Retrospec June Fishing iSUP / Kayak Review – The Best Value in SUP Fishing? | 2025

Retrospec June Fishing iSUP Review: Overview

The Retrospec June is a new hybrid inflatable stand up paddle board and kayak designed specifically for anglers. It’s the widest iSUP in Retrospec’s lineup and is chock-full of on-board features and included accessories to make your SUP angling easier. Keeping with Retrospec’s mission to get more people outdoors, the June is sold at a very approachable price point. You won’t find a more fully-featured and kitted SUP fishing system for this price point (or most price levels, really) than the Retrospec June Fishing iSUP.

— Retrospec June Fishing iSUP Review Ratings and Summary —

Retrospec June Fishing iSUP Review – Construction and Durability

The June Fishing SUP uses Retrospec’s AerGlide-Fusion, dual-layer construction for a durable build with time-tested materials.

If you were to cut into the June Fishing SUP and look at the cross-section, you’ll find that it is made of three layers on the top and bottom. The inner layers of each side is a knitted fabric layer that are connected to each other with thousands of “drop stitched” yarns to set the board’s thickness and keep it flat when inflated.

That fabric layers are coated in a PVC material to make the material airtight, and then a second layer of reinforced PVC material is fusion-laminated to the first using heat and pressure. Fusion constructions reduce the amount of glue used in the board construction which reduces weight, reduces the possibility for bonding issues, and creates essentially a single layer of material.

The edges of the board are joined by an internal rail layer that is glued to the deck and hull. That inner layer is covered with an outer layer of PVC to protect it and provide additional rigidity. This type of dual-layer construction has been in use by the SUP industry for many years and has proven itself to be effective and durable. With proper care, dual-layer boards like the June will have a long life span of many years.

With the deck pad and all of the on-board features installed, the June Fishing SUP has a board weight of 27.2 pounds and a maximum recommended inflation pressure of 15 PSI.

The June Fishing SUP shares the same construction as the Weekender Plus and Tour models from Retrospec. Typically wider boards will be stiffer in our bend test, but the June stayed in line with these narrower SUPs with a result of 1.9” of bend with 170 pounds of weight. That is a bit more bend than our running average of 1.6” and is significantly more bend than most 35-36” wide iSUPs we’ve tested. However, our bend test is designed to compare constructions, but it doesn’t tell us anything about how a board feels on the water.

While paddling the June normally, standing on the board, and even moving around on the board I didn’t really notice much flex unless I was specifically looking for it.

Bouncing on the board did produce a moderately high amount of flex, and it did have a springy-feeling rebound when I stopped bouncing. I could feel the board flex during faster/harder paddling, but that wasn’t the largest issue with paddling quickly with the June (more about that in the Paddle section below).

Overall, the June Fishing SUP is built well – especially considering its price point. It’s not the most rigid fishing SUP, but it is adequate, even for a larger paddler like myself.

Specifications

Retrospec June Fishing iSUP Review – Features, Accessories and Versatility

Retrospec has outdone themselves with the features and accessories included with the June Fishing SUP.

Retrospec has packed in quite a remarkable set of features and accessories with the June Fishing SUP. In addition to the built-in cargo and accessory management features on the board you also get:

• Custom-fit SUP backpack
• Inflatable kayak seat
• 3-piece paddle with additional paddle blade
• Padded shoulder strap
• Waterproof phone bag
• Two adjustable fishing rod holders
• Color-matched coiled ankle leash
• Three fins
• Single-chamber hand pump
• Repair and maintenance kit

Retrospec June Fishing iSUP Review – Paddle

The Weekender Plus comes with a 3-piece aluminum and ABS plastic paddle as well as an additional paddle blade to convert to a kayak paddle.

The Retrospec three-piece paddle has its pluses and minuses. In order to keep the June Fishing SUP (and all of their iSUPs) at these very approachable price levels, there does have to be some amount of tradeoffs. One of those tradeoffs is the aluminum construction of the paddle.

Retrospec has done a great job of making their paddle very user friendly. It’s well-balanced in the hand (something that aluminum paddles frequently struggle with), has indicators on the blade for the front and back sides, an indexing groove to align the paddle handle, and a length scale.

The blade has a medium-size teardrop blade that is clearly marked “front” and “back” so you know which side to use. There is a slight scoop in the blade, though no real rake angle, so it’s best used for short, light paddle strokes. I did find that it can “flutter” pretty significantly when using the back of the blade for reverse strokes, but forward strokes felt solid and controlled.

