Thurso Surf Expedition 150 iSUP Review – A New 4.7” Fitness and Touring SUP | 2025

Thurso Surf Expedition 150 iSUP – Overview

The Thurso Surf Expedition 150 is a dedicated touring iSUP that is built for efficiency and speed on the water. This year Thurso has brought out a second version of the Expedition 150 that is 4.7” thick instead of the standard 6” thick construction.

The new 4.7” (12cm) Expedition 150 offers similar speed and tracking performance while improving stability, especially for paddlers under 200 pounds.

With large cargo areas and a high weight capacity, the Expedition 150 is ready for adventures great and small. It’s a fun, sporty, fast paddle board that retains confidence-inspiring stability. If you’ve ever wanted to go exploring, camping, or use your SUP for a great workout on the water, the Thurso Surf Expedition 150 is for you.

This review will primarily focus on the new 4.7” thick version. The 6” version offers nearly identical performance and features and we’ll note any differences between the two in the various sections below.

— Thurso Surf Expedition 150 Ratings and Review Summary —

Thurso Surf Expedition 150 iSUP – Construction and Durability

Thurso’s iSUP construction has continued to evolve and improve over the years and the latest version has kept up with the most advanced materials and methods available.

Inside the Expedition 150 you’ll find a new cross-woven drop stitch core. The woven fabric base layers for the deck and hull are lightweight and have less stretch (flex) than a traditional knitted base layer. Thousands of individual yarns are sewn between the base layers in a criss-crossing X pattern (thus “cross-woven”). By using an X pattern, Thurso can use fewer threads, making the board lighter weight without diminishing its rigidity. The length of those threads is what determines whether the board will ultimately be 6” or 4.7” thick once inflated.

The outer shell of the Expedition 150 is made with a reinforced PVC material that is bonded to the inner core through a process called fusion lamination. Fusion constructions use heat and pressure at the raw materials stage to bond these two materials together without the need for hand-gluing layers. This further saves weight, but also helps reduce issues associated with glued layups like missed or thick glue spots, wrinkles, and potential delamination.

When the board outline is cut from the raw material, the top and bottom are joined together with a heat-welded seam made with another layer of PVC. Again, the welding process physically bonds the materials and prevents loosening at the seam from heat exposure. Lastly another layer of reinforced PVC is glued around the entire rail again to protect the inner seam and provide more structure to the board.

After all of the deck pad, fittings, and other accessories are added, the Expedition 150-12 (4.7”) weighs in at just 23 pounds.

In our standardized bend test the new 4.7” Expedition 150 did very well for that board thickness. With 170 lbs of weight, it bent just 1.77”. That is just a touch more flex than our running average for all boards (1.6”), but is very close to average for all of the 4.7” boards we’ve tested. Considering that this is a thinner, longer, and narrower iSUP (all things that typically work against rigidity), I was very happy with this result. But the most important bend test is on the water.

On the water I was very pleased with the overall feel of the Expedition 150 – 4.7” iSUP. There was just a little bit of “static” flex in the board while standing on it (you can see in the picture of me standing still above), but none that I could actually feel while paddling normally. I did experience some flex in the board while paddling hard for a sprint, though.

Bouncing on the board did produce a moderately high amount of flex, but it settled back down with a controlled, soft-feeling rebound. I could feel some flex in the board when I moved to the tail for a pivot turn, but again, not in any way that made me feel like I was going to suddenly lose stability or have to fight the board, even when it was mostly out of the water.

The 6” version of the Expedition 150 is more rigid than the 4.7” version. It also has more volume and more overall weight capacity. All of this does make the 6” version a better choice for larger beginner paddlers over 200 lbs. However, intermediate or advanced paddlers will be comfortable on either version of the board.

Thurso Surf Expedition 150 iSUP – Specifications

Specifications

Thurso Expedition 150-12 (4.7”) iSUP – Specifications

	Dimensions
	Length	12’ 6”
	Width	31”
	Thickness	4.7"
	Weight
	Max Capacity	320 lbs
	Board Weight	23 lbs
	Kit Weight	36 lb
	Buying Info
	List Price	$799.99
	Warranty Period	2 Years
	Returns Period	30 Days

Thurso Surf Expedition 150 iSUP – Features, Accessories and Versatility

The Expedition 150 is designed and built for adventure paddleboarding. However those same features also work great for casual day trips and fitness paddling. Both versions of the Expedition 150 have the same feature set.

Thurso is selling the Expedition 150 (both the 4.7” and 6” versions) as a board-only option or as a complete kit.

