Hala Gear Hoss iSUP Review
Pros
- Excellent lightweight construction
- Extra wide shape with a high rocker provides great stability for rivers.
- Highly maneuverable
- Excellent carrying bag and universal fin system
- 5-year warranty
Cons
- Not as stable on flatwater as other iSUPs this size, but smoothly paddles over waves and other river features
- Few fittings and limited cargo space on the deck
The Hala Hoss is a large size all-around / cruiser iSUP designed for performance on the river.
The Hala Hoss lives up to its name – it’s a big board! Like, really big. It’s just under 11’ long, but it is almost 37” wide – making it, I believe, the widest solo iSUP we’ve tested. The Hoss is a cruiser iSUP specifically designed with rivers in mind (though you can use it on flatwater). It’s not what we’d classify as a dedicated whitewater board, but it can hold its own on Class II rivers.
We think the Hala Gear Hoss would be a great SUP for:
Larger paddlers who primarily recreate on the river, but occasionally paddle on flat water
Those looking for a river cruiser that can handle some moderate whitewater
Aren’t looking for a specialized whitewater SUP like the Hala Atcha 96
Hala Gear Hoss: Spec Sheet
- Board Category: All-round, River
- Listed Board Dimensions: 10’10 x 35 x 6″
- Measured Board Dimensions: 10’10 x 36 ¾” x 6”
- Listed Board Weight: 21.2 lbs
- Actual Board Weight (inflated): 21.4 lbs
- Listed Max Capacity: 280 lbs rider weight
- Recommended PSI: 18 PSI
- Fins: US box with 9” flexible touring fin
- Paddle: B-Line carbon/nylon hybrid
- Board Shell Construction Materials: Fusion PVC, welded seams
- Drop-stitch type: Cross-Woven
- Price Range: High
- Warranty: 5 year
Performance Review of the Hala Gear Hoss Stand Up Paddle Board
Overall Score: [8.7/10]
- Stability: 9.0/10
- Speed: 6.2/10
- Tracking: 8.0
- Maneuverability: 9.5/10
- Construction Quality: 9.8/10
- Features/Accessories: 9.0/10
Stability Rating: [9.0/10]
The stability score shown here is a global rating, based on comparative performance to all other sizes and styles of paddleboards (other than multi-person boards).
The Hala Gear Hoss is big and it is a very stable board, but it’s not as stable as what you would expect from a typical iSUP that is almost 37” wide because of the Hoss’s rocker profile. As a board built with river use in mind, the Hoss, like all of Hala’s iSUPs, has a notable amount of rocker in the nose and tail – or how the board turns up away from the water at each end. This has two different effects on stability depending on your terrain.
On flatwater the rocker profile of the Hoss reduces the total surface area of the board sitting on the water, which in turn reduces the overall stability. Now, it is still quite stable and doesn’t feel bad in any way, but it doesn’t feel as stable as it is wide. I would compare this more to the feeling of a 34” wide board when paddling on flat water.
The other side of this coin is how it feels when paddling downriver, especially through “class fun” splashy water up through Class II rapids. That same rocker shape allows the Hoss to smoothly transition in pitch as you ride down and up wave trains and slide over a hole. A flatter board will “pearl” the nose into the waves and either slow down or come near to stopping its forward momentum, throwing you forward.
While the rocker makes the Hoss feel less stable than it should on flat water, it actually helps improve your overall stability and comfort in rougher waters and downriver paddling.
Speed: 6.2/10
The speed score given above is a comparative rating to other sizes and styles of paddleboards, whereby 14’ raceboards would be scoring in the high 9s, and the widest all-round boards or surf-orientated shorter boards would be in the 5s or below.
Over the many years that we have been reviewing paddleboards at supboardguide.com, we have experimented with numerous different methodologies for speed testing, involving various hardware and software solutions. However, none have proved replicable; even using the same rider in the same conditions the numbers would vary from day to day, and of course when using different riders, or even just a different paddle, the results would change significantly. For this reason, while we still test all boards in cruise mode, fast cruise mode and then push them as hard as we can, we no longer give ‘absolute’ speed data (ie 5.5mph etc) – which ultimately doesn’t really matter unless you’re specifically looking to compete – and now report more on the general feel of the board when asked to perform.