They’ve even made the paddle pretty light for an aluminum build. However, that light weight can pose a problem.

Aluminum paddles can be very stiff and durable depending on how they are built. The exact alloy of aluminum, the thickness of the metal, and the diameter of the paddle shaft all play into stiffness and durability. I think the Retrospec paddle has been built with either aluminum that is too thin, too soft, or potentially both.

After paddling the June Fishing SUP for about 20 minutes I noticed that the paddle had a slight bend in the shaft. After my first speed test run, the paddle had bent so much that it became unusable. Now, I’ve used Retrospec’s paddles before and have not had this issue. It could have been a “bad” paddle, but I think a big part of the issue is needing to put more energy into the paddle to move a 36” wide board through the water. Once an aluminum paddle bends, it stays bent. It doesn’t flex back like a fiberglass or carbon fiber paddle. It can be basically impossible to bend back into shape accurately, and even then each time it bends the metal becomes weaker and more likely to bend again (or break). I spent some time trying to slowly bend the paddle back into shape, but was not able to fully remove the bend.

I talked to Retrospec about this issue directly over a Zoom call with their product and marketing managers. They have only ever received one customer complaint about the same issue (bending while paddling). However they did tell me they were already exploring potentially changing the paddle to a composite shaft in the future. That probably won’t be for a while, though. So chances are good that unless you are trying to sprint hard on the June, you won’t bend your paddle. But if you do, contact Retrospec’s customer service and they’ll make it right for you.

Retrospec June Fishing iSUP Review – Stability

At 11’6” x 34” the June is the largest single-person iSUP Retrospec makes, and it is very stable.

Standing on the board for the first time I felt that it was pleasantly stable right away, even in the slightly choppy conditions I was paddling in at the time. It didn’t feel twitchy or rolly. However, it didn’t feel like it was 36” wide, either. It felt a little more like a 34” wide board. This is the blessing and the curse of paddling so many SUPs! Side-by-side with another 36” and 34” board, I could feel the difference. But if it were just me and the June on the water that day, I don’t think I would be writing these last few sentences; I believe that the difference I was feeling was mostly in the rigidity (the other two boards were both more rigid than the June). But don’t get me wrong, It is still a very stable board.

Rocking the board side to side felt stable and secure. I did feel like the rails tended to “stick” in the water a bit more while I was testing the board – likely because of the boxy mid-section shape – but while paddling normally in light chop I didn’t notice it. Tilting the board and holding it on its edge was actually a little hard to do – it really required some effort!

I could easily walk to the tail of the board and felt the same level of stability all the way until I was lifting the nose significantly out of the water – which was actually quite hard to do because of the high-volume tail shape. At that point there is less board in the water to support you, but it still gives a very easy and smooth feeling while spinning the board around with a pivot turn.

Overall, I think the June Fishing SUP offers great stability for newer paddlers, larger paddlers, and all the motions and movements that go along with SUP fishing.

Retrospec June Fishing iSUP Review – Speed

The Retrospec June is a wide board designed for stability while fishing, not speed. But it does have a reasonable cruising speed for getting to your favorite fishing hole.

Paddling the Retrospec June at a casual cruising pace was smooth and simple. At 25 strokes per minute – an easy pace with a slight pause between each stroke – the June moved along at a pleasant 3.5 MPH on average. That is right around what we expect from a 11’6 x 36” iSUP. At this speed a single paddle stroke can send the June just over 18 feet across the water before noticeably slowing down. That gives it a gliding ratio of 1.6 board lengths. That’s a touch under our running average, but again, considering the June’s width and rigidity, it is right where we expect it to be.

Normally I begin the speed section with results from our sprinting speed test. However, as I detailed in the Paddle section above, I ran into a bit of an issue with the paddle bending out of shape during my first speed test and was not able to continue testing its sprinting speed. I’ve never been more glad of this being the last item on my testing checklist! That does mean, unfortunately, that I do not have specific sprinting speed test results to share with you. As a large-size fishing SUP though, I don’t think this is really a huge issue! If you are looking for more speed on a budget, I’d recommend looking at the Retrospec Weekender Tour 11’6.