When purchasing as a “Board Only” you get:

• Thurso Expedition 150 iSUP
• Compression strap
• Small accessory pouch
• 9” touring fin
• Leash
• Repair kit

When purchasing as a “Full Package” you get:

• Thurso Expedition 150 iSUP
• Compression strap
• Small accessory pouch
• 9” touring fin
• Leash
• Repair kit
• Wheeled backpack
• Battery-electric pump
• Three-piece carbon/hybrid paddle

Thurso Surf Expedition 150 iSUP – Paddle

The Expedition 150 includes Thurso Surf’s carbon hybrid three piece paddle. This is a very nice kit paddle that is efficient and comfortable to use, but the Expedition 150 is a paddleboard that just begs for the carbon fiber blade upgrade option – which Thurso makes very easy with their modular paddle system.

The Thurso Surf carbon/hybrid paddle uses a carbon fiber shaft with a reinforced nylon paddle blade. The composite shaft keeps the paddle lightweight and stiff and the nylon blade has just a little bit of flex for a more relaxed feel. The blade is medium-sized with a classic teardrop shape and slight spoon shape for beginner-friendliness.

The rubberized handle is a departure from the norm for kit paddles. It’s got excellent texture and grip – though if you over-grip the paddle it could cause rubbing – and the T-grip shape is extremely secure. The handle has a length scale, but does rotate freely when unlatched, so users do need to make sure they are aligning the handle and blade properly.

Thurso Surf also makes a carbon fiber “elite” blade that fits their carbon fiber paddle shaft for an easy, and cost-effective upgrade. Rather than buying an entirely new paddle to upgrade, Thurso Surf offers their Carbon Elite blade for about half the cost of a new paddle. The Carbon Elite blade, in addition to being stiffer than the nylon blade, shaves 4 ounces off the weight of the paddle, tapers the blade tip and increases the rake angle for a cleaner catch and longer stroke, and shapes the power face of the blade with a double-dihedral to better direct water and create a “power pocket” in the center of the blade for better hold. All of this adds up to a lighter, more efficient, and more powerful paddle blade than the stock nylon option – and it pairs extremely well with the Expedition 150 for longer trips or paddling faster.

Thurso Surf Expedition 150 iSUP – Stability

The Thurso Expedition 150 offers two different experiences in stability depending on the board thickness and paddler size.

The Expedition 150 measured just a bit over 31” during our evaluation in our testing lab. Both the 4.7” and 6” versions of the board have printed specifications graphics near the fin box that claim 31”, however the product description on Thurso’s website states 30”. I do believe the website description to be a typo, but that can make a pretty big difference when shopping for a higher-performance SUP.

At 31” wide and 4.7” thick, the new Expedition 150 is very stable for its category. I did not feel any rolling, twitching or other natural instability in the board while standing, walking, paddling casually, or sprinting. I found it easy to put the Expedition 150 on its edge and hold it there, and while rocking the board from rail to rail it mostly transitioned smoothly, but occasionally I could feel the edge dip a bit far and “catch” the water.

I could also feel a bit of flex in the board when walking on it or when paddling hard. And that brings us to the biggest factor in deciding whether to get a 4.7” or 6” thick board – paddler size.

A thinner profile board does lower your center of gravity and can help the board feel a bit more connected to the water. However, a thinner board will have more flex than a thicker board. For many paddlers, this may not be much of a concern, particularly if you are under 200 pounds and especially on longer and narrower SUPs. However, larger paddlers will feel more flex on a thinner board. That extra flex can make a thinner board feel less stable than a thicker board.

For the best stability, I do recommend larger paddlers (or those who regularly paddle with a passenger or larger dog) opt for the 6” thick version of the Expedition 150 over the 4.7” version.

Thurso Surf Expedition 150 iSUP – Speed

The Expedition 150 offers moderately high speeds for a touring board, but has traded some speed for improved stability with its 31” width.

At 31” wide, the Expedition 150 does trade some speed for stability, but still offers a fast ride on the water especially if you are looking at this a a first board for fitness paddling and day-touring.

In our speed test, the Expedition 150-12 (4.7”) did well during a sustained sprint of 75 strokes per minute. At that cadence, while using the Thurso Carbon Elite paddle, the Expedition 150 averaged 5.4 MPH. When I increased my cadence to go as fast as I could, I was only able to reach 5.6 MPH, though. Even during the sustained sprint test I could feel the Expedition begin to flex, and when going full-out I could really feel the board flex with each paddle stroke. This flex really limits how fast a board can go, so if you are wanting to paddle at very high cadences, then you should consider the 6” version for its improved rigidity.

