The Bluefin Cruise is one of the most sold boards.
The model was so successful that the British manufacturer launched it on the market in several new variants.
In addition to a SUP board for children (Bluefin Cruise Junior), a board for two people (Bluefin Cruise Tandem), there is also the Bluefin Cruise Carbon.
In addition to the very good workmanship and the extensive scope of delivery, the Bluefin Cruise Carbon convinces especially with the extremely rigid construction and the upgraded accessories.
The board is delivered together with all the basic equipment. It is best suited for beginners who still lack the equipment, and for advanced sailors who want to upgrade to a really good SUP board with very high quality accessories.
Considering the long warranty period of five years and the high-quality accessories, the price-performance ratio of the Bluefin Cruise Carbon is top. With the extra stiff construction due to the additional carbon layer and the two separate air chambers, the Cruise Carbon offers top riding characteristics.
The Bluefin Cruise Carbon is one of the stiffest paddleboards in the world. It is more expensive than the normal Bluefin Cruise, but offers more in terms of stiffness, the included equipment and has more features. With its weight it is not the best model for transport, but on the water this inflatable SUP board is as close to a hardboard as you can get.
In this Bluefin Cruise Carbon review, we’re looking at the Bluefin Cruise Carbon 10’8 and the Bluefin Cruise Carbon 12. Both boards are among the best inflatable SUP boards around.
The Cruise Carbon 10’8 is a 325 cm all-rounder that is well suited for a variety of uses, while the Bluefin Cruise Carbon 12 is best suited for longer tours and trips with two adults on the board.
Comparing these two boards, the Bluefin Cruise Carbon 10’8 is the better choice for most paddlers. The Allround SUP Board can be used in many ways.
With the sporty design, it is also suitable for touring. However, the Bluefin Cruise Carbon 12, which is about 40cm longer, has more directional stability and is therefore even better suited for long tours. With a slightly higher payload, the board is also a better choice for trips with two adults.
This Bluefin Cruise Carbon review is also about the question whether the upgrade from the normal Bluefin Cruise to the Bluefin Cruise Carbon is worth it at all.
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About the board
The Bluefin Cruise Carbon 10’8 is a 325 cm long and 82.5 cm wide all-round board best suited for cruising canals, lakes, rivers and waters with small to medium waves. For long tours, it is better to choose the 362 cm long and also 82.5 cm wide Bluefin Cruise Carbon 12′.
With a thickness of 15 cm and 16 cm respectively, both boards are quite thick. This has the advantage that more air fits into these boards than into boards that are only 4 inches (10 cm) or 5 inches (12.5 cm) thick. This provides more lift, more robustness and a higher payload.
Weighing 15.6 kilograms and about 17 kilograms, the two boards are not light. The reason for the comparatively high weight is the additional carbon layer, which provides the extreme stiffness of the board and also better protects the board from damage.
The Bluefin Cruise Carbon is one of the stiffest paddleboards in the world. It is more expensive than the normal Bluefin Cruise, but offers more in terms of stiffness, the included equipment and has more features. With its weight it is not the best model for transport, but on the water this inflatable SUP board is as close to a hardboard as you can get.
One convenient thing is that included is a very high quality backpack with wheels. At the back and shoulder straps, this is also very well padded. The off-road capable casters also make a good impression. This makes the transport of the board very easy and comfortable.
The top of the Bluefin Cruise Carbon is largely equipped with an EVA deckpad. The non-slip coating provides a secure stand even with water on the board. This model uses a crocodile cover pad. With the deep profile, this is particularly grippy.
One very interesting thing is the kickpad at the back of the deckpad. By shifting weight onto the kickpad with one foot, the board can be easily lifted out of the water. This allows particularly fast turns on the spot.
For advanced paddlers, a kickpad is a great thing. For beginners, this technique is often still a bit challenging, but with practice and a feel for the SUP, it can be learned quickly.
The Bluefin Cruise Carbon also has a total of 14 D-rings. These can be used to attach a kayak seat (included) or other equipment.
A luggage net is attached to the front and rear of the board, which can be used, for example, to take a drybag with you on tour.
In the middle of the board is a handle. This one feels pleasant to the touch. In addition, it is convenient that the central carrying handle can also be used as a paddle holder.
Furthermore, there are a total of four more carrying handles at the front and back, as well as on the sides. With the help of these, the Bluefin Cruise Carbon can also be carried by several people. With the rather high weight of the board, this is very practical.
At the front of the board there is also a mount for action cams. This is compatible with all popular manufacturers.
The Bluefin Cruise Carbon is one of the stiffest paddleboards in the world. It is more expensive than the normal Bluefin Cruise, but offers more in terms of stiffness, the included equipment and has more features. With its weight it is not the best model for transport, but on the water this inflatable SUP board is as close to a hardboard as you can get.
