Author Topic: Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride  (Read 12527 times)

Green Water Sports

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Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride
« on: February 28, 2016, 12:38:25 PM »
Posted my review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co Ride 10'6" to my site the other day. As you've probably heard, Red have introduced a new construction for 2016, MSL Fusion. It promises a slicker finish, better quality and more reliable construction finish, slightly stiffer board and a 20% weight saving from the 2015 model.

I read the hype and I wasn't convinced but when I saw (and lifted) these boards and gave them a go, I was impressed. Red have set the bar higher for 2016 and further solidified their position atop the inflatable SUP market.

I'll paste the intro here but there are many photos of the updates for 2016 over on my site: http://greenwatersports.com/6760/review-of-the-2016-red-paddle-co-10-6-ride-inflatable-paddle-board

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The 2016 Red Paddle Co 10’6″ Ride inflatable paddle board is, on the surface, an evolution from the 2015 model. However, dig a little deeper and this board is quite an advancement in terms of inflatable paddle boards and as Red so eloquently puts it “An authentic paddle boarding boarding experience.”
That’s not to take anything away from the excellent boards of 2015, but for 2016 Red Paddle Co suggested that the change is not just a clear step forward from the pack but a substantial leap forward in terms of quality, finish, rigidity and ultimately performance and pleasure. The technology they refer to is the MSL Fusion construction process, promising all the good stuff I just mentioned.


Does it live up to the hype? Let’s take a look at the details, how this board is different, how it paddles and who it’s good for. So let’s begin with the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10’6″ Ride review and walk around video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hogWRpFdoEY

We're also running a pre-season special on all Red Paddle Co boards at the moment. We're offering a bamboo/glass 3 piece paddle valued at $249 for FREE with each Red board sold.

If i missed any details with my review, let me know and i'll be sure to follow up and answer any questions.
Julian
https://greenwatersports.com
Green Water Sports LLC - Inflatable SUP boards & stand up paddle boards & more. Call us on 1-888-252-4983
Red Paddle Co, Starboard, SIC Maui, Tahe, Naish, Fanatic, Accent Paddles, Onyx, FCS, Vamo

Area 10

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Re: Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2016, 02:51:50 PM »
Thanks for the infomercial. If you'd like some suggestions as to how the review could be improved, here are a few things that potential buyers would like:

1. Please don't make statements like "20%" lighter without actually quoting the numbers. Please put a 2015 model on a scale, then a 2016 one, and then tell us what the real difference is.

2. Please show us how long it takes an average person to blow up the board to the recommended 25 PSI using the supplied pump.

3. Please show someone of roughly average weight standing on the board when it is suspended at both ends, so we can judge how stiff the board is. If you want to make claims that it is stiffer than last years' then show both models doing this.

4. Please show someone of roughly average weight paddling the board, pumped up to the recommended pressure, so we can judge how true the rocker line stays in the water.

5. Please explain why every inflatable toy I buy (let alone more sophisticated inflatable water craft) has multiple chambers as a safety feature, but Red Paddle does not see fit to do the same with their boards. Isn't this a lawsuit waiting to happen? You are putting your life in the hands of a little rubber seal in the valve that is worth about 2 cents. I would have thought that a premium board like this would at least have the safety features available to me on my child's inflatable Crocodile pool toy.

I hope this feedback will be helpful to you for your future reviews, and thanks again.


spirit4earth

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Re: Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride
« Reply #2 on: February 28, 2016, 05:45:45 PM »
Area 10, I'm not anywhere near a sup expert----just a low-dollar paddler.  About point #5: It's true that the iSups don't have multiple chambers, but they're really tough.  I guess a shark could bite through one, but what about a hard board that hits a rock and cracks?  I can't afford a $1700 Red, but if I were to get a board at any price, I would worry as much or more about dropping a rigid board and cracking it as I would about not having chamber backup in the iSup.
It's all a curiosity and a learning experience for me----
I actually agree with your suggestions.  Also, having owned a Red, I can tell you that they really are high quality boards.

Green Water Sports

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Re: Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride
« Reply #3 on: February 28, 2016, 06:25:22 PM »
Quote
1. Please don't make statements like "20%" lighter without actually quoting the numbers. Please put a 2015 model on a scale, then a 2016 one, and then tell us what the real difference is.

2015: 25lbs
2016: 20lbs
Figures are in the article.

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2. Please show us how long it takes an average person to blow up the board to the recommended 25 PSI using the supplied pump.

