Starboard Airline Allstar - 2027

Starboard Airline All Star 2027 – high-performance inflatable race SUP

The Starboard Airline All Star 2027 is for paddlers who want genuine 14ft race-board performance but still need the storage, transport and travel advantages of an inflatable paddleboard. It is fast, impressively stiff for an iSUP and, importantly, designed to remain controllable when the water is not perfectly flat.

For 2027, Starboard has sensibly left a very successful platform alone. The board is fundamentally unchanged from the 2026 All Star Airline, with the main difference being a subtle update to the pinstripe colour and graphics. The shape, Airline tension system, Quick Tension System, construction and on-water performance carry forward. That is useful to know because this is not a new graphic wrapped around an unproven redesign – it is the established All Star Airline platform.

For racing, fast fitness paddling, technical courses, longer-distance training and travelling with a performance SUP, it remains one of the most convincing alternatives to owning a 14ft composite race board.

Available sizes: 14'0" x 24.5", 14'0" x 26" and 14'0" x 28".

Where the All Star Airline sits in the range

The All Star Airline is Starboard's all-water inflatable race board. Rather than being designed purely to be quick on completely flat water, it combines speed with the stability and control needed for chop, wash, coastal paddling, buoy turns and technical racing.

• Choose the All Star Airline if you want one inflatable for racing, training, fitness paddling and mixed water conditions.
• Choose a narrower race board only if you already have the balance and technique to make the extra speed worthwhile.
• Choose a wider touring board if outright stability, luggage carrying and relaxed distance paddling matter more than race performance.
• Choose the Starboard All Star 2027 composite board if ultimate speed, rigidity and hull performance matter more than storage and transport convenience.

You can also browse our full race paddleboard range or explore all Starboard SUP equipment.

Why choose the Starboard All Star Airline 2027?

• Proper performance from an inflatable: Airline Technology dramatically improves longitudinal stiffness compared with a conventional inflatable race SUP.
• Fast in real-world water: the All Star outline is intended for more than perfectly flat race courses and works particularly well in the mixed conditions UK paddlers regularly encounter.
• Quick Tension System: lets you correctly tension the Airline cable quickly without having to deflate the board.
• EVA standing tray: gives your feet something to brace against, improving control when the board is moving around underneath you.
• Three sensible widths: from the highly performance-focused 24.5" through the versatile 26" to the reassuringly stable 28".
• Travel friendly: a genuine 14ft race board that can still be packed into its wheeled bag and transported inside a vehicle or taken abroad.
• Complete board package: bag, pump, leash and race fin are included; you can then choose a paddle appropriate to your own height, cadence and racing style.

2027 versus 2026 – what has actually changed?

Very little, and in this case we think that is a positive.

The 2027 Starboard All Star Airline uses fundamentally the same board, construction and performance technology as the 2026 model. The visible change is essentially a subtle revision to the coloured pinstripe and graphics.

There is no major hull redesign, no new width range and no reason to expect the 2027 board to behave differently on the water. If you have paddled the 2026 model, that experience translates directly to the 2027.

This also means there can be a very good buying decision to make between model years. If remaining stock is available and maximum value is the priority, check the Starboard All Star Airline 2026. If you want the latest 2027 graphics and current model year, choose this board.

We explain that decision in more detail in our 2026 versus 2027 All Star Airline guide.

Airline Technology – why this inflatable feels different

The defining feature of the Deluxe All Star is Starboard's Airline Technology. A free-floating aramid cable runs from the nose underneath the board towards the fin box. Once the board is inflated and the cable is tensioned, it helps resist the tendency of a long inflatable board to bend through the middle.

For the paddler, the important bit is not the engineering terminology – it is what happens when you put power through the paddle. A stiffer platform wastes less energy through flex, accelerates more cleanly and feels more connected beneath your feet.

Starboard's own testing recorded approximately 1.8cm less hull deflection with the Airline system. On a 14ft performance inflatable, that additional stiffness is significant.

Quick Tension System

The Quick Tension System makes the Airline setup much easier to manage. Cable tension can be adjusted quickly and securely without having to partially deflate the board. Once set correctly, the system helps the board maintain the stiffness and reflex the Airline concept is designed to produce.

Which size should you choose?

With race boards, the narrowest board you can stand on is not automatically the fastest board for you. The correct width is the one that allows you to keep applying power when you are tired, turning, dealing with boat wash or paddling in cross-chop.

