Thursosurf Expedition 150 Review

In this article we go over my testing of the Thursosurf Expedition 150 Review. We go through all the ins and outs as well as directly compare this SUP to the Waterwalker 132 that I hopped on a half hour prior. 

I also use this opportunity to use the data collected on this SUP and actively compare it to other inflatable touring boards within its mid-tier price range.

Let’s get into the review!

Thursosurf Expedition 150 Review Ratings

*Use ISUPAuthority as a Code to get 5% off your SUP Purchase

Below is how I rated the Expedition 150. We take the averages of each section to give you a final score. (We do this to help you look at specific sections that you deem helpful as every paddler is different). 

Total Score: 8.3 (Average of Below Scores)

(Click below links to jump to section)

• On-Water Performance – 8.5
  • Stability 7.5
  • Tracking 9.5 
  • Speed 9
  • Maneuverability 8
• SUP Construction – 8.5
• Board Features – 7.6
  • Deck Pad 8
  • D Rings 8
  • Deck Bungees 8
  • Action Mounts 7
  • Handles 7
• Accessories – 8.6
  • Backpack 8
  • Paddle 8.5
  • Pump 9
  • Fins 9
• Set-Up/ Take Down – 8.5

Who Should Be Using the Thursosurf Expedition 150?

After testing this board I would not recommend this as a first paddle board unless you are willing to accept that there will be a trial and error stint on this SUP. This board is made for more intermediate paddlers who have had some experience on inflatable SUPs and want to go for a longer distance, faster touring SUP. 

As I mentioned in the On-Water Performance video, the Thursosurf 150 is best used for intermediate paddlers who want a cheaper board for touring or expedition purposes. 

These days it’s relatively unheard of to see a true inflatable touring board go for the $600 – $700 price range but that’s where the Expedition 150 lands. 

What SUP Activities Can the Thursosurf Expedition 150 Be Used For? 

You can use this board for longer distance day paddles (like I did going against the wind and tide at the Nicomekl). Or you can strap your gear into the front and rear deck bungees of this SUP and go for a full-day or multi-day touring excursion. Just make sure you go with a buddy if you are inexperienced.  We expand more below. 

Day Paddling Where You Want to Cover Longer Distances

This would be a great day paddling board to cover longer distances at a greater speed than you would with your typical all-around board. In my testing, the board handled tidal rivers very well paddling both with and against the tide. 

Multi-Day Traveling Excursions

Due to the arrangement of the bungee deck webbing you can stash bigger gear in the front bungees such as tents, tarps, large backpacks, and dry bags. In the rear, there is a small amount of bungee deck webbing where you can stash more personal items like coolers, small dry bags, or water bottles. 

4 free D rings in the middle of the board can be used for a kayak conversion kit in case you need to sit or you can strap a hard cooler to the rear set of free d rings to safely stow food, drinks, and snacks you may need. 

Fitness Paddling 

You can also use this as a training board to paddle at a higher velocity for high-intensity training. Believe it or not, oftentimes you will find the calories burned doing something like this will be more than in the gym! Take a look at your smartwatch 😉 

Thursosurf Expedition 150 On-Water Performance

This board is a decent tracker and offers a lot of the characteristics you would expect from a mid-tier inflatable touring SUP. With some surprises in the maneuverability department!

Rating Factor	Score	Average SUP Score (Touring ISUPs)
Total On-Water Score	8.3	8.4
Stability Score	7.5 /10	7.5
Tracking Score	9.5 /10	9.25
Speed Score	9 /10	9.13
Manueverability Score	8 /10	7.75

Stability

From knees to standing the Expedition 150 felt relatively stable for a touring SUP. You don’t have the same primary stability (board planted in the water) as say the Thursosurf 132 Waterwalker in the initial standing position. There is a lot more play from side to side than what all-around paddlers would be used to but it’s at about the average of the inflatable touring boards I’ve tested. 

The Expedition 150 is at its best stability-wise when you are mobile and moving forward as with a lot of touring boards. Similar to riding a bike, as you get forward momentum, the wobbly feeling decreases as you get into a paddling rhythm. 

Where the Expedition 150 lost a bunch of its points is when doing on-water maneuvers such as reverse 360 sweep strokes. There were times when I had a wobble or two and almost fell into the drink!

