A guide to fins on Red Paddle inflatable paddle boards

There are 3 basic types of fins Red Paddle Co uses on their stand up inflatable paddle boards. All fins are matched to the board style and use case scenario. John from Red Paddle Co inflatable paddle boards walks us through the differences and benefits of each style of fin system.

At Red Paddle Co, we have three different types of fins.

First one is what we call a US box. This is a removable fin system and is attached using a nut and bolt system. Quick and easy to do with your hand, you don’t need any screwdrivers or tools. The advantage of this type of fin is, it generally keeps your board going straighter, so it’s great on touring boards and racing boards.

The next type of fin is the Red Paddle Co iFin system. Now depending on which board you have, they’re going to be three or two of these on your board.

The iFins are basically indestructible. You can drive your car over the top of your board and the fins will just bend and then flex back again. So they’re great as an all-round fin for family use and just for boards that you can just forget about and just paddle without worrying about whether have you remembered your fin. Have you remembered your nut and bolt?

Then we have the Red Paddle Co Click Fin system. It is actually a little bit of a mixture of these two types of fins. They are removable, but extremely strong. They work by being put into the board and pushed back and secured either with bolts or a pin. This fin system is great for Compact boards, for boards that need to be rolled up extremely small. They are still super durable as well.

So removable fin system, the US box is great for touring and racing. iFin system is great for family and all-round use. And the Click fin for ultimate compactability on the compact boards

More details on the inflatable SUP paddle board fin types

US Fin Box

US Box Fins originated in the surfing world where they are widely trusted to do a great job. A number of Red Paddle Co boards use them, including all of the Elite race boards, Voyagers, Sports, Whip, Wild, Dragon, as well as the Windsurf board. Red Paddle Co use several different types of fin depending on the board. These fins are inserted after inflation and are simply attached using a nut and bolt system.

Twin iFins

Many boards in the Red Paddle Co range come with built-in fins – the high-performance iFin system. With moulded fins you don’t need any tools, replacements or spares. They are specially designed to be ultra-durable and easy to pack away for transport. If they ever bend out of shape during storage or use, it is extremely easy to set them straight again, simply pour hot water over the fins and reshape them by hand.

On the 2022 models, the iFins are now in a twin fin configuration with reinforced base. This allows for easier roll up of the board, but you don’t sacrifice any tracking or grip because the fins are now larger than previous years. They are deeper, 4.5″ up from 4″, and with a wider 6″ base so you get the same performance as the older fins in a 3 fin or thruster configuration, but with much easier roll up now. If you didn’t look, you wouldn’t notice as there is no on water performance difference.

Click Fins

Compact boards: The fins use a simple click fin system with a secondary pin for added security. The two offset fin boxes themselves are also compatible with standard FCS fins, so you can customise the feel of your board on the water.