Installing Forward Flex Control on Red Paddle Co Elite SUPs

Innovation

Constantly raising the bar, Red Paddle Co have introduced yet another unique, exclusive and patented technology to their inflatable paddle boards. We first announced the Forward Flex Control or FFC in mid August. Featured on the race specific 12’6″ Elite and 14′ Elite racing boards, FFC is design to give the board extra rigidity to cope with the intense pressures of competition. It is primarily a stiffening rod that works in combination with the RSS battens to deliver a more rigid ride. The 2 part carbon rod is inserted before fully inflating the board completely by clipping it into the mounting base on the nose and locking it into the standing area EVA deck base with the red lever that puts it under load. The rod then stabilises and therefore stiffens the forward section of the board and eliminates almost all the flex in the nose.

There is a T shape fitting on the end of the Forward Flex Control rod which can be screwed out to tune or trim the board for the conditions. Intense flat water racing or heavier paddlers and you may want the nose flattened out and under more load, while in rougher water or with lighter paddlers, you may want to ease off the FFC compression load for a more forgiving rocker.

The nose mounted base for the end of the FFC rod also functions in the same fashion as the nose runner fin to shed water off the nose and to keep it above the water, rather than burying into chop and backs of waves.