I feel the main reason for this is the bigger touring fin that is included with this SUP. While it’s great for tracking when turning it does act as a bigger surface to be swayed by water movement which could be one of the reasons for these wobbles. Mind you I was doing this motion with slightly moving tidal waters so that should be taken into account. 

Tracking

As soon as I saw that the Thursosurf Expedition 150 came with a wide fin I got excited. I knew that this would make a difference in tracking compared to the longer thinner touring fins or even the dolphin fin that some inflatable boards come with. 

Tracking Factor	Paddle Strokes	Average Paddle Strokes (Touring ISUPs)
Paddle Strokes To Keep Straight Course	8	6.5

The tracking was very impressive with this SUP with a general rating of 8.5 (9 on one side 8 on the other in tidal conditions) strokes per side before you had to correct sides. Mind you, as mentioned in the video tidal conditions were in play and the strokes per side were a bit uneven so I had to take the average. 

The Expedition 150 offered a solid tracking score and I would highly recommend it for folks who want to do some long-distance expedition touring to carry some serious ground. Especially compared to an all-around board. The Meno 12’6” and the Expedition 150 are great boards for this respect. 

Speed

Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed when I couldn’t use my Garmin watch for speed tests because of the bias of the tidal movements which would give an inaccurate reading no matter which direction I went. It should also be noted that I was also semi-limited to a neck injury so I did not push the limits here.

However, I did put in some solid strokes and found the board to offer good speed. It felt light years better than the All Around Water walker 132 and seemed to fit within that inflatable touring board range. For comparison’s sake, I tested all 3 inflatable touring boards in the same area at different times of the year and the Expedition 150 did not feel out of place with them against the tidal flow of the Nikomekl river. 

Maneuverability

The Expedition 150 offered a similar rating to the Meno 12’6” touring board in that it did reverse 360 sweep strokes in 5 strokes which is a good reading for a touring board. 

Manueverability Factor	Paddle Strokes	Average Paddle Strokes (Touring ISUP’s)
Paddle Strokes for Reverse Sweep Stroke	5	6
Paddle Strokes for Reverse Side Paddles	16	16

But as mentioned above I did not feel 100% stable when doing it and was a little nervous about falling into the drink on a chilly March afternoon in Canada. But I didn’t so Hurray!

The board did reverse 360 side paddles in 16 strokes which is the same score that the Manhattan G4 Plus and the Meno 12’6 did in the water. 

The maneuverability of this board was overall very good for a board of it’s length

Thursosurf Expedition 150 Stats Deconstructed

*Use ISUPAuthority as a Code to get 5% off your SUP Purchase

• Type of Board: Touring/ Expedition
• Length: 12’6″
• Width: 31″
• Thickness: 6″
• Volume: 360 L
• Weight: 26 lbs
• Maximum Capacity: 410 Lbs

The Expedition 150 uses a dual-layer PVC construction with woven drop stitch material that is protected with carbon side rails at the side. So What does this mean? The board sandwiches 2 layers of PVC together to make sure the board is a durable shell, both against the exterior elements and the pressurization of air inside. 

Rating Factor	Score	Average Score (Touring ISUP)
Construction Score	8 /10	9

The woven drop stitch is essentially 2 walls of woven fabric that are connected by threads that ensure the SUP keeps its shape. Woven is fast becoming the industry standard over knitted as the fabric is less stretchy and stronger all the while allowing the boards to be lighter because it is not as thread intensive. 

There’s a lot of debate in the ISUP community as to whether carbon side rails do anything in the way of rigidity. In my opinion, it does as many of the boards I test with these carbon side rails end up being stiffer and performing better on the water. 

Even if it these carbon side rails are a marketing gimmick they still give your SUP an added layer of protection on the sides which I would take any day as the side rails as the seams on the side rails are often the failure points. 

Board Shape and Design

The Expedition 150 does not strike you as the traditional inflatable touring board at first glance. You usually expect the aggressively pointed nose. But the Expedtion’s nose is slightly gently pointed compared to more aggressive pointers like the Manhattan G4 Plus. 

This less aggressive nose will add a bit extra stability which makes it a solid long-distance touring ISUP as opposed to a speed touring ISUP. Although as mentioned above I did have some wobble moments turning the board when doing some of our maneuverability tests. 

The board also features less rocker which I like in my touring SUPs as it allows the nose to cut through waves and add extra stability when doing so as opposed to riding over a wave and having to brace yourself. 

