Red Paddle Co 10'6" inflatable SUP review

In this post, we’ll be giving you a quick review of the 2013 Red Paddle Co 10’6″ Ride inflatable stand up paddle board. Included are some close up shots of all the board’s main features and a short “walk around” video so you can see what we’re on about.

The 10’6″ Ride from Red Paddle Co is 10 feet 6 inches long and 32 inches wide. It’s 4.72 inches thick, has a volume of approximately 218 liters and weighs about 28lbs. Board in the bag with pump is 35lbs. A payload of around 220lbs. I’m 190lbs, give or take, and 6ft tall.

In the bag

The board, obviously, which is held in place by 2 straps from the bag. A single strap goes around the board keeping it rolled and secure when you are moving it around. Over the fins you have 3 red inflatable “water wing” style cushions to keep the fins from buckling in the bag. Next to the board you have the pump, gauge and hose and a small waterproof cylinder(repair kit) which you can use for keys/phone or anything else.

The bag itself is very sturdy and comes with extremely comfortable shoulder and waist straps. A handle on the top and one down each side also gives you good carrying options. There is a front pocket for smaller bits and bobs. A handy tip when using the board is to take one of the velcro’d handles off the bag and attach it to the board’s handle.

I have my Dakine leash attached so you see that coiled in the photos.

Inflation

Pumping up the Ten Six is fairly straight forward. The first time I pulled it out of the bag, unwrapped the plastic around each product, connected the pump and pumped up the board, it took me 11 mins 14 seconds. I didn’t read the instruction manual as I already knew the desired pressure of 20PSI. Now though, once the board is out of the bag, it only takes me 5 mins to pump it up to 20PSI. In preparation for writing this review, I timed myself at 4 mins and 47 seconds from zero to 20PSI. I usually do a little warm up when I go paddle boarding. I get the shoulders loose and warm and do a few lunges to warm up the legs and hips. So having to pump the board is another way for me to get warm.

Paddling

Paddling the 10’6″ is a breeze. It’s a long-ish board with good width and has a nice planing area. First impression is that the rounded rail nature of an inflatable tends to give a slightly vague feeling when things get rougher on the water, but also mean it is extremely forgiving and stable. Other boards tend to have sharp rails and you get an on or off feeling, while on the 10’6″ Ride, it allows for a little movement. I find the best place to stand is a little forward of the carry handle. It keeps the nose down and tail up minimising drag. You don’t need to worry about paddle dings or scrapes while paddling, the shaft just bounces off the rail.

Being an inflatable, it is very comfortable under foot and I never experience foot fatigue like on a hard board even with an EVA deck. I don’t find kneeling very comfortable in general but kneeling on this paddle board is a pleasure. The inflatable internals and EVA deck provide a wonderful floating on air feeling of comfort.

I’ve paddled it up to 3 miles on the ocean in one session and almost as far as that on a local lagoon. It’s a nice cruising board and tracks very well. It’s almost 5 inches thick so you don’t get any water over the sides or any noticeable sag or flex. ~5″ thick inflatables are 30-50% stiffer than under 4″ models. Red Paddle Co combats this flex in less than 4″ thick boards with RSS battens. Sure, if you jump up and down or run into a wave or a piece of chop, you’ll feel it flex underfoot. There are pros and cons for any boards. It’s my second board for all round general cruising, exploring and riding small waves. My other board (8’5″ x 29″ pure surf SUP) is not suited to anything but good surf.

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I’ve had a few falls on it, pearled on some waves trying to find it’s limits, been knocked over by nasty wind chop and the nice large EVA deck make it very easy to climb back on despite the thickness. The board bumped me once or twice in the waves and it certainly didn’t hurt nearly as much as a hard board with sharp rails would have!

The moulded and glued on fins are extremely durable. I think it could be nice to have a fin box to change up to a large fin for longer paddles but set up as a thruster, the 10’6″ paddled very well. The built in fins are much easier to deal with when handling and packing the board. One less thing to worry about.

Surfing

Inflatables can be used in the surf however the 10’6″ Ride is on the lower end of surfability. I’ve ridden it in wave faces up to 5ft and it performs well. You need to get way back on the EVA deck and it prefers to go down the line. It’ll turn well, but watch for the nose catching and pearling. It’s length and flatter rocker line, while great for cruising, work against this paddle board in the surf. That said, I often ride small waves with it when my other board (8’5″ x 29″) is too much work.

Packing up

Putting this board away is a cinch. Just open the valve and wait for 20PSI to come whistling out in a hurry. From the nose, you just fold it over about 8 inches and then fold/roll around that. Instead of rolling straight from the nose, folding it a small section means you get a slightly flatter roll up of the board so when you get down to the fins, the 3 fins can fold over in one section making it easier to pack and carry.

Transportation and storage

Possibly a facet of paddle boarding regularly overlooked when reviewing a board. However, as this board is inflatable, it needs to be addressed. It packs down to a very manageable bag and can easily fit into the trunk of a small to medium sedan. It’ll fit in your closet, on a plane or on a yacht. Inflatables really open up a realm of travel and SUP possibilities.

In conclusion

The Red Paddle Co 10’6″ Ride is a great all round stand up paddle board. It also happens to be an inflatable which gives you great benefits. To the purists, an inflatable won’t feel right, but to many, the advantages of an inflatable (storage, transportation, bombproof rails and construction) far outweigh any disadvantages (pumping it up and little flex). It’s my go to board for everything but big waves.

Interested in purchasing this board? Follow this link.