Retrospec Weekender Tour
Pros
- A great mix of all round and touring capabilities
- An impressive array of fittings for such a competitive price
- Comes with a kayak conversion option
- Gotta love that $350 price tag!
Cons
- A single center fin would make it even better
Retrospec is a relatively new player on the SUP scene, and their 2024 line-up has some very interesting new designs, offering extremely good value. The Weekender Tour 11’6 is a welcome addition to the all-round/touring board genre, delivering great performance and a lot of extras that we’re just not accustomed to seeing at this sort of price point.
We are really big fans of the 11’6 x 32” board size as it has such a lot to offer. The size crosses over very nicely between all round general purpose boards and the touring board class; much better suited for those who want to paddle further and faster. It’s still stable enough for learning, first timers and general summer goofing around, but if you do want to step it up a bit, the extra speed and glide compared to an all round board is significant. So we’re always interested to check out new offerings in this category, particularly when they’re coming in at such a great price point.
Normally, when sub-$400 boards hit the market, we don’t expect too much. Almost invariably, they’re just stock shapes from a mass manufacturer that have been ordered from a catalog of shapes, and the only unique thing about them is the logo and color scheme. However, we’ve been impressed by our dealings so far with Retrospec, as they clearly have some knowledgeable and competent paddlers on their team. This is perhaps most apparent in the Weekender Tour 11’6, which we can tell is the brainchild of someone who actually knows how to paddle and what they want from their board.
We think the Retrospec Weekender Tour 11’6 would be a great SUP for paddlers who:
- Want a board with good all round capabilities that will also be great for paddling a bit harder, faster or further.
- Like the idea of a board that can easily be configured for kayaking mode.
- Don’t want to have to spend too much to get some decent performance
Retrospec Weekender Tour 11’6: Spec Sheet
- Board Category: All-round/Touring
- Listed Board Dimensions: 11’6 x 32” x 6”
- Measured Board Dimensions: 11’6.25” x 32.875” x 6”
- Listed Board Weight: 23.5lbs
- Actual Board Weight (board only, not inflated): 24.4 lbs
- Full kit weight (measured): 31.5 lbs
- Listed Max Capacity: 300lbs
- Recommended PSI: 12-15psi
- Fins: 1 centre & 2 side fins (all removable)
- Paddle: 3 piece alu/nylon paddle
- Board Shell Construction Materials: Dual layer fusion
- Drop-stitch type: knitted
- Price Range: $349
- Warranty: 50 day return period, 2 year warranty
Performance Review of the Retrospec Weekender Tour 11’6 Stand Up Paddle Board
Overall Score: 9.0/10
- Stability: 9.1/10
- Speed: 9.0/10
- Tracking: 9.1/10
- Maneuverability: 8.5/10
- Construction Quality: 8.1/10
- Features/Accessories: 8.9/10
Stability Rating: 9.1/10
As soon as you start trying to build some touring performance into a board design, you’re going to start messing with the stability. The longer, leaner plan shape that gives you the extra speed and glide will inevitably feel that bit less stable. So when you’re progressing from a wide all-rounder on to a touring board, it’s going to feel a bit more tippy.
Nevertheless, with nearly 33” of width and a relatively wide tail, the Retrospec Weekender Tour 11’6 is still comfortably stable, indeed it’s pretty much exactly what we’d expect from a design of these dimensions. It’s just as stable as your typical 10’6 x 32” all round board. You can comfortably move back towards the tail without feeling super challenged, and the zone of maximum stability extends a reasonable distance forward of the central standing area too, which is great if you’re wanting to carry a child or pet on the board with you.
We reckon any paddler under around 220lbs (100kg) should feel good on this board on flat water, while in more bumpy conditions we’d probably cap that at around 200lbs, other than for really experienced rough water paddlers. For first time paddlers, we’d suggest an upper limit of around 180lbs.
Speed Test: 9.0/10
| Board | |
| Sprint Speed: | 5.1 MPH |
| Average Cruising Speed: | 3.2 MPH |
To obtain our speed test results, we use a Speed Coach Sup 2. This gives us accurate readings on how fast we are paddling and our current stroke rates. For the sprint speed, we paddle as hard as we can for approximately 10-15 seconds and then record our average speed. For the casual test, we paddle at 35-40 strokes per minute for approximately 30-60 seconds and record the average speed.
One of the things that immediately impressed us about the Retrospec Weekender Tour 11’6 is its really nicely designed plan shape. With our team’s combined 50+ years of experience in the watersports industry we’re always a sucker for elegant lines in a design, and the Weekender Tour 11’6 ticked a lot of boxes in that department for us. And you can feel it when paddling; the Tour slides through the water very easily. It has a nice turn of speed at cruising pace and a decent top speed too. We managed to hit an absolute top speed of 5.7mph, which isn’t bad at all for a board nearly 33” wide. It’s not quite as quick as some of the lighter and/or more rigid boards of this size and style (and being slightly wider than quoted means a bit more drag), but it’s certainly not off the pace compared to boards with a considerably higher price tag.