But, for casual cruising and long-distance touring, the Expedition 150 feels great. At 25 strokes per minute – a pace that most paddlers can maintain all day – the Expedition 150 moves at an average 3.9 MPH with no problem. That is a little slower than some other fitness/touring style SUPs of the same length, but most of those are between 1” to 3” narrower as well. This cruising speed is very easy to hold, and if you take a single paddle stroke and stop, the Expedition 150 will continue to glide at this speed for about 24’ before slowing down. That gives it a gliding ratio of about 1.9 board-lengths per stroke – right on par with those narrower touring iSUPs.

While the Expedition 150 isn’t the fastest touring iSUP available, it does have significantly more speed than an all-around iSUP and keeps up with other touring boards when it comes to paddling efficiency and feel.

Thurso Surf Expedition 150 iSUP – Maneuverability and Tracking

The Expedition 150 is focused on being a touring paddle board first and foremost. It’s designed to paddle efficiently with better straight-line tracking. That also means that the Expedition 150 is not as maneuverable as an all-around board like the Water Walker 132.

The Expedition 150 can be a bit challenging to turn quickly if you are only using a forward sweep stroke (shown above). The longer outline and 9” touring fin are very good at turning any forward paddling energy into paddling straight forward. It takes an average of almost 9 forward sweep strokes to turn the Expedition 150 in a full circle from a standstill. If you are already moving forward, though, you will need to consider other ways of turning unless you don’t mind using a few dozen strokes to accomplish the same task.

One of the ways you can turn quicker is by using reverse sweep strokes (starting with the paddle at the tail and moving out and forward to the nose). Because you are essentially putting the fin at the “front” of the turn and working backwards, it’s much easier to turn the board, and it takes about half the number of strokes to do so.

While there are many different ways to turn your board, the fastest way to about-face is with a pivot turn. When you step back onto the tail of the board and lift the nose, the Expedition 150 stays relatively stable (though not as much as when standing in the middle of the board) and the embossed deck pad gives you a very secure feeling. Once the nose is up and out of the water, a single sweep stroke is enough to turn you 180° (or more).

While maneuverability may not be the highlight of the Expedition 150’s performance profile, tracking is certainly at the top of the list. The longer, tapered outline and high-quality touring fin keep the Expedition on course very well. Over the course of 10 paddle strokes on a single side, the Expedition 150 only drifted an average of 6° from its original heading. Once you get this board going, it’s a breeze to keep it heading that way.

If you do need to correct or change your course, the Expedition 150 does steer well from the nose of the board. I found that various bow-draw strokes were very effective at gently steering.

The included 9” touring fin matches the Expedition very well. It has a large amount of surface area to both help with tracking and to reduce any rolling sensation (giving better stability). The fin also comes with small plastic inserts to allow for tool-less use. Simply press the insert into one of the cutouts in the fin’s base so the little tab is horizontal, and then press the fin into the fin box. To uninstall the fin, simply press against the back of the fin to release it. The fin itself has a little bit of flexibility to absorb any minor impacts without damaging the fin or fin box. Because Thurso Surf uses a standard US fin box on the Expedition 150, you can swap the fin for any other US fin box compatible one to change its maneuverability, tracking, stability, and drag.

Thurso Surf Expedition 150 iSUP – Warranty and Customer Support

Thurso Surf offers a 2 year warranty on the Expedition 150 (and their other iSUPs), and includes a 30-day return period. The bag and pump are warrantied for 1 year, and the paddle and leash have a 60 day warranty period. We’d like to see this warranty simplified with at least the paddle and leash getting the same warranty as the bag and pump, however many brands do not warranty their accessories at all, so this is still a move in the right direction. If you have any questions for Thurso Surf, you can reach them through their website’s contact form, email, or via social media.

Thurso Surf Expedition 150 iSUP – Final Thoughts

Whether you are a beginner or intermediate paddler looking for a touring iSUP, the Thurso Surf Expedition 150 is a fantastic choice. It’s built incredibly well, performs excellently on the water, and has the option to include a great set of accessories. I would like to see a few tweaks to the paddle holders and rear cargo area, and I do recommend the carbon fiber paddle upgrade if you are wanting to put down some serious miles.

Paddlers under 200 pounds will really appreciate the even better stability of the new 4.7” thick version of the Expedition 150, while larger paddlers will find the more rigid 6” version to offer better stability and performance – especially when paddling fast.

I find it to be a great choice for not only touring, but fitness paddling, casual cruising over longer distances, and could even hold its own in a friendly race.