14'0" x 24.5"

This is the performance option. Its reduced wetted area gives it the greatest outright speed potential, but it demands significantly better balance and technique. We would choose the 24.5" for experienced race paddlers rather than somebody simply wanting the fastest specification on paper.

14'0" x 26"

For many UK paddlers, this is the standout size. It remains properly quick but gives you noticeably more margin when conditions deteriorate. If you are club racing, entering events, fitness training or paddling a mixture of river, harbour and coastal water, the 26" is where we would start the conversation.

14'0" x 28"

The 28" keeps the race outline but adds considerable stability. It makes a lot of sense for larger paddlers, anybody moving from a wider touring SUP, rough-water training or paddlers who would rather maintain a powerful stroke than constantly brace for balance.

All Star Airline versus the composite All Star

It is important to be realistic here. The Airline is exceptionally good for an inflatable, but a properly shaped composite race board still gives you greater rigidity and a more sophisticated hull.

If you have the storage and transport and want the highest possible performance, look at the Starboard All Star 2027 composite. If storing or transporting a 14ft hard board is the reason you have not bought one, the Airline is precisely the product designed to solve that problem.

Choosing a paddle for the All Star Airline

A performance board deserves a paddle to match. There is deliberately no paddle included with the All Star Airline, allowing you to select the correct blade size, shaft and construction for your technique.

For racing, fitness and fast distance paddling we particularly like the Starboard Lima Carbon F35 2 Piece. It gives you a fast, clean catch while retaining adjustment for different conditions and paddlers.

For riders wanting the lightest, most direct race setup, the Starboard Lima Prepreg Carbon fixed-length paddle is the more serious upgrade.

If you are unsure about blade size or paddle length, read our SUP paddle upgrade guide or arrange to test suitable paddles alongside the board.

Package includes

• Starboard All Star Airline 14'0" Deluxe 2027 in selected width
• Starboard re-cover wheeled board bag
• Starboard double-action Tiki pump
• Starboard lightweight leash
• Starboard Race 23" Net Positive fin
• STAR Mount accessory fitting

Please note: a paddle is not included.

Because of the EVA standing tray and raised sidewalls, the All Star Airline is normally folded rather than tightly rolled. The supplied bag is shaped accordingly, helping protect the sidewalls during storage and transport.

Specifications

Who does the All Star Airline 2027 suit?

This board makes particular sense if you:

• Want to move from touring into faster fitness or race paddling.
• Already race but cannot store or transport a composite 14ft board.
• Travel with your SUP and do not want to give up serious performance when you arrive.
• Race on rivers, estuaries, harbours or coastal courses where conditions are rarely perfectly flat.
• Want one fast inflatable rather than separate race and touring boards.
• Need a performance SUP that can live in a flat, garage, campervan or car rather than on a roof rack.

It may not be the right board if you are a complete beginner looking for maximum stability, primarily want to carry lots of touring luggage, or have no storage restrictions and simply want the fastest possible race board. In that final case, a composite race board remains the better choice.

Try the All Star Airline before choosing your width

Width choice matters enormously on a race board. Specifications can tell you which board ought to work, but testing a 26" and 28" back-to-back will often tell you more in ten minutes than another hour spent looking at numbers.

At our Woodmill SUP Test Centre in Southampton, suitable paddleboards and paddles can be tested on the water subject to demo availability. It is particularly useful if you are moving down from a 30" or wider touring board and are unsure how narrow you should go.

You can also explore our finance options if you are building a complete board and paddle package.

Starboard All Star Airline 2027 FAQs

The SUP Company view

The reason the Starboard All Star Airline continues to stand out is that it solves a genuine problem. Lots of paddlers would like the efficiency of a 14ft race board but simply cannot accommodate a 14ft composite board at home, on the car or when travelling.

The Airline gets remarkably close while remaining an inflatable. The tensioned aramid cable, carbon reinforcement, EVA standing tray and race-specific outline are not features added simply to lengthen the specification sheet – together they make the board noticeably stiffer, more controlled and more rewarding to paddle quickly.

For 2027, Starboard has resisted changing the board simply for the sake of creating a new model. Apart from the subtle pinstripe update, it carries forward the same proven package. For us, that makes the Starboard Airline All Star 2027 one of the easiest performance inflatable SUPs to understand: choose your width carefully, pair it with a good paddle and you have an extremely capable race, training and travel setup.