Starboard Generation Inflatable SUP Review – A Different Kind of Hybrid Paddle Board | 2024

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Starboard Generation Inflatable SUP Review – Overview

Watermen and women know that SUP is a quiver sport. First, you get a paddle board for cruising, then one for touring, another for surfing, a different board for racing, and on and on.

But what if you could get all of that in a single board? What if that board were also inflatable?

That’s what the Starboard Generation Inflatable is meant to be – a Hybrid iSUP to Kill the Quiver. But can it hold up to its promise?

This isn’t a 12-part Tik-Tok, so I’ll go ahead and let you know now. The Starboard Generation Inflatable can be a quiver-killing iSUP for coastal paddlers. While many brands are making Hybrid iSUPs that focus on converting into kayaks, Starboard’s Generation is a true hybrid SUP and can take on the role of an all-around, touring, surfing longboard, and even a light racer… with a few caveats.

— Starboard Generation Inflatable SUP Review Summary and Ratings —

Starboard Generation Inflatable SUP Review – Construction and Durability

Starboard’s Deluxe Single Chamber construction is my favorite offering from the brand. There’s no question about the Generation’s rigidity and durability.

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The Deluxe Single Chamber (DSC) construction of the Generation Inflatable is, simply put, wonderful. It uses top-of-the-line materials and techniques and adds in a few extra elements not seen on many other iSUPs all while keeping the cost very reasonable for the level of technology involved.

Let’s start off with a detailed rundown. The Generation has a woven drop-stitch core. This type of core uses less material (reducing weight) but is also more rigid compared to a traditional knitted core. These terms can get a bit confusing as they normally just refer to the fabric base layer that makes up the top and bottom of the board, but they can also refer to the actual drop-stitched threads that connect the two layers. In the case of Starboard’s construction, it is both a woven fabric and a crossed stitching pattern.

While it seems like these are all positives for iSUP construction (and generally they are), it requires more expensive materials and more technical detail in the construction to realize these gains without running into other problems like twisting. Starboard has all of this under control, but it does drive the cost of this construction higher than what is seen in many other brands.

The outer shell of the board is a dual-layer fusion construction. The fabric core is coated in a layer of PVC and then a second layer of reinforced PVC is machine-laminated with heat and pressure to the first. This eliminates the need for glue and mechanically fuses the two layers together making them lighter, stronger, and stiffer.

Once these raw materials are cut to shape, Starboard uses a heat welding technique to, once again, mechanically bond the top and bottom layers of the board together at the rail. This further reduces the use of glue, reduces weight, and creates an incredibly strong and durable air-tight seal for the board.

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At its basic level of construction, the rail is then wrapped with another layer of reinforced PVC and then a final reinforcement strip of PVC around the top edge of the outer rail layer. However, if you look closer, you can see that Starboard has snuck in two more important bits before these outermost steps.

On the top and bottom of the rail, Starboard has added another layer of PVC material (seen in light blue above) through the middle of the board. These extra bits are what Starboard calls its Parabolic Rail Reinforcement. These additional stringers are added for extra rigidity, and the shape of the stringers aligns with both the tapering of the nose and tail and the rocker profiles at each end. This essentially stiffens the standing area of the board but allows the board to be shaped into the curved profile needed for its intended use on technical terrain.

Altogether, the Generation Inflatable is built incredibly well, has a maximum recommended inflation pressure of 18 PSI, and weighs just just 24 pounds.

One of the biggest complaints about inflatable SUPs – though primarily a thing of the past for high-quality boards – is their rigidity and “floppiness” in rougher conditions. For a paddle board that is designed for surf zones and rough water paddling, the Generation Inflatable’s rigidity is going to be absolutely critical.

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Typically, the longer an iSUP is and the narrower it is, the more flex it is likely to have. The Generation is a longer, narrower iSUP, but Starboard’s Deluxe Construction has done well in previous bend tests.

With 170 pounds of weight in the standing area, the Staboard Generation Inflatable performed extremely well. I measured only 0.98” of bend (2.5cm) of bend in the middle of the board. That’s a quarter-inch better than the 10’8” x 33” iGO Deluxe. Same construction, longer and narrower shape, but a better test result? What gives?