As mentioned in the article: 2m 56s to 20PSI, with the supplied Titan Pump. I find 20PSI is enough for general use for average sized paddlers.

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3. Please show someone of roughly average weight standing on the board when it is suspended at both ends, so we can judge how stiff the board is. If you want to make claims that it is stiffer than last years' then show both models doing this.

Unfortunately I'm sold out of 2015's for this comparison, but i did something similar a while back to showcase RSS battens. http://greenwatersports.com/3126/the-definitive-inflatable-sup-stiffness-guide Next time I have the board out, I'll put it over a span with me on top.

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4. Please show someone of roughly average weight paddling the board, pumped up to the recommended pressure, so we can judge how true the rocker line stays in the water.

See some of the gallery images at the end of the article and I'm working on getting more.

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5. Please explain why every inflatable toy I buy (let alone more sophisticated inflatable water craft) has multiple chambers as a safety feature, but Red Paddle does not see fit to do the same with their boards. Isn't this a lawsuit waiting to happen? You are putting your life in the hands of a little rubber seal in the valve that is worth about 2 cents. I would have thought that a premium board like this would at least have the safety features available to me on my child's inflatable Crocodile pool toy.

This is something you would need to ask Red, and every other iSUP manufacturer. I've often wondered but I suspect multiple chambers adds a lot of weight.
Julian
https://greenwatersports.com
Green Water Sports LLC - Inflatable SUP boards & stand up paddle boards & more. Call us on 1-888-252-4983
Red Paddle Co, Starboard, SIC Maui, Tahe, Naish, Fanatic, Accent Paddles, Onyx, FCS, Vamo

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Re: Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride
« Reply #4 on: February 28, 2016, 06:28:08 PM »
Spirit4earth: Did you see the video of an explorer using an iSUP recently who brushed against some sharp rocks and the board went pssst!? Subzero temperatures I think, so a potentially life-threatening situation.

If a hard board gets punctured it is inconvenient. But it won't sink.

When you are in water it is best to have everything going for you that is reasonably possible. All kinds of unexpected and unlikely crap happens. I got caught up in some fishing line a couple of years ago, and the hook had managed to puncture the skin of my hard board. What is the chances of that happening? (Well, maybe not that remote since the canal is a well-known fishing location, but you get what I mean.) If it had been one of my inflatables I'd have had to swim to the bank and a long cold walk home, leaving it behind.

I love my inflatables, but it annoys me every time I take them out that I'm supposed to take an unnecessary risk. It particularly irks me when I'm carrying my kids on board because they are supposed to be family-friendly. It seems to me like the brands are putting profit before consideration of the lives of their buyers.

iSUP manufacturers keep telling us that inflatables aren't just for casual family pootling around, and that they can be used for downwinding etc. But then they don't provide even the simplest safeguard against the biggest disaster you could have when downwinding on one, eg. hitting something in the water that would deflate it completely, or eg. a simple valve failure.  If they want iSUPs to be taken seriously then they'd better start taking safety seriously too. Having a single chamber is frankly an insult to us IMO.

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Re: Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride
« Reply #5 on: February 28, 2016, 06:32:04 PM »
Julian - Thanks for the info. I was referring in my remarks to the video you presented, not the written article.

Why not suggest to Red Paddle that they lead the world in multi-chamber technology. Any brand that could claim that they were the safest iSUPs would instantly have a jump on the market. Typical iSUP customers are likely to be quite keen on safety features once the matter is broached, I should think.

Yes, it probably would add a little weight, and a little cost. But probably it could be used to make the boards stiffer too, if cleverly done.
« Last Edit: February 28, 2016, 06:38:04 PM by Area 10 »

Green Water Sports

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Re: Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride
« Reply #6 on: February 28, 2016, 06:39:22 PM »
Julian - Thanks for the info. I was referring in my remarks to the video you presented, not the written article.

Noted. Video tag lines will serve as a base for each board in the range and hence some specifics were left out due to space/time constraints.
Julian
https://greenwatersports.com
Green Water Sports LLC - Inflatable SUP boards & stand up paddle boards & more. Call us on 1-888-252-4983
Red Paddle Co, Starboard, SIC Maui, Tahe, Naish, Fanatic, Accent Paddles, Onyx, FCS, Vamo

spirit4earth

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Re: Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride
« Reply #7 on: February 29, 2016, 05:44:55 AM »
I did see that video if the iSup getting sliced open.  It was in Alaska, I think.  That, and the pictures of surfboards with perfect "C"s cut in to them by sharks gives me pause regarding inflatables offshore.  For lake paddlers or surf play, though, I think an inflatable would be fine.  In an ideal world, we'd all have enough money to get both!