Processing and quality
Qualitatively, the board belongs to the top class. The Bluefin Cruise Carbon is very well made. Apart from the slight plastic smell after unpacking, there are no flaws.
The board forms a smooth surface despite the design with two chambers. When both chambers are fully inflated, it is no longer possible to determine where the transition between the two air chambers is located.
The shell of the Bluefin Cruise is also already very sturdy, but the Cruise Carbon is even stiffer. The additional carbon layer significantly strengthens the board. Overall, the board looks like it will last a very long time. This also makes sense when even the manufacturer offers a five-year warranty.
In the manufacture was used dropstitch method. In this process, two PVC layers were bonded together. The production process is that of today’s standard.
In addition, the manufacturer states that the Bluefin Cruise Carbon uses the densest dropstitch process among all SUP board manufacturers, which, along with the robust dual air chamber construction and the additional carbon layer on the edges, provides the extreme stiffness.
The Bluefin Cruise Carbon’s casing is built very sturdily. In tests, these withstood up to 28 PSI. At the air pressure of almost two bar, the vast majority of other boards give way. However, the recommended air pressure for the Cruise Carbon is 12 to 15 PSI, which provides high buoyancy as well as plenty of stiffness and is also noticeable on the water.
In our Bluefin Cruise Carbon test, the board gives very little. Currently, the board is one of the stiffest inflatable SUP boards around. The stiffness makes itself very positively felt on the water.
With the maximum load capacity of 130 kilograms (Bluefin Cruise Carbon 10’8) and 140 kilograms (Bluefin Cruise Carbon 12) respectively, the boards are also suitable for heavier paddlers, trips with a child or SUP with a dog. Those planning tours with two adults on the board should go for the Cruise Carbon 12 because of the higher payload.
One very positive thing is the five-year warranty that Bluefin offers on the boards. The warranty period is much longer than other manufacturers. As a rule, these offer a warranty of only one to two years.
The long warranty is a great sign of confidence in their own products and due to the extremely robust construction, it can also be assumed that the Bluefin Cruise Carbon will really last a long time.
The Bluefin Cruise Carbon is one of the stiffest paddleboards in the world. It is more expensive than the normal Bluefin Cruise, but offers more in terms of stiffness, the included equipment and has more features. With its weight it is not the best model for transport, but on the water this inflatable SUP board is as close to a hardboard as you can get.
Driving characteristics
The Bluefin Cruise Carbon offers a good level of tip stability, but is built much sportier than most all-around boards. The tapered tip of the board reduces water resistance, which allows building higher speeds.
With the extreme hardness and the sporty design, the Bluefin Cruise Carbon is very well suited for touring. In a direct comparison of the two different sizes, the Bluefin Cruise Carbon 12 is even better suited for long tours. With the more elongated shape, the board has more tracking.
This is advantageous for longer trips because it means that the paddle side has to be changed less often. This makes it possible to build up higher speeds.
The design with three fins gives the board further tilt stability. On the Bluefin Cruise Carbon, the two side fins are fixed. Only the main fin is removable. Unlike the normal Cruise, the Cruise Carbon uses the US fin box system.
The advantage of this system is the high number of available fins and also the fin can be placed further back or in the front of the fin box, as desired. In this way, you can experiment with different fins and also with the position of the fin.
However, the assembly of the fin takes a little longer with this system. With practice, the SUP fin can be brought down in 30 to 45 seconds.
Attachment thus takes longer than with the normal Bluefin Cruise, which uses the Smart-Lock fin system. In addition, the US fin box system requires a fin plate to mount the fin, which can quickly get lost.
One advantage compared to the Bluefin Cruise is that the tip of the board is bent up a bit more on the Cruise Carbon. The so-called Noserocker ensures that the board does not dive into every wave, but glides better over the water. The Bluefin Cruise Carbon therefore also copes well with smaller waves.
The best thing about the Bluefin Cruise Carbon, however, are the extremely hard edges, which, among other things, allow faster turns. The ride feel of the Cruise Carbon is much closer to that of rigid SUP boards than other inflatable SUP boards.
A detailed comparison between the Bluefin Cruise and the Bluefin Cruise Carbon can be found here in video form
… or here at stand-up-paddling.org.
The Bluefin Cruise Carbon is one of the stiffest paddleboards in the world. It is more expensive than the normal Bluefin Cruise, but offers more in terms of stiffness, the included equipment and has more features. With its weight it is not the best model for transport, but on the water this inflatable SUP board is as close to a hardboard as you can get.
Accessories
The scope of delivery of the Bluefin Cruise Carbon is very extensive. The board is delivered together with all the basic equipment. Included in the supplied set are a backpack, kayak seat, paddle, leash, instruction manual, repair kit, waterproof cell phone case and air pump.
