RRD MEGAIR SUP 16’5
RRD MEGAIR SUP 16’5 TEST REVIEW
Verdict:
A surreal show stopper of a board, even by monster sup standards. Like the bumblebee and big jet planes it shouldn’t work, but in real life it’s simply awesome and provides endless riding possibilities. Bigger than its dimensions suggest, with a bit of weight on it becomes insanely stable yet turns on a sixpence. Ridiculous fun on flat water and really comes alive in the rough stuff.
Overview:
Looking like Godzilla’s swallow tail shortboard (it’s labelled up as 6’2 wide, but actually closer to 7’) the MegairSUP is possibly the biggest thing on the water. The expansive deck is clad in a soft deck pad – essential as various parts of your body will come into contact with it. There are no fins (big enough fins don’t exist), but you get two leash points, nine carry handles, a tow ring and two inflation points. Pumping up is mercifully painless – 14psi takes two people 8 minutes and the encircling Dyneema belt ensure perfect rigidity.
Brand Claim:
The MEGAIRSUP is designed and built to ride with 6-10 paddlers on. Its enormous size make it a real boat to be powered by paddle strokes. Use it on the waves to surprisingly exhilarating rides and endless challenges with lots of friends on its deck.
Performance:
We rode this leviathan with between 2 and 11 people in lots of different sea states. The sheer size of it means you don’t fall off of it unless you stuff it in the surf so all your effort goes into powering it along. The nose rocker is quite flat so hammering into winds is not an issue, but you do need to actively balance your crew after picking up steeper waves to keep the nose up. It’s insanely solid in the water; ploughing through waves and bashing chop out of the way without losing momentum and it’s possible to take less experienced people into sea states they’d never be comfortable in on their own. Steering is surprisingly light and quick; sweep strokes whip it around and it responds nicely to rudder in the surf. Surf riding is exhausting, like a crossfit workout, but so filled with stoke and laughter that everything else suddenly looks a bit boring. We took an RAF team out on it in 3ft surf and they instantly decided to order two. If you’ve got a centre, large family, a club, or a lot of mates and want a massive board, this is it. You are depriving yourself everyday that you do not have one of these in your gear shed – just try one!