On-Board Features (What’s On Deck)

Rating Factor	Score	Average SUP Score (Touring ISUPs)
Board Features Score	7.6	8.1
Deck Pad Score	8 /10	8.5
D-Rings Score	8 /10	7.3
Deck Webbing Score	8 /10	8.2
Action Mounts Score	7 /10	8.5
Handle Score	7 /10	8.75

The Expedition 150 offers some great onboard features that I believe multi-day paddlers and SUP day paddlers would appreciate. Which we go through below. 

Thursosurf Expedition 150 Deck pad

The deck pad is a a striped/ stamped pad that has a small kick pad at the back of it. 

When testing this board out I was wearing surf booties and the deckpad provided more than enough grip for my feet. While I would say they are not the most grippy of the deckpads out there they do have channels that help displace water from the deckpad. 

The small stamps on the deckpad also help in giving you more grip than you would encounter with a smooth deckpad. 

I found the kick pad to be a smaller incline than other touring boards that have more padding on theirs. The more padding there is on the kickpad the more leverage you have when doing pivot turns (putting your foot onto the tail of the board and raising the nose to give you a better turning radius). 

Expedition 150 D rings

The Expedition offers 15 D rings with 10 of them reserved for the Deck bungees. That leaves the board with 4 free D rings which are meant to be used for the add-on kayak conversion seat or shoulder straps. 

Theoretically, you could always strap a big cooler to the middle as well although there are better boards out there to do that with. Touring boards and coolers are not always the best combination because of the twitchy nature of the boards. 

More on the bungee set-up below

Expedition 150 Deck Bungees

The Expedition 150 has bigger spacing between each of the bungees compared to other touring paddle boards I’ve tested. This is great news for those who want to stash larger gear for those longer trips like backpacks, tents, tarps, or big dry bags. 

On the flip side, the large spacing at the front is not as ideal for paddlers who want to stash smaller things. However, there is a small spot in the back of the board that has smaller spacing for things such as water bottles and sandals in the back. 

“My personal preference on these things is that I do like having smaller items that I need more frequent access to in the front. However, I see where Thursosurf comes from with this as many folks that are interested in the board want to travel longer distances and need bungee spacing to accommodate some of their larger items.”

– Editors Notes

Expedition 150 Mounts

The Expedition 150 does have a camera mount at the front but unfortunately, that’s all you can use it for. I even tried screwing in my Nixy phone holder to this but to no avail as the threading did not match.

I would have personally liked to see a universal action mount at the front of the board instead. This would have opened up the capabilities of this board having speakers, rod holders, drink holders, camera holders or of course those action camera holders at the front. Instead, you are more limited in this regard here. 

Thursosurf Handles

The Expedition offers 3 main handles on the board with the middle handle having a mix of neoprene and nylon at the bottom for your fingers. I would have preferred Thursosurf use a full neoprene handle. I found the nylon dug into your hands after walking about 50 meters with the board in hand. 

I get that Thursosurf would like to have its brand name on the handle. But I would suggest they use a full Neorpeen handle and small rubber lettering for their brand name so that the board is more manageable to carry. At 26 lbs it’s not the heaviest board in the world but you do start to feel this on your hands carrying it past 50 meters!

Thursosurf Paddle Holder

Conversely, if there is one onboard feature that I can applaud Thursosurf in using it’s the 2 paddle holders on each side of the board. 

This is the best location for a paddle holder in my opinion as it gives you easy access to your paddle. They are great for taking a bit of a break or re-organizing things on your board while you are floating or drifting. It also keeps you from fiddling with stashing the paddle under the bungees, which can be a bit of a pain if you have already loaded at the front. 

Thursosurf Expedition 150 Accessories

The Expedition series offers a good amount of accessories that have some interesting innovations. However I also saw a few things that could use some improvement compared to what other inflatable touring SUPs have on offer. 

Rating Factor	Score	Average SUP Score (Touring ISUPs)
Accessories Score	8.6	8.8
Backpack Score	8 /10	8.8
Paddle Score	8.5 /10	8.8
Pump Score	9 /10	8.7
Fin Score	9 /10	8.3

Expedition 150 Roller Bag

The Expedition 150 comes with a roller bag which I feel should become the norm for heavier and longer boards like ISUP touring boards. Although I had some mixed feelings with it starting with what I liked. 