The Hala Hoss is an extra-wide cruiser-style paddle board. It isn’t incredibly fast, but it does paddle well at cruising speeds. With some effort you can go reasonably quick as well, but it does take some effort.
Cruising
The Hoss is made for cruising. At a gentle pace, this gentle giant of a SUP paddles surprisingly well. It moves across the water with respectable speed, and feels like it paddles efficiently as well. The included B-Line paddle has a large, rigid blade that matches the Hoss well and helps propel it easily and smoothly at this lower pace.
Fast Cruising
Paddling at a harder pace, but still comfortably aerobic so it’s sustainable over a good distance, with a cadence in the low 40s.
When you pick up the pace to get your heart rate going, the Hoss continues to paddle easily, but not much faster. The rigid construction keeps the board gliding well, but it does begin to lose some of its tracking performance and will definitely give you a strength workout in addition to cardio.
Going Hard
Like the slightly smaller Hala Straight Up, the Hoss is a difficult board to paddle at a truly high speed or high paddling cadence. The wide front of the board pushes a lot of water directly in front of itself and the B-Line paddle’s weight becomes more noticeable when you are trying to take faster strokes. The tracking performance declines further as the board spins more with each stroke.
Overall
Flatwater speed is not the Hoss’s forte, but that’s also not what it’s designed for. This is a comfortable cruiser that paddles well at cruising speeds, and when you combine it with the river current moving you down stream, you’ll be going faster than you think!
Tracking: 8.0/10
Tracking ultimately comes down to board length; a longer board will almost always track better than a shorter board of the same general width. So our tracking scores are intended to show how a board compares to other boards of similar size.
The Hala Hoss has surprisingly good tracking performance given its shape and how the Straight Up performed for us on flat water. I think the extra length of the Hoss is really helping it here as even with the high rocker profile we get significantly more waterline length from the Hoss than the Straight Up.
The Hoss has a single fin box under the tail of the board and comes with a 9” flexible fin. Normally this setup would provide generally good tracking, but with the rockered shape, the larger fin isn’t quite as effective as on other boards.
Paddling with good technique, the Hoss tracks about as straight as most wide cruiser iSUPs, which is better than I anticipated from its width. If you drop your form, though – particularly with keeping your paddle straight up and down, then it does begin to turn more with each stroke. Beginner paddlers may struggle a little to move straight over long distances on flat water without switching sides very often, but those with a little more experience will be able to take a handful of strokes on a side before feeling the need to switch or steer.
Learn tips and techniques to help paddle straight on our YouTube channel.
Maneuverability: 9.5/10
Maneuverability scores are based on comparative performance to boards of a similar general length and style.
The Hala Hoss is made for maneuverability (among other things). Its rockered shape lets you quickly turn at any time, even when you are already moving forward. This is a really good feature for river paddlers that need to be able to quickly steer to avoid obstacles or hazards in the river, or maneuver from one side of the river to the other.
With basic turning strokes I found it very easy to turn the Hoss. Forward sweep strokes (paddling in a wide sweep from nose to tail) spin the Hoss quickly and I can do an about-face with just a couple of strokes.
The wide shape of the board gives it a lot of stability and makes it easy to walk to the tail for a quick pivot turn. Once you step onto the tail of the board, the sharp “kick” rocker shape levers the nose of the board out of the water and puts the tail flatter in the water – giving you more support under your back foot than a board without tail rocker. With the nose out of the water, it only takes a couple of good sweep strokes to turn in a full circle.
To understand more about turning styles and how to do them, check out our how-to video
Construction Quality: 9.8/10
Hala’s refreshed iSUP lineup utilizes the most up-to-date materials and methods available in the inflatable SUP industry for a top-quality build.
Inside the board
The drop stitch used inside the Hoss is a 6” thick cross-woven construction. The top and bottom layers are made with woven fabric and the drop-stitching threads connecting them are sewn in intersecting angles to form an “X” shape through the board. This new core helps shave a significant amount of weight without losing rigidity.