If you want to squeeze a bit more speed out of it, don’t hesitate to remove the side fins. They’re actually pretty much surplus to requirements on a board of this style anyway. We’ll talk a bit more about the fins in the next few sections of this review.
The Weekender Tour 11’6 is particularly comfortable on flat water. In more bumpy conditions it would be nice if the nose rocker could start just a fraction earlier, but this is always one of those trade-off issues with inflatable boards – making it more bump-friendly can then take its toll on the flat water top speed. However, overall we think it would probably benefit overall from a very slight tweak in this department, improving the open water capabilities without significantly damaging the top speed.
Tracking: 9.1/10
Good tracking is an essential attribute in a touring board, and the Retrospec Weekender Tour 11’6 performs more than adequately in this department. Again that well-designed plan shape comes into play, delivering a nicely directional design that is very easy to hold on course. The three fins also contribute in holding you on course, although we suspect it would work just as well with one bigger centre fin rather than the three smaller ones.
The board width is right on the cusp of what is comfortable when it comes to trying to maintain a proper vertical orientation in your paddle stroke, which is always a bit of a game changer in the tracking department. It’s less of an issue if you’re significantly taller than 6’.
In general though, we don’t anticipate that you’ll have problems keeping a reasonably straight line on the Weekender Tour 11’6er. Indeed, as we mentioned in our review of the speed performance, if your paddling technique is good you will probably find that you can get away without the side fins on the board, and thus benefit from both greater speed and enhanced maneuverability. Which is what we’re going to talk about next…
Maneuverability: 8.5/10
We always consider Tracking and Manoeuvrability one after the other in our reviews, because they are so fundamentally connected. The better a board is at holding its line, the less willing it is to turn, and vice versa. If one’s up, the other’s down.
So when you step up from an all round board to a touring board in order to enjoy that enhanced speed, glide and directional stability, you need to recognise that you’re going to need to raise your turning game a bit too.
For sure, you can still make this board move around using basic paddle turning techniques, it just takes a bit more effort. You’ll need to make a few more strokes or pull a bit harder to make that turn. Or you just step back on to the tail and spin the board around with a pivot turn.
Retrospec have clearly recognised this, and equipped the Weekender Tour 11’6er with a stomp pad at the tail to help you turbo-charge those pivot turns. It’s a feature not found on their other weekender boards, which have more turn-friendly plan shapes anyway. We really like this attention to detail, it’s a very smart move and clearly shows that they have some expertise in their design department.
We also like the way there is a clear area of deck behind the rear bungees and forward of the stomp pad. This makes it extremely easy to place your foot back into the right general area of deck without getting tangled up in the bungees, and then you can ‘find’ the stomp pad with your foot without having to look down. Very nice touch.
Again, we’ll make the same comment about the fin configuration. Take those side fins off to improve the all round turning performance of the board.
Construction Quality: 8.1/10
Reviewing the construction quality of a board is always tricky because it’s actually very hard to really see a whole lot from the outside, especially with a brand that we haven’t reviewed before, so we don’t have any insight into the the longer-term durability of their construction.
First thing to consider is what the board is actually made of. Retrospec describe their construction as dual-layer, puncture-resistant AerGlide-Fusion technology, from which we can take it that it’s a fusion-based construction, where two layers of PVC are laminated together during manufacture, to create a stiff and light outer skin. Double-layer fusion is a very well established process in the iSUP manufacturing world and generally works very well, so we’re not anticipating any problems in that department.
The inner core of the board is a standard knitted dropstitch. Not as stiff as woven dropstitch but again well proven tech and a whole lot cheaper.
The board features two layers along each side, to connect the top and bottom layers. The dual layer approach to the sides gives useful extra durability to the construction, and in general the construction seems reasonably good. There are a few cosmetic blemishes but that’s to be expected at any board of this price point. Getting the cosmetics perfect is extremely time consuming. So, assuming that the glue used is of decent quality (this is the one aspect of construction that is impossible to review, but has a huge impact on the longevity of the board), then the Retrospec Weekender Tour 11’6 should last a good few years as long as you don’t let it get it cooked out in the sun (advice that applies to any iSUP).
On the subject of color, there is just the one option, which contrasts really nicely with the orange fittings, giving the board a classy look. We would not want to see Retrospec go for anything darker, though. It was noticeable that the green color did hold in the summer heat a bit more than the lighter colored boards in their range.
We noted that the board weighs slightly more than the manufacturer’s quoted figure, but at 24.5lbs it certainly doesn’t feel heavy.