There are two answers here. The first is the Parabolic Rail reinforcement. This additional layer of PVC around the rails helps stiffen the midsection of the board. I believe the rocker profile is also making a difference. Because the bottom layer of the board is essentially pre-stretched by the extreme rocker, it can’t really continue to stretch once you start adding weight. I can’t truly say with 100% certainty this is the reason (I would need Starboard to send me a Generation without any rocker profile to compare it!), but it does make logical sense when examining how inflatable SUPs are built and the material sources of flex.

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On the water is where rigidity really matters, though. While standing and paddling on the Generation I couldn’t feel any bounce or flex. Even when walking on the board I didn’t notice any weird vibrations or flexing.

I could create a low-to-moderate amount of flex when bouncing on the board, but as soon as I stopped jumping the Generation settled down with a comfortable and smooth feeling rebound. So even when the Generation does flex on the water it doesn’t feel like the board is trying to throw you off.

With top-notch construction and a very rigid feel on the water, the Starboard Generation Inflatable is off to a great start in our review.

Specifications

Starboard Generation Inflatable SUP Review – Features, Accessories and Versatility

Starboard is known for paddling performance. They design boards like the Generation Inflatable to be excellent performers as their key feature. To that, they also don’t tend to include many other built-in features on their boards outside of what a paddler would find to be totally necessary.

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Starboard doesn’t use the marketing ploy of over-inflating board weight capacities just to see a bigger number. Instead, they consider the typical use of their boards and provide a recommended maximum rider weight. So while the Generation Inflatable has a recommended rider weight capacity of 210 pounds, that is for an average or beginner paddler using the board in its intended environment and takes into account the typical cargo load for light touring as well. At 220 pounds I had zero issues paddling the Generation and found it to perform very well.

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The Generation Inflatable is relatively feature-light compared with many other touring or all-around paddle boards. Its small cargo area is limiting without adding your own D-rings, and there are no built-in accessory mounts for action cameras, GPS, or other devices.

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The Starboard Generation Inflatable comes with a great kit of accessories, though it does not include a paddle. Rather than force a single paddle choice onto users, Starboard has a large variety of paddle shapes, sizes, and constructions to choose from to suit your specific needs.

Along with the Generation iSUP, you also get:

• Starboard Re-Cover roller backpack made with recycled plastic bottles
• Single-chamber hand pump
• Stretchable flat leash
• 8” Net-Positive surf/all-around style fin made from recycled fishing nets
• 2 x 4.5” Armacore Asymmetric side fins made with recycled plastic bottles
• Padded shoulder strap
• Basic repair kit + fin key

Starboard Generation Inflatable SUP Review – Paddle

Starboard’s focus on performance doesn’t stop with their boards. Rather than saddling customers with a generic kit paddle, Starboard chooses to not include a paddle with most of their iSUPs. This allows you to choose one of their many different spec paddles to suit your size and needs exactly.

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Choosing the right paddle to go with a performance paddle board like the Generation can be daunting. There’s blade size, shape, material, adjustability, grip, flex, and more to consider what is best for you.

The 3-piece adjustable Starboard Enduro Carbon S35 is about as “all-around” as you can get with a performance SUP paddle.

The blade and shaft are made with a mi-weight and mid-flex carbon fiber. This keeps it at a svelt 22 ounces with a slightly stiffer than average flex profile. It also helps keep the cost at a very reasonable level. Upgrading to the Enduro Prepreg Carbon paddle to save 2.5 ounces in weight will cost you over twice as much!

On the water the hybrid teardrop blade has a massive catch at the front of the stroke thanks to its shape, 12° rake angle, and the large pocket formed by the double-dihedral shape on the powerface. You can put a serious amount of wattage into the Enduro Carbon for some explosive power. But at the same time you can also paddle just as easily with a more casual cadence and take advantage of the blade shaping to propel you quickly with fewer strokes.

The handle clamp mechanism is easy to use and the handle has 24” of adjustment (fitting paddlers 4’2” to 6’ 2”) with length markings and an indexing groove to keep the handle aligned with the blade.

