iRocker All Around 11 Ultra Inflatable SUP – Test and Review

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Updated April 9th, 2024

The iRocker All Around 11 is one of my favorite inflatable SUPs and one of the most popular paddleboards out there. It handles great, tracks great, is stable enough for beginners, and comes with a great set of accessories. Not content with just sitting on their success, iRocker introduced the Ultra series boards. Among them was the iRocker All Around 11 Ultra.

The Ultra boards are designed to fit into a bag half the size of normal so they can be taken places and stored much easier. How does the new iRocker All Around 11 Ultra stack up to the old iRocker All Around 11? Keep reading to find out.

Video Review

What sets the iRocker All Around 11 Ultra apart from the rest?

The new iRocker All Around 11 Ultra is a similar shape to the old All Around 11 board. It is designed to be a fast and fun board for larger or more athletic paddlers. It is an 11′ board that is 32 inches wide. It has a fairly wide tail section and carries its width for a good amount of the board. The new design has features allowing it to fold in half and fit into a much smaller bag than the old All Around 11 design.

iRocker says this about the design of the All Around 11 Ultra

“Lighter, longer and faster, the ALL AROUND 11′ ULTRA™ features a 32” width for improved stability while the 11′ length offers a seamless glide. New cross thread drop-stitch construction enhances rigidity and durability.

The ALL AROUND 11′ ULTRA™ is designed for confident beginners or experienced paddlers 5’9″ and above who love the thrill of speed. With a 290lbs. weight capacity, this board is best suited for solo riders or two smaller riders.

A long twin fin set makes for smooth tracking and fast, efficient paddling, while the stable 32″ width and lightweight 11′ base glides through the water at pace.”

https://www.irockersup.com/irocker-11-all-around-ultra/

We have previously tested the Blackfin Ultra CX and the iRocker Cruiser Ultra as well as the legacy All Around 11. I can say without a doubt the All Around 11 Ultra is my favorite among the new Ultras. It has that magic mix of stability with performance that makes for a board almost anyone can enjoy.

Price

The iRocker All Around Ultra is currently available for $599.99 directly from iRocker. You can also get it from Amazon for those who like shopping there.

Warranty

The iRocker AA11 Ultra has a 3 year warranty.

The iRocker All Around 11 Ultra vs the iRocker All Around 11

We have been using a legacy iRocker All Around 11 since the spring and love the board. We run a meetup with paddleboarding events and frequently have beginner and first time paddleboards out with us. The original All Around 11 is always the board that everyone wants to borrow. We have high expectations for anything from iRocker with the All Around 11 name on it.

See our review of the iRocker All Around 11 to learn more about the legacy AA11.

See the below images for some side by side comparisons between the old AA11 and new AA11 Ultra.

What has changed with the iRocker All Around 11 Ultra?

Let’s go through what is new.

The Ultra boards are designed to fit in a half size bag. The board has to fold in half lengthwise before rolling up to make this happen. The following changes are done to the board:

• Woven 2 layer construction
• The deck pad is split down the center and doesn’t extend under the front or rear bungee
• The center handle is offset to one side of the board
• 2 larger fins are used instead of the traditional 3 fin configuration
• The inflation valve is moved to the side so it’s not on the centerline
• There are no action mounts on the rear of the deck pad

There are some changes to the accessories as well

• The bag is smaller and has no wheels. It has a top opening configuration with zippers down 2 corners.
• No hand pump is included. You get an electric pump instead
• The paddle is changed to a 5 piece carbon adjustable paddle instead of 3 piece paddle. It still has a carbon shaft and nylon blade like the original.

Specs of the board and bag

They both are 11′ x 32″ x 6″ according to the published specs. We took a tape measure to the board and found the old iRocker All Around 11 to be 11′ x 32″ x 6″. We found the All Around 11 Ultra to be 11′ x 31″ x 6″. It looks like the board got an inch narrower.

The AA11 Ultra has a weight capacity of 290 lbs. The original All Around 11 had a weight capacity of 400 lbs.

The legacy All Around 11 weighs in at 26 lbs. The All Around Ultra weighs 21.4 lbs.

The bag dimensions for the Ultra are 10″ x 16″ x 21″ and the overall package weighs in at 33.3 lbs. The old iRocker All Around 11 bag was 36″ x 16″ x 12″ and weighs 44 lbs. The Ultra is quite a bit lighter carrying it up stairs and throwing it into the back of my car. The size and shape is less awkward to carry.

See the below table for a summary of the specs of the 2 boards.

Portability

The highlight of this package is the small lighter weight bag. It is small enough to fit in the front seat of a car. It will fit in the bottom of almost any closet. It is almost small enough to go as a carry on bag on a plane. The TSA does not allow paddles to be carried on so you still need to check it anyways.

