Review: Bounce SUP 10’6″ Multi-Purpose

Summary: The Bounce 10’6″ Multi-Purpose is truly the “Swiss army knife of stand up paddleboards.” It is a capable board in many different environments, but like any jack-of-all-trades this board is also master-of-none. Continue reading for the detailed review…

Erin Livingston paddling into 8 Foot rapid on the Upper San Juan

Dimensions:

10’6″x31.5″x4.5″

Volume:

210L

Benjamin Smith running Ledge rapid on the Upper San Juan

In depth review: The BounceSUP 10’6″ Multi-Purpose is one of the few boards that can run whitewater, cruise lakes, and surf in both the ocean and river with decent performance. This is due to its all-around, 10’6″ traditional shape, and its extremely durable construction. The drawback of being an all-around board, is that it is rarely the best performing board for a given situation.

In whitewater, the Thermal Composite Technology (fiberglass woven into a plastic resin) makes the board nearly indestructible. I haven’t dented or dinged this board from my many sessions on the river. It is as durable as any whitewater, roto-mold kayak and can be drug, scraped, and run over every rock in the river without real damage.

Running the Eye of the Needle rapid on the Upper Colorado

Unfortunately, the traditional SUP shape isn’t the best for running rivers. It can handle easier whitewater, but it requires extra attention when crossing eddy lines or ferrying across the current. The biggest problem is that the ocean surf inspired rails tend to catch the current easier (and when you don’t want them to) than 6″ thick inflatables or whitewater specific hard boards.

From a river surf standpoint, the 10’6″ Multi-Purpose works best on large river waves. It can be surfed on smaller holes, but it requires standing way back on the board which makes it very unstable. When compared to other river surfing boards (even on large river waves), the 10’6″ feels like a bit of a barge… large and heavy. Again, the durability of the board is a huge benefit when river surfing, allowing you to stop worrying about getting dings in the river.

Benjamin Smith surfing the Colorado River at Glenwood Springs

On flat water the 10’6″ works great. It’s fast, stable, and easy to paddle. I don’t do much flat water touring, but from what I’ve done I feel like the Bounce 10’6″ is just as good as any other 10-ish-foot board out there. It also makes for a good fishing platform.

Cody Lane fishing at Left Hand Reservoir

On the ocean, the Bounce can surf smaller, mushier waves. It also is a great platform for learning; I had a friend catch a bunch of waves on the board his first day out. In bigger surf with steeper waves, the 10’6″ is harder to handle. There are many lighter and higher performing boards out there that surf better when the waves are good.

Surfing a small day at Morro Bay

The only real issue I’ve had with the 10’6″ Multi-Purpose is a crease I put in the nose after taking it out on a heavy day in the ocean. A wave pushed the board into the sand while taco-ing the board on itself. The result was a small crease across the nose of the board.

The only real damage I’ve managed to do to the Bounce SUP after lots of abuse

I called up Bounce SUP in California where they do all of their research, design, and even manufacturing. Turns out fixing Bounce boards is easy. I used a widely available two-part epoxy to re-glue the outer shell back flat to the foam core.

Bounce SUP, one of the few SUP brands that are actually made in the USA

If you are the type of person who must have the best board for the given environment and conditions, then the Bounce SUP 10’6″ probably isn’t the board for you. If you want one board that will work almost everywhere, then this is a good option. Also if you’re just starting out with SUP and you aren’t sure where you will progress to, the Bounce SUP 10’6″ gives you the ability to take your board into a variety of environments as you explore and try new things.