.0 Ultras, iRocker is now shipping them with twin 5” fins. This has been a fantastic change that really balances the board’s performance.
In our maneuverability stress test we use basic turning strokes (forward sweep strokes) to see how easily the board will turn in a circle from a standstill. The Cruise Ultra 3.0 can whip around in a full circle with an average of just over 4 paddle strokes. That’s a very fast turn. In fact, using a reverse sweep stroke – which is typically much faster than a forward sweep stroke – only reduces that by a half stroke (3.5 strokes to turn a full circle on average).
Typically I’d mention something about how it can be really fast to turn any iSUP with a pivot turn (stepping back on the tail to lift the board) but A) the short deck pad makes it less stable and confident to stand on the tail. And B) the Cruiser Ultra already turns quickly without it!
The twin fin system does a good job of tracking for such a wide board.
Since the maneuverability of the Cruiser Ultra drastically improved, I was a bit worried that the tracking performance was going to drop significantly. However, that was not the case. While we did see a reduction in tracking performance from the previous version, the Cruiser Ultra 3.0 still did quite well for its category.
In our 10-stroke tracking test, the Cruiser Ultra 3.0 deviated an average of just 16° from its original course after 10 strokes on a single side. That’s very good for a wide cruiser-style iSUP.
The Cruiser Ultra 3.0 comes with two 5” “river” fins.
iRocker describes the two 5” fins as “river” fins. They do have a shallower draft than a typical all-around fin (5” vs 6”) but they also have a swept back “weed fin” shape with a bulbous end to help maximize surface area.
I think iRocker has done a great job with these new fins and really given the Cruiser Ultra a bump up in balancing overall maneuverability and tracking performance.
iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 iSUP Review – Warranty and Customer Support
iRocker warranties the Cruiser Ultra 3.0 for 3 years against seam leaks and 2 years against other manufacturing defects. They also warranty the included accessories for one year. If you have any issues with your Cruiser Ultra 2.0 or included accessories, you can reach out to the iRocker Customer Support team via phone, email, social media, or through their website. If you are experiencing misalignment of your paddle handle, contact iRocker Customer Support for a no-questions-asked replacement. In addition to the excellent three-year warranty, iRocker also has a 45-day no-questions-asked return period. If for any reason you are unhappy with your Cruiser Ultra 3.0 or any other iRocker iSUP, you can return it to iRocker for a full refund.
iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 iSUP Review – Final Thoughts
The Cruiser Ultra 3.0 is a great compact iSUP for paddlers of all sizes and in a variety of conditions.
The iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 is another example of iRocker’s commitment to improvement. The new construction is designed to last longer and be more reliable in hot environments, the new paddle pump and fins offer a great comfort and performance boost, and of course the new color options look fantastic both on and off the water.
If you are looking for a compact iSUP that’s easy to store and transport, but offers a comfortable, full-size cruising experience, the iRocker Cruiser Ultra 3.0 is the right choice for you.
Patsy Valdivia says
Hello, have you been able to compare iRocker’s XL Ultra 3.0 with iRocker’s CX Ultra 3.0?
Mike Carney says
I have not yet, we are still awaiting the new XL Ultra 3.0 board from iRocker.