baddog

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Re: Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride
« Reply #8 on: February 29, 2016, 03:00:59 PM »
You are putting your life in the hands of a little rubber seal in the valve that is worth about 2 cents. I would have thought that a premium board like this would at least have the safety features available to me on my child's inflatable Crocodile pool toy.+++

You've touch on this topic multiple times, but your perception is just too myopic in it's scope.  The majority of stand up paddlers never put themselves in an open ocean situation that you enjoy and find yourself in.  And although the forums abound with fun DJ vids and talk of downwinding, it's something most never experience and it's very tiny fraction of the SUP market.  When it comes to inflatables we are talking about market where a fleet of 14s will never fit and where many do not even have a room for a standard size hard board.  They paddle in flat water, bays, lakes, slow moving rivers and maybe around the surf line.  If they find themselves in A10 country, it's either by their own fool hardiness or by an unfortunate circumstance.

A multichamber board would be super heavy, super expensive and have zero chance of being produced or succeeding in todays market based on current production methods.  The iSUP board buyers want something for fun that's fairly reliable and durable, fits in their trunk and/or closet and is reasonably inexpensive.

Any piece of equipment, no matter how well engineered is not a safety guarantee of any kind.  You need to know your environment, your ability, your equipment and how much your willing to risk for a bit of fun.  You more then most should that a hard board is the only way to go in the open ocean.  Perhaps not surprisingly it's the pros and heavy condition watermen who are the most likely to temp fate and paddle inflatables in crazy situations.  The video you are referring to makes the board look like a cheap balloon.  It's a Fanatic with their single wall light race construction; I'd bet a Red or a top end Starboard would fare a whole lot better.  Clearly not the right board for the trip or conditions, but let's face facts; it was a large group with a camera crew and support team.  It was laughable how dramatic they tried to make it.  Not exactly one man against the ocean in heavy North Atlantic conditions.

If I'm paddling outside the surf line or in fresh water of any kind, I wear a PFD and a leash.  A fancy multichamber board is not going to save you any better then a hard board if you take a fall in a big blow downwinder and your leash breaks.  Each piece of equipment might save me, but every one could fail as well.

Our experience puts us in a much better position to know what we want; it's too bad we can't always get it.

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Re: Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride
« Reply #9 on: February 29, 2016, 04:33:44 PM »
You'd have a point if it weren't for the fact that the iSUP brands are starting to specifically recommend inflatables for downwinding and other extreme activities. And you only need to glance at the downwind section of this forum to see inflatables being downwinded - albeit in fairly mild conditions so far. In fact when debating this issue recently, ULI pointed out that an inflatable of theirs had been used for the M2O, and you don't get much more extreme than that (although equally it is pretty safe because you have a safety boat).

So, those people who use inflatables for serious stuff might be a small section of the market, but they are being actively courted by the brands. It's good for their image,  of course. But there is no discussion being raised about the increased safety demands of these activities in respect of iSUPs.

And I don't believe that a multi chambered board would necessarily have to be prohibitively expensive. One leading manufacturer has said it could be done, without too much trouble.

The biggest safety feature by far that you have is the massive great float that you are standing on when you SUP. But only with iSUPs can that quite easily evaporate. You might wear PFDs at all times, but most people worldwide do not. Only about 1 in 10 wear them where I live, even when a couple of miles offshore and in 35 knots. You don't have to, so they don't, and most come from a surf or windsurf background where PFDs are not common, and are generally seen as for the terminally effete. This group of people would far prefer to have a multichambered board.

A pfd in no way provides anything like the safety margin that a hard board does, so the "you should wear a pfd anyway" argument is not a very compelling one, I'm afraid, even though it gets wheeled out regularly in these sorts of discussions.

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Re: Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride
« Reply #10 on: March 01, 2016, 03:45:52 PM »
Two things:  I bought two Red 10'6" boards two years ago.  By the fourth use, they both had developed large bubbles.  Turns out it wasn't structural but just ugly, although it did make me wonder if the next bubble would be one that would deflate the board.   Called Red, sent pictures, and the woman said no problem we will replace the boards.  she never called me back, so I called her.  Red corporate in England said that the best they could do was offer me 20 per cent off two new boards.  So I have $3000 worth of defective boards, and they want me to spend $2400 to get two new boards.  Uhhh, no thanks.  Luckily i have other hard boards to paddle. 