Retrospec June Fishing iSUP Review – Maneuverability and Tracking

The June Fishing SUP is a relatively highly maneuverable Fishing iSUP with typical tracking performance for its size.

The Retrospec June Fishing SUP passed our maneuverability testing with flying colors. Typically longer boards with more fins will struggle a bit, but not the June.

From a standstill it took an average of just 5.75 forward sweep strokes (a basic turning stroke moving in an arc from the nose to the tail of your board) to turn the June in a full circle from a standstill. That’s much faster than our average result in this test, and notably quicker than many other 11’6 x 34+ boards we’ve tested.

Using a reverse sweep stroke turns the June even faster with just 4 paddle strokes on average. The extra stability from the June’s size and shape also makes it very easy to walk to the tail for a pivot turn and spin the board around in just under 2 strokes.

While paddling, I found it easy to turn the June up to about 45 degrees without much issue, and it responded easily to steering input at both the nose and the tail of the board.

With such a fast result in our maneuverability test, I kind of held my breath in the tracking test. It’s often the case that when maneuverability is high, tracking is low. But the June also did relatively well in our tracking test.

After 10 paddle strokes on a single side, the June would only wander off course by an average of around 18 degrees. That’s just a little off from the average of our test range, but at 36” wide, it’s always going to be tough to paddle in a straight line. That’s also the result after 10 paddle strokes on one side – more than what most paddlers will do before switching sides.

Just like it was easy to change the course I was paddling when I wanted to, it was just as easy to keep the June moving in the direction I pointed it with minimal corrections.

The June’s tracking and maneuverability are optimized with the 2+1 fin setup under the tail of the board. There are two smaller 4.5” fins on the sides, and a larger 9” fin in the center. The larger center fin does most of the heavy lifting, but the side fins give it that extra little bit of directional stability when using them all together.

You can also remove the two side fins if you want a little more maneuverability with a small change in tracking, or you can use the side fins without the center fin if you want a really agile board or if you are paddling in shallow water.

Retrospec does a great job with the slide-in fin boxes. I’ve not had any issues with the fins being difficult to insert, lock, unlock or remove. One concern I always have with slide-in fin boxes is accidentally bending them while rolling, folding, and transporting the board in the bag. Retrospec has included a hard plastic insert for the larger center fin box to help prevent this from happening.

These fin boxes and the new insert are great examples of one of my favorite things about Retrospec – they really take care to consider every aspect of the board and all of the user touch points to make SUP as easy and beginner-friendly as possible.

Retrospec June Fishing iSUP Review – Kayak Mode

As if all of the built-in features and fishing accessories wasn’t enough, Retrospec also includes a full kayak conversion kit with the June fishing SUP.

The inflatable kayak seat is made with the same material as the board itself and elevates you into a more comfortable position than flat-foam seats. The EasyLink system connects and adjusts the seat position in seconds, and the paddle handle can swap for the second paddle blade just as fast. I did have to adjust the tension on the clamp for the paddle blade, but this is easy to do with the tool-less adjustment bolt.

On the water, the kayak conversion system feels solidly connected to the board. While there isn’t a foot brace, I was able to comfortably press my heels into the front deck pad section. The kayak paddle is not adjustable in length or feather angle, but works well enough for casual use. I did find that my hands fall directly onto both attachment points during use. If you do plan to use the kayak mode frequently, I would recommend upgrading to a dedicated paddle.

The June continued to perform well as a kayak. It was extremely stable and paddled efficiently, even in windy and choppy conditions.

Retrospec June Fishing iSUP Review – Warranty and Customer Support

Retrospec warranties all of their inflatable SUPs for 2 years from the date of purchase. This is a fairly typical warranty length and is actually more than most iSUPs in this price range. Additionally, they offer a 50-day return period, however, all returns are subject to shipping fees. There is no explicit warranty period for the included accessories. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the Retrospec customer service team via telephone, website form, website chat, and social media.

Retrospec June Fishing iSUP Review – Final Thoughts

Retrospec’s mission of “making nature second nature for everyone” is not just an ideal for the company, but they really are delivering. The June Fishing SUP is an impressive kit and board for anyone looking for a fishing paddle board. It’s stable enough for paddlers of all sizes and skill levels, it has a full set of features and mounting points for SUP fishing, comes with a huge set of accessories – including a full kayak conversion kit – and does it all at an incredibly reasonable price.

Retrospec June Fishing iSUP Review – FAQ