The old All Around 11 bag is kind of a beast to carry around and it takes up a lot of trunk space. The new All Around Ultra 11 bag is easy to carry around and doesn’t take up much space. You don’t have to worry whether your tiny rental car or Uber will have enough room for it with the rest of your luggage.

The only drawback to the bag is it doesn’t have wheels. Some people will want them if they need to carry it a long distance. You can always use a luggage carrier to roll it around. It would have been nice if they made a wheel option like they do with the Nautical bag.

See our guide to the best portable paddle boards for other compact travel friendly SUPs.

Utility – Accessory mounts, handles, D-Rings and Bungees

The old All Around had a pair of action mounts in the rear of the deck pad that are missing on the new Ultra AA11. You still get the 2 action mounts at the front of the board. There is an action mount combined with a D-Ring at the far rear of the board opposite the air valve. The Ultra board becomes a bit less friendly for fishing because these are popular rod holder locations.

It still has enough action mounts for most other kinds of accessories. It has plenty of D-Rings around the front, middle and rear of the board to still work with seats. They both have the same bungee and handle configurations on the front and rear of the boards. The Ultra has its front handle right at the front. The original has its handle several inches back from the front with a D-Ring at the nose.

Board construction and board stiffness

We test every paddleboard we get by putting 120 lbs on the middle of the board while it rests on 2 supports that are 8 feet apart. In this test the AA11 Ultra deflected down 1.1 inches. The traditional AA11 deflected down 1.3 inches. We have yet to test a woven construction board that wasn’t on the stiff end of the spectrum. From a static test, the AA11 Ultra improves in overall stiffness from the old board.

On the water performance

The best thing about the old All Around 11 was how it performed on the water. It was just hard to find many faults with that stand up paddle board design. Does the new Ultra version capture the magic? The quick answer is yes, it does. It is still a fun board that almost anyone can paddle.

Stability

As we mentioned earlier, the AA11 Ultra got an inch narrower. This translates into the SUP board having a little less stability. We have had a bunch of people on both boards now to get an opinion. I think is a small change but noticeable. After 10-15 minutes of paddling, I really didn’t notice it anymore and felt as comfortable as I did on the old board.

My wife is much more unsure about standing on paddleboards and is not that skilled when it comes to balance. I would rate her as a very beginner paddleboarder. She felt the AA11 Ultra was less stable but was still able to stand up and paddle around on it.

We had another person try it out who had never been on the old or new AA11 and had never read anything to have any kind of opinion. He paddled both boards for a bit and thought they felt very similar. This paddler was an about 200 lb 6′ person.

My opinion on the boards stability after trying both boards and letting other people try both boards is this. It is a little less stable which is to be expected because of the width change. It’s not that much and most people who are used to the old AA11 will get used to the new one and be just as comfortable on the water after spending a little time with it.

Glide and tracking

I feel the glide and speed of the Ultra AA11 have improved a small amount over the older board. It tracks more straight and goes a little farther with each stroke. If you thought the old AA11 was a little too slow, you might really like the new one. If you liked the iRocker Sport, you will like the AA11 Ultra. Given the changes on this board, vs the legacy AA11, it is now more of a faster short touring board and less of an activity board that’s good for fishing.

Maneuverability with 2 deep fins

The Ultra AA11 is a little slower turning. It locks into a straight glide very well with the 2 deep fins. Once moving if you want to turn it, you need to put a little more effort into it.

One thing we noticed with the 2 deep fins is that they catch weeds and grass easier than the original 3 fin configuration. Our lakes here in Michigan tend to have a lot of seaweed by late summer that is floating at the top.

For people who want a board that is easier to turn and doesn’t track quite as well, there is an option. The 2 smaller side fins off of other iRocker boards will fit and lock into the fin boxes on the Ultra boards. They have the same base length. This will give you 2 fins that are both about 2/3rd the depth of the Ultra fins. We haven’t tried this yet to see how well the board will handle.

Heavier paddlers

I’m a well over 200 lb paddler who would fit the description of larger guy. The overall weight capacity of the AA11 went down a lot from 400 lbs to 290 lbs. The board is still good for heavier paddlers. As someone who is on the heavier end of the users for this board I don’t have any issues with it. I don’t think that my friend who is 6’5″ and 330 lbs would be able to use it.

The original AA11 doesn’t work that well for his size and weight either. At his size he really needs a dual air chamber inflatable paddleboard for it to work. I think the max paddler for this board is still a little over 250 lbs. The original AA11 is good for a paddler closer to 300 lbs.

