What is MSL? Monocoque Structural Laminate of course!

Red Paddle 2016 MSL construction light weight inflatable paddle boards — Click to enlarge

MSL Fusion Composite. The future is fusion!

The difference is in the detail. By looking at all of the individual elements of drop stitch Red Paddle Co have been able to develop a refined process to improve all aspects of board production.

Firstly Red Paddle Co have removed the process of coating the inner thread section with molten PVC – for them this was a redundant process, as they had no interest in producing a single layer board and only served as a base to glue our outer/double layer too. It was also a messy process with very little control. Instead they coat the thread structure in a layer of adhesive that has been specially formulated to create both a seal and a bonding layer. Red Paddle Co then machine laminate a layer or high density structural PVC to this adhesive layer under controlled conditions – completely removing the human factor involved in traditional double layer application.

This entire process is done at the raw material stage by carefully calibrated machinery developed for this process specifically. The result is a consistent and high level cosmetic finish that has all of the durability and strength properties of our previous double layer construction. And because this process is done at the raw material stage Red Paddle Co is now able to benefit from torsional stiffness as the material is put under tension when the board is inflated.

It all sounds simple but like the best single malt whiskey or a finely tuned engine the components and method have needed to be refined over and over again until they created the ultimate blend of performance, quality and weight.

So what are the benefits to us?

Cosmetic finish – All 2016 Red Paddle Co boards now have an industry leading cosmetic finish. No wrinkles or blemishes. The boards look cleaner and smoother, and even feel better to the touch.
Lighter – All 2016 Red Paddle Co boards are up to 5 lbs or 2 kgs lighter than previous versions. But very importantly they are not too light. If a board is ultra light or too light, it is more affected by wind and current while on the water. MSL boards have a reassuring lightweight feel.
Stiffer at lower pressures – Due to the Torsional Stiffness effect, all 2016 Red Paddle Co boards are stiffer at lower pressures. Red Paddle Co recommend a pressure of between 16-22psi. Less pumping more paddling.

All the 2016 Red Paddle inflatable SUPs feature the MSL construction. See which ones we have in stock, or which are still in transit to us.