Secondly, they may take up to 25 pounds of pressure, but Popeye himself doesn't that that kind of arm strength.

spirit4earth

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Re: Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride
« Reply #11 on: March 01, 2016, 04:41:45 PM »
Two things:  I bought two Red 10'6" boards two years ago.  By the fourth use, they both had developed large bubbles.  Turns out it wasn't structural but just ugly, although it did make me wonder if the next bubble would be one that would deflate the board.   Called Red, sent pictures, and the woman said no problem we will replace the boards.  she never called me back, so I called her.  Red corporate in England said that the best they could do was offer me 20 per cent off two new boards.  So I have $3000 worth of defective boards, and they want me to spend $2400 to get two new boards.  Uhhh, no thanks.  Luckily i have other hard boards to paddle. 

Secondly, they may take up to 25 pounds of pressure, but Popeye himself doesn't that that kind of arm strength.

So those were 2014 boards?  I'm surprised Red didn't do better by you.  Sorry to hear that.

WingSuit

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Re: Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride
« Reply #12 on: March 01, 2016, 05:14:02 PM »
Yeah I was pretty disgusted, given how they are touted as the best.  I would have pushed the issue on Internet forums, but I didn't want to start a thread and this thread was the first one to address the issue.  I was able to cut out slits in the bubbles and do some superglue stuff but I really expected more help from Red. I would not touch a Red with a 10 foot pole now.  The fact that they are a foreign company gives them some protection against stuff like this. 

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Re: Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride
« Reply #13 on: March 01, 2016, 05:42:05 PM »
Yeah I was pretty disgusted, given how they are touted as the best.  I would have pushed the issue on Internet forums, but I didn't want to start a thread and this thread was the first one to address the issue.  I was able to cut out slits in the bubbles and do some superglue stuff but I really expected more help from Red. I would not touch a Red with a 10 foot pole now.  The fact that they are a foreign company gives them some protection against stuff like this.

That really is disappointing. I had a problem with a 2014 Red board, but my outcome was much better than yours. Red at first attempted to repair the board and when that didn't work they gave me a new board, no questions asked. They were actually very good to deal with. Sorry to hear your experience was so different.
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baddog

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Re: Review of the 2016 Red Paddle Co 10'6" Ride
« Reply #14 on: March 01, 2016, 07:50:13 PM »
The biggest safety feature by far that you have is the massive great float that you are standing on when you SUP.

You might wear PFDs at all times, but most people worldwide do not. Only about 1 in 10 wear them where I live, even when a couple of miles offshore and in 35 knots

A pfd in no way provides anything like the safety margin that a hard board does, so the "you should wear a pfd anyway" argument is not a very compelling one, I'm afraid, even though it gets wheeled out regularly in these sorts of discussions.

I agree that your board is your best safety lifeline; but only when you're attached to it.  When you fall, you're risking your life to a cheap (not expense wise) piece of urethane cord.  Neither a hard board or a multichamber iSup is going to save you if leash breaks and your board flutters downwind or washes away.

Regardless of what you gathered from my post, I rarely ever (and that's a double, triple rarely) wear a PFD.  I paddle flatwater bays mostly and I am without a leash or a PFD.  In the surf, I wear a leash.  It's only when I venture outside my everyday elements that I take extra precautions.  So, nowhere in there was I trying to tie in the whole PFD conundrum, but as the unfortunate incident at the Gorge this summer attests; out of your element with no leash and PFD can have tragic consequences.

But here's the Catch22:

When you are in water it is best to have everything going for you that is reasonably possible. All kinds of unexpected and unlikely crap happens.

Having a single chamber is frankly an insult to us IMO.

You paddle off shore in gail force winds, but the hypocrisy is that you refuse to wear an available and effective safety device (I am assuming you're in the 9/10 group).  Most people would consider wearing a PFD more then reasonably given the conditions and most people (not me) would call you flat out crazy for not.

On the other hand you seem overly bent out of shape at the current state of iSUP construction and their safety.  Please take a close look at the how drop stitch construction is actually accomplished.  It is an exceedingly complicated manufacturing process and it would be impossible to build multichamber boards without fusing separate drop stitched chambers together.  There are 3 chamber river iSUPs, but I think we'll both agree that they are more like rafts then standup boards.

You'll have to take the marketing hyperbole with a grain of salt; we've bought enough boards to know that the hype doesn't always add up.  The top tier iSUPs are built well, just not up to A10 standards.  You're just going to have to wait for the next gen technology to produce something better.



 


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