The palm grip is about the only thing I’m not wild about on the Enduro paddle. It is a molded plastic material, which is a lower quality overall and has a lower quality feel than a molded carbon fiber grip that we see with many paddles in this price range. It also has a slight “U” shape on the top of the grip, and I do feel that pressing unevenly into my palm with more pressure on the outside edges of my hand. I mostly notice it when I pick the paddle up for the first time after not using it for a while, and grow accustom to it fairly quick. But every now and then while paddling I’ll suddenly feel it again for a few strokes.

Even with these nit-picky down sides with the handle, the Starboard Enduro Carbon is a fantastic mid-price paddle that’s great for cruising, touring, surfing, and even racing… kind of like the Starboard Generation Inflatable SUP!

Starboard Generation Inflatable SUP Review – Stability

The Generation Inflatable is designed as a coastal touring SUP with a surfing pedigree. While it is stable for its size, it doesn’t have the beginner-friendly stability of a more traditional all-around paddle board.

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There are many factors that impact a paddle board’s stability. Size is the most obvious, but the shape of the board – both its outline and its profile – are equally as important.

The Generation Inflatable is designed for speed in rough conditions. The board is just shy of 30” wide with a strong curved outline for the rails, and it has an exaggerated rocker profile in both the nose and tail of the board.

This shape reduces the volume of the board in the nose and tail, and it lifts large portions of the board off the water. With less board interacting with the water, there is less board to resist tipping side to side.

On the water this manifested for me as a twitchier ride than a more traditional 12’6 x 30” touring iSUP. It was far easier to tilt the board side to side on purpose or on accident, and the board reacts quickly to changes in weight distribution. Holding the board on its edge is also twitchier than “normal” for a touring iSUP.

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The shape of the board and its rocker profile are designed to aid it in two of its intended purposes – surfing and open ocean paddling. The tapered shape allows the board to pivot faster on the tail and is less buoyant to engage into the wave face rather than float on top of it. The rocker profile helps trim the board and prevents the nose from pearling without requiring you to stand all the way back on the tail.

Lastly, the rocker profile also helps the Generation ride up and over large swell in the ocean rather than blasting through the top of the bumps.

But, all things considered, after about 10 minutes on the water I did become used to how the Generation felt. At the end of the day, this is a performance-oriented paddle board for intermediate and advanced paddlers rather than a beginner-oriented SUP.

Starboard Generation Inflatable SUP Review – Speed

With a narrow, tapered outline and extra length, the Generation Inflatable is meant for efficient and quick paddling in all conditions. While its not as fast as the Starboard All Star Airline, the Generation Inflatable is capable of some light racing, especially in rough conditions.

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Speed Review Text 5.3 5.7 3.9 1.8

One of the key elements in how fast a paddle board can go is its waterline length – not necessarily its length overall. There’s some physics behind it all, but basically, the longer the board (in the water) the faster it can go before it becomes exponentially harder to go faster.

Because the Generation Inflatable has such a high rocker profile it’s actual waterline length is much closer to 10’6” than it is to its 12’6” length overall. I was really curious to know how this was going to impact its result in our speed test.

At a sustained sprinting pace of 75 strokes per minute, the Generation Inflatable ran an average of 5.3 MPH, and in a dead sprint I was able to get up to 5.7 MPH.

Compared with other 12’6” x 30” iSUPs we’ve tested like the Hydrus Paradise and Honu Sorrento, the Generation falls short by 0.3-0.5MPH in each test. But it does outperform most of the 10’6” boards we’ve tested. While it’s not as fast as these flatter touring boards, the increased rocker profile will help the board when competing in a race on rougher terrain. While the other iSUPs will end up crashing through some of the swell, the Generation will ride up and over, and will more easily maintain its trim and control when down-winding.

When we slow down to a cruising pace for a long distance tour, the Generation Inflatable does close the gap a bit more on the touring boards. At 25 strokes per minute, the Generation inflatable cruises at an average speed of 3.9 MPH (compared to 3.7-4.2 MPH for flatter touring iSUPs). It also glides for just over 22 feet with a single stroke at this cruising speed, giving it a gliding ratio of 1.8 board-lengths per stroke. Again not quite as efficient as many other dedicated touring iSUPs, but better than most all-around iSUPs.

