10’8″ Ride by Red Paddle Co.

10’8” Ride MSL by Red Paddle Co.

Editor: Johnny LeMaster

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Just the Facts:

Who’s it for? Versatile SUP suited better for bigger riders and great for taking passengers

Ride 10’8″ perfect for taking passengers!

Larger riders should look for a board with more stability, which is where the 10’8” Ride comes in.

It has all the same qualities as the 9’8” and the 10’6” Ride Boards, but it’s two inches wider at 34”/863mm and has an extra 56 litres of volume, creating a more stable ride. It’s also 4.7”/120mm thick, which means you get greater stiffness at lower pressure. In fact, it’s more than 40 per cent stiffer than a standard 4”/100mm board at the same pressure. The rounded tail makes the board really maneuverable when you get your weight back and can be a great way to have your first SUP surfing experience.

You can easily take a small passenger on board, which is why it’s a hit with family paddlers and those with furry friends. Or with our 6 point cargo tie-down system you can easily carry a whole heap of gear with you. Supplied with our industry leading Titan pump you can inflate your board in half the time with half the effort and once you are finished paddling the board packs down neatly to fit into our all-terrain backpack making transportation and storage easy.

The Red embossed deck pad offers comfort and grip and a diamond cut rear section provides even greater grip and stability when performing step back turns or during occasional use in the surf.

LENGTH10 ‘8″

WIDTH 34″ / 863mm

THICKNESS 4.7″ / 120mm

VOLUME 270 litres

RIDER WEIGHT  up to 120kg / 265 lb

BOARD WEIGHT 10.5 kg / 23.1 lb

BAG HEIGHT 96 cm / 37.7″

BAG WIDTH 39 cm / 15.35 ”

BAG DEPTH 36 cm / 14.17″

FINS Moulded iFin system

BAG VOLUME 150 litres

My Story:

If you have never ridden a stand up paddle board, or spent the majority of your life on one, he 10’8” is a board you will love every time you get it on the water.  The 10’8” Ride combines extra width in the body of the board, the tapered tail, and 4”of thickness to give you a the stability and maneuverability that will make your adventure on the water all the more enjoyable.  Red Paddle Company has options for every level of rider and every riding environment you might want to adventure out into.

I got an email letting me know my Red Paddle Co 10’8” Ride was out for delivery while I was working one afternoon in the middle of the week.  Let me tell you, it is next to impossible to concentrate on work when you are so excited about what might be awaiting you on your porch.  It’s like trying to sleep the night before Christmas.  The clock struck 4 and I laid tracks getting out of the office, hurrying to get home as fast as possible.  As my house came into view I could see the package sitting on my porch, the summer fun was about to begin.  I pulled the board out in my living room and spend a few minutes figuring out how to blow it up, getting the ankle strap attached, and getting the paddle adjusted.  I wanted to make sure I got the kinks figured out in the comfort of my own home before getting to the water.

I only had a few hours before the summer thunder storm moved in, so I strapped the board in the back of my truck and headed to the nearest lake.  I have only been on a stand up paddle board a few times prior to this day.  I cautiously jumped on the board, found my balance and headed out to the middle of the lake.  The 34” width of the 10’8” ride makes for an incredibly stable platform.  I only found my toes curled and digging into the deck for the first few minutes until I felt fully comfortable.  As I paddled I kept changing my footing position trying to find  what was the most stable, and comfortable position for me.  I also wanted to find the position best suited for maneuvering the board.  I finally found the spot for me and was soon gliding all over the lake enjoying the pre-storm beauty. After two hours I cruised back towards the parking lot to head home, relaxed and excited about the summer that lay ahead.  Making it to my truck just as the rain and wind began picking up.

Over the next few weeks I spent time after work headed to the water to enjoy the board, inviting whom ever I could to come share in the fun relaxing workout offered by the stand up paddle board.  When the weekends came I headed to surrounding bigger bodies of water, the Snake River, Columbia River, and near by mountain lakes.  Being in the Pacific Northwest I am surrounded by some of the best places for water sports, the hardest part is deciding exactly where to go.  As many places as I visited this summer to play on the water I didn’t scratch the surface of places to go.  I can’t wait to continue the adventuring this next year.  I rarely had difficulty finding someone to ride with.  Everyone wanted to try out the 10’8” ride.

The  10’8” Ride is the perfect all around board.  Within a few minutes no matter who I let take if for a spin was comfortable and smiling from ear to ear from the joy it brought.  Red Paddle Co. designed the perfect easy to use board no matter what the skill lever.  The board is perfect for the individual who wants to get away, the Zen yoga enthusiast, the person who wants to ride with a friend or child, or the person who always adventures with their four-legged companion.  The 34” wide platform is perfect for multiple riders whether they be dog or human.  The deck is wider than most boards and provides the stability needed when your passenger has a tendency to move around and not center their balance point.  You have to work a bit to get the board to tip you off.  Hats off to Red Paddle Co. for this great board.

Red Paddle Co didn’t hold back on the quality of their stand up paddle boards.  One of the first comments I get from anyone who rides the board is how surprised they are that the board is inflatable.  The rigidity and performance of the board makes you feel like you are on a solid core board.  Staying in the recommended 16-22 psi gives you all the rigidity needed for the best ride possible.  There are basically three main methods for constructing inflatable boards single layer drop stitch, double layer drop stitch and the Red Paddle Co. MSL Fusion double layer process. Red Paddle uses its industry leading MSL Fusion construction process to build a board that is not only durable, but stronger, more rigid, higher performing, lighter weight than typical double layer constructed boards, and are free from visual defects such as wrinkles.  The MSL Fusion process is combined with the Tec Air process for constructing one of the best stand up paddle boards you will ever ride.  The board design innovations don’t just stop there.  This is just the beginning.  How do you take a high quality inflatable board and make it have great performance and maneuverability?  Red Paddle Co came up with the high-performance built-in iFin system.  The system consists of high quality fins built and placed for performance.  The system is optimized to provide control of the board giving you a great ride.

It didn’t take me long to start to really appreciate the 10’8” Ride.  Red Paddle Co. takes great pride in making an incredible board that everyone can enjoy.  It didn’t matter where I took it, or how I chose to adventure with it, the board never let me down.  Nearly every time I took it to the water people would come by to ask me about the board.  Their curiosity would get the best of them when I would unroll the board, click together the paddle, pull out the Titan pump and with a few minutes work be ready to paddle off into the blue.  They would ask about the inflatability, the durability, the weight, the ride, and where they could get one for themselves.  I was never short on someone to talk to with this conversation starter around.

I spent my summer making new friends, adventuring with old friends, and enjoying life on the water thanks to Red Paddle Co.  I can tell you I cant wait until the weather warms up and I can plan my next adventure.  I look at the world a little differently now.  Every time I see water I instantly wonder how it would be to ride the 10’8” Ride on.  If you want a quality stand up paddle board that can be taken anywhere to you adventure on the water you need to look into Red Paddle Co. 10’8” Ride.

Find it Here:

https://redpaddleco.com/en-us/board/108-ride/

What could be done better:

I give this product 5 stars!

The only thing I would like to see done different has already been done with the new 10’6” Ride.  The carrying handle in the middle of the board sticks up off the deck a little.  You have to find the right position to lie down around/over it.  The new board has a recessed handle completely getting rid of this tiny issue.