STARBOARD ASTRO WHOPPER DELUXE 10' PRODUCT REVIEW

The Starboard Astro Whopper Deluxe 10' has been on the market for a few years now. The Whopper in fact, is one of the greatest single inflatable board designs that we have ever sold. Not only is it the most popular inflatable SUP design that CKS has ever sold, it one of the most popular shapes that Starboard has sold as well. Because of the 35" waist, and pin tail, it offers plenty of primary stability, yet turns on a dime. It also has a wider / shovel nose, which is great for nose rides when surfing, having stability on the river and being able to bring a dog or child with you on a sunset paddle. This board really can do it all it's the Swiss Army Knife of SUP's... We were very happy to learn that the shape of the whopper did not change for 2016 - the board has a lot of great new features, and the same timeless design.

Starboard Astro Whopper Deluxe 10' Features:

• FCS Side Bite fins and a Universal Center Fin The 2016 Starboard Astro Whopper Deluxe has 2 FCS Side Bite fins, as well as a Universal fin box center fin. The board comes with 2x 4.5" side bites, as well as a long board center fin. For downriver paddling, the Whopper can be paddled finless (our preference - the fin boxes give the board just enough directional control), or with 2 Side Bite fins. There are also some shorter center fins on the market that will fit into the Universal center fin box. One other nice thing about having 3 removable fins is that the board is that much easier to roll up after deflating - there are no fins to get in the way.
• Carbon Rails for 2016 (and still 6" thick) For 2016, The Starboard Astro Whopper Deluxe comes with carbon reinforced rails. Starboard is using a . Starboard has always been known for having stiff designs, and this years board is no exception. I am around 200 lbs, and at 18 psi noticed that this board was as stiff and predictable as any inflatable SUP that i have paddled. The 6" rails are also nice when the going gets tough - the Whopper will not bobble too much over eddies. The added thickness (compared to 4.75" rails on the Zen version) is also good for people that want to paddle with a dog or small child on the front of the board.
  The carbon rail provides a consistent flex pattern to the Whopper Deluxe.
  6" drop stitch adds to this boards rigidity and stability.
• Uber Stiff (Dual Stringer Technology), High Pressure Design - This has always been a trait of Starboard SUP - their boards are very stiff. They top off at 18 psi, which is plenty of air. In deflection testing, the Starboard actually tested stiffer than boards that can accept 23-25 psi. This is because of the way the board is built. With features like the carbon rails, and high quality drop stitch, it is as stiff as anything out there at 18psi, and you do not have to try to muscle it to over 20 psi (which is a chore). And to compound the stiffness, the board has a dual stringer system that runs down the middle.
  The stringer that runs down the middle of the board to add stiffness.
  The Starboard Astro Whopper Deluxe is stiffer at 18psi than other boards are at 20+ psi. This has to do with the way that the boards are constructed, and the materials used. It is also much easier to inflate a board to 18 psi than it is 20+ psi.
• Great deck pad, bungee tie down area, D Rings, etc- The deck pad is comfortable, and provides good traction. The bungee tie down is nice for gear bags, spare pumps, etc. There is a stainless D ring on the bottom of the board in case you need to lock it up on the roof of your car.
• Solid Design The shape of the Starboard Astro Whopper Deluxe 10 is nearly perfect. We love the 35" waist, and how stable that makes the board. We also love the pin tail, and how it carves buttery turns on surf waves, and nice and easy it is to turn on flatwater. 10' in length seems to be just perfect - if it were any shorter it would be too slow, and if it were any longer, it'd lose the light and nimble feeling. The nose of the board is stable as well. There is a little bit of nose rocker on the front (not as much as in years past), which helps it for surfing and downriver paddling (easier turning). Because the board has less rocker, it is also a bit faster on the flats.
  The pin tail makes paddling this board a lot of fun, and the 35" wide mid section creates lots of stability.
  The slight nose rocker makes the Whopper a solid contender for river surfing and downriver paddling. The rocker is slight enough where it is still plenty fast on the flats.
• Awesome bag, and a great pump This years Starboard Astro Whopper Deluxe 10' comes with a really nice travel bag. It has a plastic bottom and wheels, which makes it easy to transport for longer distances. It's also an oversize bag, which is VERY refreshing. Gone are the days of having a 15" wide board (when rolled up) and a 14" wide bag. The entire bag unzips, and can also become a back pack. The pump is really easy to use. It was easily capable of inflating 18 psi into the board. It also has an inflate / deflate mode, which is nice for rolling the board up at the end of a paddle session. A board that has been deflated with a pump will roll up to be much smaller than one that has been deflated without the use of a pump - that extra bit of air that remains in the board makes a HUGE difference. Last, there is a repair kit with patch material, and some tools to help replace a valve.
  What you see is what you get -
  Finally! The bag is big enough for the board, pump, a paddle and some gear!
  

Who Should Consider Looking At The Starboard Astro Whopper? The 2016 Starboard Astro Whopper does a lot of things very well, which means that it would make a great inflatable SUP for families who want to have one board for everything. It's efficient and fun to paddle on flatwater, it paddles rivers well, it'll surf as well as any 10' inflatable SUP out there, and will last many years due to the high quality construction. As with all inflatable SUP's, the 2016 Starboard Astro Whopper is ultra portable. With the included travel bag, you'll be able to travel to far and away places with your new board, as well as store it in a small apartment in the off season. CKS has been stocking and selling these boards for about 4 years now - there is a very good reason that this is the most popular inflatable SUP that we have ever sold.