I liked the fact that:

• The bag is lightweight and relatively sleek
• The board is relatively easy to get back into the bag (helped by using the triple chamber pump deflate option which is a game changer)
• The backpack does have a handle on the side to help you take the board in and out of the trunk

What I wasn’t a fan of was:

• The backpack does not have a lot of padding on the shoulder straps, especially when compared to other brands like Gili and Nixy’s bag
• The bag has a zipper that spans ⅔’s of the bag. I would have preferred a full zipper as you can place the board and contents into the bag more precisely. 
• The bag does not have very many pockets and relies on the one big main pocket to put inside. This is an easy way to lose things!

Don’t get me wrong, the bag does its job and I do appreciate the inclusion of the wheels which does reduce the need to use the bag as a backpack to begin with. 

Having browsed around Thursosurf’s website I couldn’t help but notice that the bag that Thursosurf sells separately does look like an overall improvement over the one that comes with the board. This one sold separately actually has a front pocket, two handles on each side, and looks to be made of stronger nylon materials. 

Thursosurf Carbon Hybrid Paddle

Unlike a few other boards I have received lately I did not have any problems with any of the latches or locking mechanisms with this paddle (Yaaayy!). Often manufacturers sometimes crank the ^%%& out of the latches which makes the paddle hard to fit in. It’s either that or they come loose and sometimes a screw is lost. But we had no such problem with this paddle.

The Carbon hybrid paddle weighs 32 Ounces (2 Lbs) which makes it one of the lighter carbon hybrid paddles to come with a SUP package. The blade is 10-degree dihedral shape and measures to be 87 square inches. 

As you get in the mid 80 square inch range those are the blades that are best for longer distance touring because there is less pressure against the blade when paddling. When you start getting into the mid 90’s those blade are made for power and speed traveling at a more rapid velocity in a shorter distance. I feel that Thursosurf made the right choice in choosing something closer to the touring spectrum of things. 

I did find the shaft to have some flex to it, which isn’t always a bad thing. As long as the paddle snaps back with momentum similar to a carbon hockey stick after a wrist shot. Which I consider being “good flex”. Bad flex would be a paddle being loose in the connection points as what often happens with 5 piece paddle where you get no snapback benefits. 

Overall the 3 piece carbon hybrid paddle was easy to put together and felt nice in my hands when paddling. I particularly dig the rubber on the handle which gives your hands more grip when following through with your paddle stroke. 

I did not truly push myself on the first test as I was slightly injured and the water is still pretty chilly but on medium-hard strokes the paddle responded when needed to and got the job done!

Thursosurf Triple Action Double Chamber Pump

Yes, this is almost the exact same pump as Nixy so they must buy their manual pumps from the same manufacturer. Anyone who paddles with me knows how much I dislike manual pumps but the triple-chamber ones aren’t so bad because you can pump air into the board quicker and more easily compared to those dreadful single-chamber pumps. 

The pump has triple action which means 3 settings control the flow of air into the board. 

The 1st uses all two chambers on the up and down pump to give you the maximum flow of air. 

The second action setting uses 2 chambers on the down pump and finally the 3rd action involves pumping the board on the up and down stroke. You use the last action for when the PSI gets higher like within the 7 PSI range. 

In this case, I used the Thursosurf electric pump to fill the board up with air which did the job perfectly. Set the PSI and press power and you are off!

What I did use the manual pump for was deflating the board. The pump has 2 valves. The one on the base is for inflation and the one on the handle is for delation. I’ve recently been doing this as it takes air out of the board which makes the folding process so much easier! But we will talk about that more in set-up. 

Thursosurf Touring Fin

One of the accessories I appreciated was the inclusion of a PROPER touring fin. Thursosurf has a nice wide touring fin that comes with the package which helps the board track as well as it did. It also comes with a US Fin box which gives you more flexibility for fine fin tuning (did I just make up a word?)! 

In the case of this fin, they added a click-in system which allows you to use no tools at all. It relies on rubber knubs in the fin to keep it attached to the fin base. 

This was my first go at one of these systems and it took me some trial and error to get the fin in. What you need to do is remove one of the runner knubs from the fin to allow it to click in more easily. 1 – 2 rubber knubs attached to the fin should be enough to keep the fin in there. Having 3 in there makes it almost impossible to click in!  There I just saved you 5 minutes of fiddling around! 😉

Thursosurf Leash

The Expedition 150 comes with a leash that has a double swivel system. It has neoprene padding and is 8 feet long and coiled.

