Unlock your freedom: focus on stand up paddle board touring and adventure SUP.

There are some people who like being on busy beaches, close to fish and chip cafes and coffee shops. There are others who like to get away from the crowds, who like to seek out their own hidden beaches and coves, to get close to nature, and escape. Some people even dabble with a bit of naturism, letting it all hang free when away from the crowds.

If you’re more like exhibit B, then our Go Explore touring board range is perfect for you.

McConks are explorers too, and we’ve designed the perfect stand up paddle board for day and multi day trips (or just messing about on the water, after all a touring SUP makes a good all round paddle craft as well). But we didn’t just use our experience. We’ve also spoken to lots of paddlers to really understand what makes a perfect inflatable paddle board for families, day travellers and watermen/women, and used this to set new standards for our touring iSUP boards.

With front and back storage, and additional lashing points there is ample space on this paddle board to take day bags or even multi day expedition kit. And in fact, we have more than one touring SUP option – as can be seen with the products on this very page.

We’ve redefined lightweight touring inflatable paddle boards with our enhanced Dropstitch. This uses the latest fusion polymer technology to reduce the weight of the paddle board compared to competitors, but still provide a solid rigid platform for comfortable long distance paddling.

Focus on SUP board carry handles

When you’re trying to launch or land your board on a rocky foreshore with an overhead shoredump trying to smash your board and your kit to smithereens, you need strong handles, in the right place. And lots of them. The Go Explore has 6 handles just where you need them to secure the board in swell and to quickly launch or lift the board. The handles are triple reinforced to withstand the worst that the seas can throw at you, and the front and back handles have reinforced D rings to connect your leash or toe lines.

Two of the handles also double as paddle gloves to keep your paddle secure. We’ve found this really useful for Yoga, to keep the paddle secure when having a picnic or relaxing break afloat, or to store a kayak paddle.

Focus on SUP fins

Fins are the key piece of kit that keep your stand up paddle board on the straight and narrow, and the placement of the fin boxes and the type of fin have a significant impact on the performance of the board. The shape (or foil) of the fins themselves, and the position of the centre fin in the centre box all have an impact on performance.

Different days with different conditions might require different fin set ups. That’s why we think having removable fins isn’t just a nice to have, but essential. And we have spent a lot of time testing different fin types, box locations and setups to get the optimum combination.

The centre box is a typical Air7” box found on most high end inflatable SUP. This box is a standard US centre box, and allows flexibility in both fin and fin location. The fin that we provide with the Go Explore is a great all rounder. However, you can switch it our for specialist fins that are optimised for speed, for weed shedding, or catching bumps. And with the Air7 box, you can move the fin forward to make the tail looser, or slide it back to tighten up your tail.

The side fins use the leading FCS system. Like the US centre box system, the FCS system has served the test of time and has lasted through many cycles of faddish fashion. FCS is here to stay, and that means you will always be able to get replacement or performance fins to pimp your ride. The fins provided with the Go Explore board are click fit flexi fins. The click fit means that you don’t need to carry an FCS key around with you to fit or remove your fins. And the flexi fin means that the fins don’t shear off the first time you slide across a reef.

And the benefit of a 2+1 arrangement means that you can ride thruster, single fin or twin based on the conditions you find yourself in.

Focus on on board SUP storage

Whether you’re on a day trip with the kids, or on a multiday wild camping adventure, secure storage is important. You need to know that your kit isn’t going to slide around and escape if you get caught in rough seas. And it needs to stay in place when you’re dropping the board in, or retrieving it from that aforementioned shore dump.

So we started from the bottom up when thinking about storage. We’ve included two storage areas, the forward one for serious kit storage, and the aft storage in easy reach. The position of the forward storage on the board has been carefully designed so that it counterbalances the rider’s weight, and helps keep a perfect trim when fully loaded. And you can be assured that the kit you put here will stay there all day without worry. The 6 double reinforced stainless steel D Rings hold the 8mm bungee cord secure, and the non slip deck strips mean that your kit stays rooted to the board.

Focus on stand up paddle board shape

The Go Explore just wants to go fast, and in a straight line. With the displacement nose and slight nose rocker to cut through chop, this board just eats up the miles, and loves being on open water. It’s subtle nose rocker just lifts the nose enough to prevent undue drag in heavy seas, but in general the bottom of the board has a planer surface that glides evenly through the water.

The shape of the board was designed using 3D modelling techniques to give the truest lines and to maximise glide. Testing the prototype on a paddle challenge around Malta has allowed us to make subtle changes to the design, and we believe that this board is the best expedition iSUP on the market.

More about SUP rocker can be found with these two articles –

All about rocker.

Off ya rocker.

If you have any more questions about any of the McConks range of stand up paddle board then contact unlockmyfreedom@mcconks.com

You can find out more about adventure SUP here –

Adventure Paddleboarding