Retrospec June Fishing Inflatable Paddleboard
Pros
- Extremely stable on the water - great for casting and landing your fish
- Large enough to share with a pet or passenger
- Includes inflatable kayak seat, convertible paddle, and two adjustable fishing rod holders
- Great feature layout to keep all of your equipment easily accessible
- The most affordable, quality, full-system fishing iSUP on the market
Cons
- The aluminum paddle works well for casual cruising, but is susceptible to bending when under heavier loads and harder paddling
The Retrospec June Fishing SUP packs an unbelievable amount of value into a single package for the dedicated SUP angler. The board itself is designed from the water-up with fishing in mind and fully kitted out. The June also comes with a full kayak conversion kit and two adjustable fishing rod holders. And it’s available at a price that’ll make you double-take in the best way.
Retrospec uses a heavy-duty construction to give the June high durability and stability, but it does make the board quite heavy at 28 pounds and the feature-packed kit rounds that up to around 40 pounds when fully packed. But for any fishing-specific watercraft, this is still considered light weight.
We think the Retrospec June Fishing iSUP would be great for paddlers who
- Want a dedicated fishing iSUP with great stability and tons of features
- Want the option to stand or sit with a comfortable kayak conversion kit included
- Are shopping for a stable fishing board on a budget
Retrospec June Fishing iSUP: Spec Sheet
- Main Category: All-Around, Fishing
- Board Dimensions: 11’6” x 36” x 6”
- Board Weight: 28 lbs
- Listed Max Capacity: 320 lbs
- Recommended PSI: 15 PSI
- Fins: one 9” and two 4.5” slide-in fins
- Paddle: 3-piece w/ aluminum shaft and nylon blade
- Materials: Fusion PVC w/ knitted dropstitch core; glued seams
- Price Range: Low
- Warranty: 2 years
Performance Review of the Retrospec June Fishing Stand Up Paddle Board
Overall Score: [9.0/10]
- Stability: 9.8/10
- Speed: 8.5/10
- Tracking: 8.9
- Maneuverability: 8.5/10
- Construction Quality: 8.2/10
- Features/Accessories: 9.3/10
Stability Rating: [9.8/10]
Stability is a critical component for any paddler, but when you are loaded up with your favorite rods, tackle boxes, coolers, and more, stability plays an even more important role as you paddle, cast, and land fish all day.
The June is up for the challenge with an extra-wide 36” size and a boxy shape that resists tipping and rolling both from your own movements and from the water when things get choppy. That broad nose and wide square tail also give it plenty of capacity to load up with anything you can think of bringing on the water.
Though it only has a listed capacity of 320 pounds, that is a recommended rider weight capacity, compared to the more commonly-used performance-limit capacity. We estimate that to be closer to 450 pounds total.
Speed Test: 8.5/10
Speed on the water is the weakest point we found when testing the June Fishing SUP, but it’s not something that we would consider to be a “con” for this type of paddleboard. The June is intended to be a versatile and stable fishing platform, not a racing board.
It does take a lot of effort to paddle at high speeds, and the heavier aluminum paddle doesn’t aid in that endeavor. But, the June does paddle smoothly and easily at cruising speeds with a casual paddling rate. When loaded up for a full day of fishing, it’s this kind of efficiency that will keep you moving comfortably to the next spot throughout the day.
Tracking: 8.9/10
The 2+1 fin setup on the June Fishing iSUP has been around for a while. And while it gets its roots in surfing, it still has utility on more flatwater-oriented boards like the June. Using all three of the fins will maximize your ability to paddle straight. Along with the board’s extra length compared to a typical all-around board and straighter sides, we found the June Fishing SUP to be easy to keep on course. Our testers were regularly taking 6-8 paddle strokes on a side before feeling the need to change sides or make a bigger steering stroke.
Maneuverability: 8.5/10
One issue a lot of newer paddlers have with larger paddle boards is maneuvering them on the water. The June Fishing SUP can be hard to turn with just basic forward sweep strokes, but we found that it responds very well when focusing on using good technique that engages your body – especially with cross-bow strokes.
The three-fin setup can make turning a little hard at times, and we’ve found that by removing just the two side fins the June retains most of its tracking performance, but becomes easier to turn. So if you are looking for a more nimble fishing SUP or are having difficulty turning the June, try paddling with just the center fin.