Board Stiffness:
Stiffness Test: 1.0” Bend
The bend test measurement is where so many of the lower price boards fall down, as stiffness is very much a product of manufacturing quality, the materials used, and lack of any extra stiffening devices such as stringers in the construction. However, the Weekender Tour 11’6 delivers reasonable rigidity for its class and size. There isn’t too much noticeable flex when you’re standing on the board, and it’s only when you really try to sprint hard at full power that the board flex becomes a bit more apparent.
To ascertain the rigidity of each board we review, we use our own specific laboratory bend test process. The board is inflated to its maximum recommended PSI and then placed across two sawhorses positioned exactly 7 feet apart. We then measure the distance from the middle of the board to the floor. Then, we place a 150 lb weight on the middle top of the SUP, and measure the distance to the floor again. The difference between the two measurements shows the deflection, or ‘sag’, that the board has experienced due to the added weight. We have been reviewing the stiffness of boards using this technique since 2021 and while it 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 stiffness of the board’s construction process.
Features/Accessory Review: 8.9/10
Features:
The deck pad on the Weekender Tour 11’6 is comfortable underfoot, although not quite as grippy as the embossed pads found on many boards nowadays. The drainage grooves work well. The pad does not extend all the way to the nose, but there’s certainly enough area for someone (human or pet) to sit up front of the main paddler. It also extends pretty much all the way to the tail, culminating in the stomp pad discussed in the maneuverability section.
The three handles on the deck are comfortable, and there are fixing positions on the right hand side for a shoulder strap (sold separately), so you’re well covered for board carrying options. The nose handle fixing also has an action camera mount (the dual system type with a ¼” thread for a screw-on mount, or a go pro style camera to click in), and there are paddle holder straps on the right hand side too. Having all these extra fittings on a sub-$400 board is impressive. Our only criticism is that the ‘Easy Link’ fixings are actually really tight, and only just big enough for the hooks on the carry strap and kayak seat straps. It wasn’t at all easy to get some of them out. Hopefully the fixings can be enlarged slightly for future iterations of this board.
Better still, there’s a full set of fixings to allow a kayak seat to be attached. We found them to be just a bit small, hopefully they can be made a little bigger in a future version of the board. The Retrospec Kayak seat (sold separately, and at an extremely reasonable $60) has an inflatable base, with a drink holder built in which is very cool. There aren’t fixings for a footrest though. A footrest does make the kayak mode on a SUP a whole lot more functional, so hopefully this can be addressed in future iterations of the board.
Two well positioned bungees complete the array of fixings on the upper deck, along with the leash fixing D Ring.
On the underside of the board we have three finboxes, for the slide-in style of fins. On a board of this size and shape, our feeling is that the side fins are simply unnecessary, and a single center fin configuration would be more appropriate, allowing the use of a standard 9” touring fin, which would be more appropriate to this style of board.
Included Accessories:
The most important accessory with any paddleboard is of course the paddle. The standard 3 piece adjustable Retrospec paddle has an aluminum shaft and a nylon blade, and works OK. Indeed, it’s actually a whole lot better than many of the alu/nylon paddles that typically come with lower priced boards. It’s great to have those little extra bits of quality; the extension has the measurements printed on and is grooved so that it always lines up right, and the handle is particularly comfortable.
However, you can only do so much with an alu/nylon paddle, particularly when it’s being used in conjunction with a very decent touring-capable board like this. Our advice would be to put the dollars you’ve saved by purchasing this board towards a nice carbon/fiberglass paddle, which will be much better matched to the very decent performance this board can offer.
If you’re wanting to use the board in kayak mode, a second blade is available to replace the handle on the kayak paddle. However, on the regular paddle the end result is still rather shorter than a proper kayak paddle, and the clips where the paddle sections join together tend to fall pretty much right where you want to put your hands. So if the kayaking set up is important to you we’d recommend going for the XL paddle size when you place your order.
The kit includes a coiled leash, repair kit, waterproof phone case and a dual-action hand pump, with an electric pump as an option at checkout for an extra $100. The kit bag is back pack style, with padded shoulder straps, a hip belt strap and a separate front pocket for the fins.
Summary Review of the Retrospec Weekender Tour 11’6
If you’re looking for a paddleboard that is suitable for learning on but also has more performance to offer for paddling further and/or faster, then the Retrospec Weekender Tour 11’6 offers a whole lot of value for the money. With very respectable performance and a set of fittings matching those of boards at twice or even three times the price, it’s undoubtedly a great addition to the options on offer in this area of the market – indeed, right now we’re scratching our heads to think of anything else that can match it in the sub-$400 category. Great job Retrospec!
Happy paddling! We hope you enjoyed this review of the Retrospec Weekender Tour 11’6. If you have any questions or comments please leave us a comment below!
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