See our guide to the best paddleboards for big guys for other great options.

5 piece paddle

The Ultra AA11 has a new paddle design that is 5 pieces instead of the old 3 pieces. There are more joints so there is a little more play in the design. I still find I can paddle with it just as hard as the old 3 piece paddle.

There are only 2 downsides to the new paddle design.

• You can’t make it as short as the old 3 piece. The handle can’t go into the top portion the whole way down to its top set of holes. The old paddle could become a couple of inches shorter.
• When paddling, my lower hand falls right on a joint in the paddle and I am touching the metal push pin. It’s a small annoyance more than anything else.

Kayaking

The iRocker Kayak conversion kit will work with the new Ultra series boards. They have enough D-Rings to attach the seat. The kayak blade will work in place of the handle on the 5 piece paddle.

The AA11 Ultra works well in kayak mode for those times when you don’t feel like standing up. If it’s too windy or a bit too wavy to want to stand, give it a try as a kayak. It’s a lot of fun.

See our guide to the best paddleboard kayak hybrids for other options.

Setup and Packing

Set up

The iRocker All Around 11 Ultra is really easy to set up and take down. You use the supplied electric pump instead of a hand pump. I do not miss the iRocker triple action hand pump at all. I rarely ever use hand pumps except for timing how long it takes to inflate boards for review.

See our review of the iRocker Electric Pump to learn more about the pump that comes with the AA11 Ultra.

Find a nice place to inflate the board that is clear of debris, branches, rocks, etc that could damage the board. An iRocker landing mat is really good for protecting your board doing inflation and packing when you can’t find a good spot free of junk that could hurt your board.

It took my electric pump 9 minutes and 13 seconds to inflate the board to 15 psi using an iRocker 110volt to 12volt adapter. After that you attach the 2 fins and tethers. Put the paddle together and your set to go.

One handy accessory that adds to the convenience of the Ultra boards is the iRocker battery pack for powering the pump. It’s small and easily fits in the Ultra bag. It frees you up from needing to be near a car or other 12 volt source.

Deflation and Packing

The only thing unusual about deflaction and packing with the Ultra boards is folding the board. I use the following process to get them back in the bag.

Release the air valve and let the air out. Once the initial rush is past. Push and turn the air valve back to the closed position. Close the valve before hooking the electric pump back up to deflate. This prevents air from backflowing into the board when you take the air hose off. Turn the pump on and deflate until all the air is completely out of the board. The pump sound changes pitch when it starts to struggle because there is no air left.

Start folding the board from the fin box end. If you noticed when opening the new board, your Ultra was rolled this way. It makes it easier to get folded small. You have to have all the air sucked out for it to work.

Start the first fold just in front of the fin boxes. Fold it up to the front of the board and put the strap on to hold it tight. It should easily fit into the bag and the zippers should close without too much fight.

How does the AA11 compare to the other iRocker Ultra boards.

We have used all the Ultra boards now except the All Around 10. I’ve never paddled a legacy All Around 10 either.

iRocker Cruiser Ultra – This board has better stability for smaller paddlers and is slower than All Around 11 or Blackfun Ultra CX. For larger paddlers over 200 lbs the All Around 11 will feel more stable than the iRocker Cruiser Ultra because of its overall larger volume. I would recommend the Cruiser Ultra for smaller beginners.

See our review of the iRocker Cruiser Ultra to learn more.

Blackfin Ultra CX – This board is shorter than the All Round 11 Ultra but very slightly wider. It has a more tapered tail than the AA11 making it more nimble but it also reduces stability. It has carbon rails in its construction making it slightly stiffer. This Ultra CX is more nimble and easier to turn when it’s moving. It’s easier to accelerate. The All Around 11 has more length so will glide a little farther once it is moving.

See our review of the Blackfin Ultra CX to learn more.

iRocker All Around 10 Ultra – This board has a similar design to the All Around 11 but a foot shorter in the middle of the board. This is a board for smaller shorter lighter weight paddlers. It is the least stable of the Ultra boards. It’s the lightest weight board and will be the easiest board to accelerate. It will be more nimble and easier to turn than the AA11.

The Verdict

The iRocker All Around 11 Ultra is an update on the classic iRocker All Around 11 design. It has a few changes to enable it to fit in the smaller bag. Overall it retains most of the performance that we have come to know and love with the All Around 11 design. It is narrower which makes it a bit faster but also a bit less stable. After spending some time on the board we got used to it and were just as confident with it as we were the old design.

If you are looking for a faster inflatable SUP board that works well for bigger paddlers and is easy to travel and store, check out the iRocker All Around 11 Ultra.

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