A brand new model in this year’s lineup, the 2018 Red Paddle Co 12’6″ Voyager is an exciting touring model that is stable and packs some great features. With three models in the new Voyager line including the Red Paddle Co 13’2″ Voyager+ and a 15′ multi-paddler SUP, these boards are some of the best on the market if you’re looking for a feature-rich touring iSUP that is built to last.
Red Paddle’s commitment to excellence continues to shine, and the 2018 Red Paddle SUP collection offers great diversity with a board for every SUP activity and level of paddling experience. The new Voyager range replaces last year’s Explorer line, and it offers some nice upgrades over the company’s Sport touring boards.
In this review, we’ll go over the specs, features, and build quality of this board. We’ll also discuss the included SUP accessory bundle, new 2018 warranty, and the best places to buy the 12’6″ Voyager from if you’re looking for the best deal.
2018 Red Paddle Co 12’6″ Voyager: Board Overview
Measuring 12’6″ x 32″ x 6″ and weighing 24 pounds, the new 12’6″ Voyager SUP is capable of supporting 330 pounds of weight. This is an extremely rigid board that is fast, glides nicely, and tracks well in the water.
Perfect for long-range, distance paddling and overnight excursions, Red Paddle’s 12’6″ Voyager is a fun board that offers a nice blend of speed, stability, and toughness.
Construction
Featuring Red Paddle’s MSL Fusion construction technology, the 2018 Red Paddle 12’6″ Voyager is lighter, stiffer, and more durable than many other inflatable touring SUPs on the market. This unique construction technology is part of Red Paddle’s Tec Air manufacturing process, and it eliminates human error and the sloppy finishes that are problematic with so many other inflatable paddle boards.
Red Paddle also incorporated their unique RSS (Rail Stiffening System) feature into this new model, boosting overall rigidity by up to 40% as a result. The Red Paddle RSS system essentially involves the insertion of stiffening battens into slotted rail pockets, giving this board unprecedented stiffness even when fully loaded down with an impressive amount of heavy gear.
Features
The top deck of Red Paddle’s 12’6″ Voyager features a diamond pattern traction pattern that provides outstanding grip. At the middle of this multi-colored deck pad are three handles — a centered carrying handle with two more positioned near the rails. At the rear of the traction pad are four D-ring attachment points for tying down camping gear, a cooler, etc.
At the board’s tail is an Air Tec inflation valve as well as another convenient grab handle. Built-in to the side of the handle is a D-ring for attaching your SUP leash.
Located at the nose of the 12’6″ Voyager are 6 additional D-rings, an elastic bungee cord storage area for securing mo