I’ve changed the way I wear these leashes now. I find it a lot less annoying when you simply clip it to your life vest instead of your ankle as they are completely out of the way. All the while still being useful allowing your board to snap back to you. 

Thursosurf Expedition 150 Set-Up/ Take Down

*Use ISUPAuthority as a Code to get 5% off your SUP Purchase

The Expedition 150 was a relatively easy set-up. However this board was inflated using the Thursosurf electric pump courtesy of Thursosurf for including it. 

Rating Factor	Score	Average Score (Touring ISUP)
Set-Up/ Take Down Score	8 /10	8.3

“I will always recommend filling a board with an electric pump over a manual one because it gives you more time to set up your board and put stuff away while the board is getting inflated. “

– Editors Notes

Having said that I have used this style of manual pump before and they are miles better than those cheap single-chamber pumps you get. It’s especially handy for boards that have more volume in them like the Expedition 150. 

The fin set-up took me a little while to figure out as I originally tried putting it in but it wouldn’t go. I then realized I had to take off one of the rubber knubs on the fin to allow it to click in with less force. It’s an easier way to install than fins then lining up a washer and screw. 

This day I went with a rather minimalist set-up where the only thing I brought with me was my water bottle. While it did fit in the front bungees I do feel I’ll need to stash it in the rear tighter arranged bungee deck webbing for next time. 

After a series of on-water tests (see video above) I brought the board back to the car and deflated it. 

A quick hack to note: after pushing the valve down and releasing all of the air use your manual pump to pump air out. You do this by attaching the hose to the handle and start pumping air out of your board. This makes the folding process much easier. It’s an extra step but will save you from having to reshuffle the board’s folds. 

After I removed all of the air out and found the correct folds (it helps to fold the tail the opposite way where the finbox is showing). I then placed the board in the bag first and then added all of the contents such as paddle, pump, leash, etc. I was pleasantly surprised that the bag had more than enough space to fit everything and that I didn’t have to jig or jam anything in. 

After all the contents were in the bag I rolled it back to my car, threw it in the backseat, and away I went!

About Thursosurf

*Use ISUPAuthority as a Code to get 5% off your SUP Purchase

Thursosurf is a company comprised of two childhood friends re-connecting over paddle boarding. The company is well known for it’s wooden graphics that has managed to differentiate it from other SUPs on the market. 

Today they are one of the mainstays of the industry and are dedicated to giving you SUPs with solid construction at an affordable price point!

Thursosurf Warranty

Thursosurf offers a 2-year limited warranty on all of their boards which does not cover negligence, outside damage, etc. You can read more about their warranty terms here. 

They offer a 30-day return policy for their products. Both of these are in line with the average warranty and return policies in the industry. 

Where to Buy Thursosurf Boards

You can purchase from the Thursosurf Website or on Amazon.com. They have distribution in the following countries: 

• United States
• Canada
• Europe
• Germany
• United Kingdom

Comparable Boards

Below are some comparable inflatable touring boards to the Thursosurf Expedition 150 that are in and around it’s mid-tier price range.

Nixy Manhattan G4 Plus

The Manhattan G4 is more of what can be considered a traditional inflatable touring SUP because of its pointer nose. I found the Manhattan Plus to be slightly quicker compared to the Expedition 150 but the tracking is not as good. A lot of this is due to the dolphin fin included with this board. 

Gili Meno 12’6” Touring SUP

The Meno 12’6” offered similar on-water performance scores and ratings as the Expedition 150. Although it offers more room for customization with action mounts and handles. I also did like the accessories package a bit more with the Meno 12’6” as the backpack had more padding and was made of better quality materials in my opinion. 

Should You Get the Thursosurf Expedition 150?

The Expedition 150 is a great board for folks who have some paddle board experience and want to travel further at a quicker pace compared to all around boards like the Waterwalker 132. It is also well designed to become your long distance multi-day touring boards thanks to the arrangement of the deck bungees and the smoother contours towards the nose and tail.

While it is possible to use this board as a brand new paddler I would advise that you give yourself plenty of room and time to get used to the board as it is more wobbly, especially when making turning maneuvers. 

Overall in our tests we found the Expedition 150 very impressive in On-water metrics such as tracking and speed and had above average manueverability for a touring ISUP. 

Where it lost some points was the boards overall stability as well as some design choices like the handles and action mounts. Overall its a sollid touring board especially for the price point that is given and Thursosurf has done a good job with this board!