Top and Bottom Skin
The Hoss uses a fusion PVC shell that physically bonds the outer PVC material directly to the inner drop stitch core with heat and pressure. This removes the hand-gluing step from board construction and helps eliminate gluing errors. Unlike the Hala Adventure and Charge series iSUPs, the Straight Up does not have additional stringers on the deck or hull.
Side Construction
The top and bottom of the board are joined together with a layer of heat-welded PVC material. Like the Fusion process for the PVC skin, seam welding eliminates glue and the errors and issues associated with it, along with reducing more weight in both steps.
Overall
The Hoss is a big board, but comes in at a very light 21.4 pounds. It’s managed to stay light and rigid at the same time thanks to the new Hala construction. It has a maximum inflation pressure of 18 PSI and is backed by the same 5 year warranty as Hala’s other iSUPs.
Board Stiffness: 1.26”
The Hala Hoss did well in our bend test with a deflection of just 1.26” with 150 pounds of weight. It’s slightly more flex than what we measured with the Hala Straight Up, but just barely. It’s still a great result in our test, and it also feels rigid on the water. You basically have to jump on the Hoss to feel any real flex when it’s on the water. We didn’t notice any bending or flex during regular use.
To ascertain the rigidity of each board we review, we have been using our own specific laboratory bend test process since 2021. The board is inflated to its maximum recommended PSI and positioned exactly on our measuring jig. 150lb weight is then applied to the standing area to see how much bend it causes. While this isn’t an exact replication of the weight distortion that occurs when a rider stands on a SUP board in the water, it still gives a very useful comparative tool in determining the relative stiffness of the various board construction processes.
Features/Accessory Review: [9.0/10]
Features:
The Hala Hoss is a river cruiser with just enough built-in features to meet the needs for a fun day paddling down the river.
Hala’s boards focus on paddling performance and overall quality instead of piling on heaps of fittings and attachment points. The Hoss has multiple tie down points to help carry larger items like coolers or big dry bags, but instead of using a steel D-ring, Hala uses soft rigging points to reduce the chance of injury if you fall on your board.
There are four tie down points on the rear of the board that you can use to attach big items, or connect a kayak seat if you plan to mostly sit on the board. The only D-ring on the Hoss is the leash attachment point at the tail of the board.
The Hoss has an EVA foam deck pad with a heavy diamond texture for maximum traction, and has two extra features at the tail. At the very end of the deck pad, there is a raised kick pad to give you additional control and stability when standing on the tail of the board. There is also a smaller raised section in the center of the deck pad just before the kick pad. This extra pad lets you know where your foot is in relation to the center of the board without needing to look down.
On the underside we have the single fin configuration. Hala uses one, single-piece, US (Universal Standard) fin box under the tail of the board. They also include a 9” flexible fin.
Included Accessories:
The Hala Hoss comes with a high quality set of basic accessories to get you on the water. The Hala bag features comfortable backpack straps and handles, has wheels for easy carrying over smooth terrain, and a duffel-bag style opening for easily loading the board into the bag. The single chamber hand pump works well, but isn’t the fastest we’ve used, and you also get a basic repair kit and a flexible 9” touring style fin.
The Hala B-Line paddle that comes with the Hoss uses a carbon fiber shaft, fiber-reinforced nylon blade, and a lever-lock handle for easy adjustment. It is a bit heavy, but the paddle is quite durable (great for rivers) and provides plenty of power for the Hoss.
Summary Review of the Hala Gear Hoss
The Hala Hoss is a great river cruising paddle board for larger paddlers and paddlers who want extra stability on the river and occasional use on flat water. The high quality construction is lightweight and durable, and the included kit is all well made and matched for the Hoss. If you are looking for a well-made iSUP for paddling your local rivers and dipping your toes into some light whitewater, the Hoss is a great option.
Happy paddling! We hope you enjoyed this review of the Hala GearHoss. If you have any questions or comments please leave us a comment below!
SupBoardGuide
Latest posts by SupBoardGuide (see all)
- Hala Gear Hoss iSUP Review – 2025 - August 21, 2025
- Hala Gear Straight Up iSUP Review – 2025 - August 21, 2025
- Hala Rado Whitewater iSUP Review – 2025 - August 15, 2025