Overall the Generation is a fairly quick paddle board. The acceleration is quick and responsive, and the board does glide smoothly. While it’s not my first pick for a racing iSUP, it does perform well given its hybrid design intent.

Starboard Generation Inflatable SUP Review – Maneuverability and Tracking

As with many longer paddle boards, the Generation does favor straight line tracking performance over maneuverability when set up with all of its included fins. However the 2+1 fin setup and US fin box allow you to dial in your preferred performance balance.

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We do all of our maneuverability and tracking stress testing with all of the supplied equipment that comes with a paddle board. For the generation that means using not only the 9” center fin, but also the two 4.5” side fins. These side fins are primarily designed to aid in surf conditions, however in order to keep things equitable we do use them in our testing. With all three fins installed, the Generation – even with its large rocker profile – is a beast to turn quickly. In our maneuverability test it took an average of 13 forward sweep strokes to turn in a full circle. That’s high even for a 12’6” touring board.

Using a reverse sweep stroke and working against the fins, rather than with them, turns the Generation much faster in an average of just over 4 strokes to make a full circle.

Now, I have also been using the generation with just the single 9” center fin and it’s maneuverability performance is much better without sacrificing too much tracking performance. I would highly recommend leaving off the two side fins unless you are playing in the surf zone.

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When you have a board that is either extremely easy or difficult to turn, generally the tracking performance is likewise at an extreme.

With all three fins installed, the Generation Inflatable performed excellently in our tracking stress test. After 10 paddle strokes on a single side, the Generation only deviated off course by an average of about 9°. That’s essentially the maximum deviation we expect to see in dedicated touring boards.

It’s quite easy to keep the Generation pointed toward your destination while paddling, and I found it to respond well to basic steering strokes to keep it on course without much effort.

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The Generation comes with three fin boxes and fins. The main, center fin box has a 9” surf-style fin and uses a US fin box, though it is slightly limited to the length of the fin base/using front-mount fins because of the captive nut inside the fin box. The two side fins are FCS “Two-Tab” style fin boxes that use small grub screws to secure the fins.

You can use all three to maximize tracking, but you’ll have reduced maneuverability and speed, or just the center fin for a better balance between maneuverability and tracking with a bit more speed. You can use just the two side fins if paddling in very shallow water or for maximum maneuverability, but the fins are quite small for such a large board and it will be very difficult to keep moving straight.

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One thing to note with the side fins is that they really are specialized for surfing. Not only are the fin boxes toed-in (pointed toward the middle of the board) but they are also canted (leaning out from base to tip) and they are also foiled with a flat inside face and rounded outside face. This makes them better for actively engaging on a wave face and providing lift at high speeds, but it also means they are far more difficult to replace if lost or damaged.

Starboard Generation Inflatable SUP Review – Warranty and Customer Support

Starboard offers a two-year manufacturer’s warranty on their inflatable SUPs. Because Starboard does not sell directly to the consumer, paddlers must work with retailers (locally or online) to purchase their Starboard products and work with those retailers for warranty issues. Any return policies are at the individual retailer’s discretion (or pertinent regulations for your area). Starboard is available for customer support via email, however most customer support questions should be directed to your chosen retailer.

Starboard Generation Inflatable SUP Review – Overall Impressions/Review Summary

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I’ve said many times that the Isle Explorer Pro 12’ is one of my favorite iSUPs for its versatility and performance. I think the Starboard Generation Inflatable is equally as versatile and performance driven as the Explorer Pro 12’, but built for a different environment. Where the Explorer Pro 12’ is great for flat water, rivers, and light ocean use, the Generation is an ocean specialist. It’s a touring board that can handle serious swell, easily surf or downwind, and is fast enough to be competitive in the 12’6” class for racing – especially in those rougher conditions.

If you are looking for a performance-driven do-it-all paddle board for coastal waters, your search is over. The Starboard Generation Inflatable is a hybrid iSUP like no other.

Starboard Generation Inflatable SUP Review – FAQ