The included accessories are very high quality. For this reason, the set is also suitable for advanced paddlers who want to upgrade their old equipment. If purchased separately, the included accessories would cost more than 300€.
Also, Bluefin has special promotions from time to time where there are additional accessories with the purchase of a board. When ordering via the manufacturer’s website, you can then get a better air pump or an action cam for free, for example.
Paddle
Included is a paddle with a carbon shaft. This weighs less than the fiberglass paddle included with the Bluefin Cruise and less than most paddles from other sets. The workmanship makes a good impression. The paddle looks very high quality.
With the lighter weight, paddles made of fiberglass or carbon are popular with beginners and advanced users. One advantage of Bluefin paddles is that they are buoyant. Many inexpensive SUP boards, on the other hand, include heavy aluminum paddles that can’t even float.
The three-piece paddle that comes with the Bluefin Cruise Carbon is height adjustable and can be converted to a double paddle with a second paddle blade. The extra paddle blade is already included. In this way, the Cruise Carbon can also be used as a kayak.
Air pump
The Cruise Carbon is delivered together with a triple action SUP air pump. The pump has two cylinders, which means that a lot of air can be pumped into the board quickly, especially in the beginning. A total of three different modes can be set: Double stroke mode with both cylinders, single stroke mode with both cylinders and single stroke mode with one cylinder.
It is best to use the double stroke mode at the beginning, where both cylinders are used, and then gradually switch down to the other modes. Using this technique, I had the board inflated to the recommended 15 PSI in just six minutes with the two separate air chambers.
The air pump makes a very good impression in terms of quality. Meanwhile, we use them to inflate all our SUP boards.
Backpack
The included backpack is very spacious. In this can be stowed the rolled SUP board and all the accessories. The very well made backpack can be used for other purposes and looks like it will last for a long time.
On the one hand, the straps fastened inside the backpack stand out positively. With these, the board can be fixed so that the weight is close to the body when wearing the backpack and the backpack does not pull too much back.
Secondly, the shoulder straps and also the back area are extremely well padded. This makes for a lot of comfort, but is also necessary given the Bluefin Cruise Carbon’s rather high weight. And further is particularly convenient that the included SUP backpack is equipped with wheels suitable for off-road use. Even longer walks to the water are therefore no problem.
Other accessories
- Leash: The leash is a tether that attaches to the ankle and one of the rear D-rings. In case of a fall into the water, the included Coiled SUP Leash prevents the board from floating away.
- Kayak seat: The kayak seat can be attached to four central D-rings. With the included kayak seat and double paddle, the Bluefin Cruise Carbon can be used as a kayak without additional purchases.
- Repair kit: The repair kit includes several PVC patches that have been matched to the color of the deck.
- Instruction manual: The included instruction manual briefly explains how to set up the SUP.
- Waterproof Cell Phone Case: The included waterproof cell phone case can be used to stow your smartphone for the best protection from the water during a SUP trip.
- Fin: The removable fin is attached to the board using the US fin box system.
Conclusion
The Bluefin Cruise Carbon is one of the best SUP boards. With the very good workmanship, the extremely robust construction, the high-quality accessories, which are significantly better than many inexpensive SUP boards, and the extensive scope of delivery, the board could convince us.
For touring riders and riding at higher speeds, the Bluefin Cruise Carbon is the right choice.
The surcharge compared to the normal Bluefin Cruise is steep, but is well justified by the better accessories (triple action air pump instead of double action, paddle with carbon shaft instead of fiberglass shaft and backpack with wheels instead of normal backpack), the additional features on the board (extra luggage net, US inner box system, additional D-rings and more carrying handles) and the even better riding characteristics due to the stiffer construction with the two air chambers and the extra carbon layer.
The Bluefin Cruise Carbon is one of the stiffest paddleboards in the world. It is more expensive than the normal Bluefin Cruise, but offers more in terms of stiffness, the included equipment and has more features. With its weight it is not the best model for transport, but on the water this inflatable SUP board is as close to a hardboard as you can get.
For the average beginner, the regular Bluefin Cruise 10’8 remains the better choice. On the other hand, the Bluefin Cruise Carbon is very interesting for advanced users who are primarily concerned with performance.
With its sporty construction, the Bluefin Cruise Carbon 10’8 all-round board is also a good choice for touring. Those who usually travel longer distances or plan trips with two adults should rather go for the Bluefin Cruise Carbon 12.
The Bluefin Cruise Carbon is definitely not a cheap SUP, but considering the high-quality construction, the extensive scope of delivery, the high-quality accessories, the very long warranty of five years as well as the numerous features of the board (two air chambers, kickpad, etc.), the price is reasonable.
While other manufacturers save massively on the quality of the board and especially the accessories, the Bluefin Cruise Carbon can easily keep up with expensive boards of well-known brands, which are all priced in the four-digit range.
