A review on the Jobe Bamboo 12.6
27 november 2015
The guys and girls from
UK SUPmagazine tried out our Jobe Bamboo 12.6 SUP. Have a look at the review that SUP tester: Anne Egan wrote.
Review by Anne Egan
The 12.6ft is a touring free ride (read: all comers) board with an attractive and classy look. It doesn’t have that locked in race feel of some but does steer well and delivers a lively experience without losing any straight line speed and glide. As a light rider, without much experience, I found that my position on the board needed to be adjusted to improve the tracking – trimming correctly is key. Having moved to a more forwards paddling position you can relax into a rhythm that requires less effort. Heavier paddles will need to find their own sweet spot.
Our wider SUPM test team found the board loves chop and swell (bumps) which makes it a great moderate breeze downwinder and coastal cruising board. My experience was on the calm River Ouse where I enjoyed the stability and relaxing nature of the board. I appreciated the light weight in particular – at 11.2kg it’s manageable to carry and lift on and off my vehicle.
The square tail and flat bottom allows the board to surf and glide easily without tail steering while the cut out deck drains water quickly and lowers your centre of gravity making it comfortable and stable. The Jobe comes with bungee lashing for storage fore and aft and even a fixing point for a GoPro or similar action camera. I particularly liked the elongated decking for those moments when you just sit and relax and soak up the atmosphere.
Rounded rails, flat deck and volume of 207 L means it sits lower in the water than many and therefore has low wind resistance (windage). This makes it easy to use for la variety of paddlers (especially in typical UK condiions) including lighter riders and ladies, as well as bigger men.
CONCLUSION
Offering decent performance on the flat really finding its niche in open water Jobe’s 12.6ft Bamboo Tourer is a lively vehicle for those stepping up from an all round SUP and looking for something more attention grabbing. At £1149 it’s not the cheapest but the Bamboo Tourer will give you back buckets in performance and pleasure and is therefore worth every penny.
