McConks touring paddle boards have been updated for 2024. If you haven’t already seen the 2024 range of McConks paddle boards you can see all those products here. For this article, however, we’ll be looking at the differences between the GT, T and ST types of touring SUP.
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2024 McConks Go Wild 11i x6 | whitewater touring paddle board
From: £450.00 -
McConks Go Explore 11’4 Sports Tourer (ST) iSUP paddle board | Ultimate adventure SUP board
From:£590.99Original price was: £590.99.£325.00Current price is: £325.00. -
McConks Go Explore 11’4 Tourer (T) iSUP paddle board | Ultimate adventure SUP board
From:£610.99Original price was: £610.99.£350.00Current price is: £350.00. -
McConks Go Explore 11’4i Grande Tourer (GT) inflatable touring paddle board | The ultimate adventure SUP board
From:£590.99Original price was: £590.99.£375.00Current price is: £375.00. -
McConks Go Explore 12’8 Sports Tourer (ST) iSUP paddle board | Ultimate adventure SUP board
From:£590.99Original price was: £590.99.£325.00Current price is: £325.00. -
McConks Go Explore 12’8 Tourer (T) iSUP paddle board | The ultimate adventure SUP board
From:£615.99Original price was: £615.99.£350.00Current price is: £350.00. -
McConks Go Explore 12’8i Grande Tourer (GT) inflatable touring paddle board | The ultimate adventure SUP board
From:£610.99Original price was: £610.99.£375.00Current price is: £375.00. -
McConks Go Explore 14′ Sports Tourer (ST) iSUP paddle board | Ultimate adventure SUP board – preorder for Late Spring 2025
From:£690.99Original price was: £690.99.£450.00Current price is: £450.00. -
McConks Go Explore 14′ Tourer (T) iSUP paddle board | Ultimate adventure SUP board
From:£640.99Original price was: £640.99.£350.00Current price is: £350.00.
Table of Contents
1. What are McConks touring paddle boards?
McConks touring paddle boards – as with all touring SUPs in general – are the next step on in terms of stand up boards for most riders. Having gotten to grips with SUP skills aboard an all rounder touring SUPs are the next level in terms of performance. However, it should be noted that you can still do the same kind of paddling you would on a touring board with your trusty 10’6.
Efficiency is the anime of the game with McConks touring paddle boards. The shape is more elongated and pulled out. A pointier nose is perhaps the most striking feature. The tail is also often narrower – but not always. Touring SUPs are also designed to carry more stuff. But not to the detriment of efficiency. Speed, tracking and glide are all improved with this style of paddle board. Even when your essentials are lashed to the deck. Essentially a touring SUP is optimised for adventure. In fact, here at McConks, we tend to refer to this type of paddling as adventure SUP. Touring paddle boards simply allow adventure SUP in a more performance-oriented way.
2. When should I buy a touring paddle board?
If you’ve mastered the basic foundational skills of paddle boarding and are a confident rider then you may fancy swapping your standard 10’6 for something between 11’ and 14’. For anyone still taking a few dunkings and not used to paddling distances (short or long) we’d suggest sticking with your all rounder until you’ve dialled in those skills a bit more.
That said, we know a few paddlers who learnt to SUP atop a touring board. Some are very capable as beginner boards. You may just have to work harder to pilot them. Being longer means they can require a larger turning circle. Unless you’re adept at tail sink pivot turns. Narrower widths mightn’t make stability as guaranteed as an all round stand up paddle board either. As soon as you’re ready to explore and head off on adventures a touring SUP may be the way to go.
3. The three types of McConks touring paddle boards to choose from.
Within each area of stand up paddle boarding you’ll often find a drilled down granulated range of gear to choose from. We appreciate this can sometimes be confusing. However, once you get your head around what you’re looking at, relative to your own individual wants and needs, it should become clearer.
In a nutshell, the three types of touring paddle board McConks offers are as follows –
- GT – Grand Tourer
- T – Tourer
- ST – Sports Tourer
4. McConks Grand Tourer (GT) stand up paddle boards.
If you want the ultimate McConks touring SUP these are the models you want to be looking at. Maximum stability, rigidity and carrying capacity are design features to note. McConks GT touring paddle boards are hyper efficient with an emphasis on glide and better speed than the previous 2023 model. They’re also great for heavier riders and load carrying.
McConks GT touring boards come in three sizes to accommodate different paddlers and scenarios –
McConks Go Explore 11’4i Grande Tourer (GT) inflatable touring paddle board | The ultimate adventure SUP board
McConks Go Explore 12’8i Grande Tourer (GT) inflatable touring paddle board | The ultimate adventure SUP board
McConks Go Explore 14i Grande Tourer (GT) inflatable touring paddle board | The ultimate adventure SUP board
5. Mcconks Tourer (T) paddle boards.
McConks Tourer paddle boards have been designed to be more compact than its bigger GT siblings. They’re a great choice for slightly less hardcore adventure paddling and all round SUPing. Have no fear, however, as Tourer boards can still carry plenty of gear and have tiptop performance.
McConks T touring boards come in three sizes to accommodate different paddlers and scenarios –
McConks Go Explore 11’4 Tourer (T) iSUP paddle board | Ultimate adventure SUP board
McConks Go Explore 12’8 Tourer (T) iSUP paddle board | The ultimate adventure SUP board
McConks Go Explore 14′ Tourer (T) iSUP paddle board | Ultimate adventure SUP board
6. McConks Sports Tourer (ST) boards.
Sports Tourer SUP boards are a good choice for riders who want additional manoeuvrability and nimble feel. These are slightly narrower than the aforementioned paddle boards. And only comes in two sizes. They feature a speed release tail for rapid paddling. They’re a good option for riders paddling in chop or swell or shallow river environments. If you frequent moving water venues the ST range is worth a look.
McConks Go Explore 11’4 Sports Tourer (ST) iSUP paddle board | Ultimate adventure SUP board
McConks Go Explore 12’8 Sports Tourer (ST) iSUP paddle board | Ultimate adventure SUP board
Summing up.
Hopefully, this article gives a little insight about the McCOnks range of touring SUP boards. As always, however, if you have any questions about any of our products please drop us an email via sh**@mc*****.com Or message us via the McConks Facebook or Instagram feeds.
And for the full range of McConks stand up paddle boarding and outdoor adventure gear head over to the online shop here.
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