If you don’t have a fully-loaded board with lots of cargo in the back, you can also take advantage of the June’s excellent stability to work on your pivot turns. Because the board is so wide and parallel, stepping back toward the tail gives you almost no change in stability at all, allowing you to easily lift the nose for a quick spin-about.
Construction Quality: 8.2/10
The June Fishing SUP utilizes the same three-layer AerGlide construction as the Retrospec Weekender Plus and Touring paddleboards. The core consists of a knitted fabric base layer on each side, interconnected with thousands of drop-stitched yarns. These yarns establish the board’s uniform thickness and maintain surface flatness under inflation.
Each fabric layer is initially coated with PVC to ensure airtightness. A secondary reinforced PVC layer is then fusion-laminated to the base using heat and pressure. Fusion lamination significantly reduces adhesive requirements, lowers overall weight, minimizes bonding failures, and produces a consolidated single-sheet structure.
The inner rail layer is glued to the deck and hull, and then wrapped with another outer layer of reinforced PVC to give the board extra protection and rigidity.
This is a fairly standard construction method for iSUPs that has been around for many years with excellent results. It doesn’t utilize the most advanced materials around, but Retrospec makes this tradeoff of a more traditional construction in order to accessibly price their paddleboards.
Board Stiffness:
Stiffness Test: 1.65” Bend
Our stiffness test is performed by placing the SUP on top of two sawhorses that are set 7’ apart. We then measure the board before and after loading 150 lbs onto the board’s midpoint (usually across the center handle). Of course, this test does not mimic the SUP’s behavior on the water, but it’s an unbiased way for us to understand how certain construction methods affect stiffness and overall performance of each paddleboard.
The June Fishing SUP performed on par with Retrospec’s other AerGlide iSUPs in our bend test, but shows a little more flex than average. But, that’s not the same once you get the board on the water. There’s no noticeable flex or bend when standing and paddling on the June Fishing SUP until you begin sprinting the board across the water or jumping up and down.
Features/Accessory Review: [9.3/10]
The Retrospec June Fishing iSUP is fully decked out for paddleboard fishing both on the board and in the kit.
The Retrospec June Nano has a ton of different features and options. There are 15 D-rings spaced around the board, three threaded accessory mounts (including one with an integrated GoPro style mounting base on the nose), two Scotty-style mounting points, kayak seat and shoulder sling attachment points, and a velcro paddle holder.
The deck pad has a soft, but grippy brushed texture with grooves running through it, and it is split into three large sections. The main deck pad covers the primary standing area of the board, the second section covers a large swath of the front of the board, and the final piece covers the tail of the board, giving you excellent traction wherever you are standing.
Included Accessories:
The Retrospec June Fishing SUP comes with a large set of accessories. Included with the June are the following accessories:
- 4-piece aluminum shaft paddle w/ a nylon blade
- Inflatable kayak seat
- Double-action hand pump
- 9” Center Fin and 2 4.5” side fins
- Coiled leash
- Two adjustable fishing rod holders
- Waterproof Phone Pouch
- Shoulder sling
- Maintenance and repair kit
That’s a huge set of accessories for any board, much less for a fishing SUP available at this price point. The overall quality of the accessories is good, but we would like to see an upgrade to the paddle.
The aluminum shaft of the Retrospec paddle is heavy and, like all aluminum paddles, is prone to bending when under load. It’s also more prone to accidental damage during storage and transportation. The paddle itself is well-suited to casual cruising, but we don’t recommend doing any hard or fast paddling with it for extended periods of time. We’d love to see Retrospec upgrade their paddleboards to using a fiberglass paddle to make it lighter and more durable.
Summary Review of the Retrospec June Fishing iSUP
The Retrospec June Fishing SUP is a great option for the SUP angler on a budget – or really any SUP angler regardless of budget. It’s extremely stable, comes with a huge feature set and accessory kit, and paddles well. It’s a great choice to use when paddling with a passenger or pet thanks to that stable shape and full-length deck pad as well. Plus, the June can be quickly converted to a sit-on-top kayak with the included inflatable kayak seat and extra paddle blade.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through our review of the Retrospec June Fishing SUP, and encourage you to hit us with any questions or suggestions in the comments below.
Until next time, stay safe and happy paddling!
SupBoardGuide
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