Red Paddle Co 10’8” Ride MSL Inflatable SUP Review | 2023

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Red Paddle Co 10’8” Ride MSL iSUP: Overview

The 10’8” Ride MSL by Red Paddle Co is a super-stable all-around iSUP that’s great for larger paddlers, paddling with a child or pet, or even some light SUP fishing. The wide outline, effective shape, and quality construction make this all-around just as inviting for beginners as it is for more advanced paddlers.

— Red Paddle Co 10’8” Ride MSL Summary Ratings and Review —

Construction and Durability

The 10’8” Ride MSL uses Red Paddle Co’s proprietary MSL fusion materials and construction process to create a high quality inflatable paddle board that is durable and performs well on the water.

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MSL stands for Monocoque Structural Laminate and is a trade term used by Red Paddle Co to describe their proprietary materials and process for creating their inflatable paddleboards. The 10’8” Ride (and all iSUPs) start with an internal core made of two layers of fabric with thousands of drop stitch threads running between them. This core sets the thickness of the board and keeps the board flat and rigid when inflated rather than ballooning into a sausage shape. Red coats their fabric material with an adhesive material that acts as both a sealant for the fabric to prevent air leakage and as a glue for the layer of reinforced PVC tarpaulin that is machine-pressed onto the fabric. This process eliminates cosmetic errors and creates a very strong and rigid material.

The top and bottom layers of the board are then joined together with a band of PVC material glued around the entire edge of the board. A second, larger, layer of PVC is then glued over top of the first to further increase durability and rigidity.

Red’s process for creating the 10’8” Ride MSL is highly controlled and produces a cosmetically perfect board. I’ve not seen any cosmetic defects on any Red Paddle Co SUP that I’ve paddled. No glue stains, no wavy edges, no air bubbles. It’s actually quite impressive.

The quality construction doesn’t end there. The deck pad on Red’s iSUPs is one of my favorites. It’s a high-density foam with a logo-embossed pattern that is both extremely grippy and extremely comfortable to stand on.

The 10’8” Ride has a recommended inflation pressure between 16-22 PSI. We use 20 PSI as an upper limit in our testing as many SUP pumps do not provide for higher pressures, and we’ve found diminishing returns in rigidity beyond 20 PSI.

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With the high quality material and construction used in the 10’8” Ride MSL and high maximum pressure, I was excited to see how well this 4.7” thick board did in our bend test. Thinner boards will always be less rigid compared to thicker boards of the same construction, but how well does Red’s 4.7” MSL build hold up compared to other constructions?

In our dry-land bend test we use a 170 lbs static weight to measure how much flex an iSUP shows. The 10’8” Ride MSL finished our test with a 1.65” bend. This is just a tiny bit more bend than our current running average (1.56”), however when you consider the 10’8” Ride is nearly 25% thinner than most of the iSUPs in our test, this is actually a great result!

The real test of any board’s rigidity, though, is how it feels on the water. Once the 10’8” Ride is inflated and floating it behaves even better. While standing on the board, paddling normally, and even casually moving around on the board there’s no real noticeable flex or bounce. Now, when I start jumping up and down on the board I can generate a moderate (and noticeable) amount of flex. When I stop jumping the board settles back down calmly without any strong springy feeling.

The 10’8” Ride MSL has great on-water rigidity during normal use and is comfortably predictable in the way it flexes and settles while bouncing around on the board, hard sprinting, or paddling through heavy chop.

Specifications

Features, Accessories and Versatility

Like Red’s other all-around iSUPs, the 10’8” Ride focuses on providing a high quality paddling experience first. This all-around iSUP has just enough features built onto the board for casual days cruising your local waters, but not so much that it clutters the board.

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The features on the 10’8” Ride are well thought out and placed for most casual days paddling. There isn’t as much cargo space or as many accessory mounting points as some other all-around iSUPs, but there is enough for a full day on the water. The main standing area of the board is kept clear for you to move around, sit, stand, walk, or even do some SUP yoga.

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The 10’8” Ride MSL is available as a basic kit with the board, high-quality ATB transformer bag and Titan II hand pump. You can also bundle the board with your preferred style of leash and a paddle.

Stability

The 10’8” Ride MSL is a supremely stable board. Not only is it on the wider-side of the spectrum for all-around iSUPs, but the generous outline of the board and high-quality construction make it even easier to stand, paddle, catch a wave, or enjoy some yoga while on the water.

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The 10’8” Ride is specified to be 34” wide, however our measurements of the board came in right at 33.5”. Some variation in final width is normal with iSUPs, however a half-inch is notable, especially for a company that prides itself on its construction. Now, does this truly make a difference on the water? Not much. Even if you had a 10’8” Ride that measured 34” wide I think most would have difficulty telling them apart as even with the slightly diminished width, the 10’8” Ride is still incredibly stable.

The board’s wide outline carries its width through the nose and well into the tail. This creates more volume to support the paddler and more contact area on the water to resist tipping. Standing on the board, paddling normally, and even moving around on the board are all very easy and confidence inspiring thanks to the generous size and shape.

While rocking the board side to side it is relatively easy to sink the edges since the board is only 4.7” thick, however they both sink and resurface smoothly and predictably rather than twitching back into place as you release the pressure on your foot.

One thing I did find interesting with the 10’8” Ride MSL is that it actually has a narrower tail width than the smaller 10’6” Ride MSL (21” vs 22.5”). Now this raises the question, though, is the 10’8” Ride’s tail “smaller” or is the 10’6” Ride’s tail “bigger”? The difference is fairly small and only recognizable when comparing them directly. Based on the way the lines of the board come together, my thought is the 10’6” Ride probably received a volume bump from the original shape to help increase stability. The extra width throughout the majority of the 10’8” Ride MSL does make it noticeably more stable than its smaller sibling, regardless of the tail size, even during pivot turns when you are standing toward the back of the board.

Speed

All-around iSUPs, and larger all-around iSUPs like the 10’8” Ride MSL, are not particularly known for their speed. While the 10’8” Ride is capable of some moderately fast speeds, it’s a much better cruiser than racer.

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In our speed test, the 10’8” Ride did come out with some quality results that were on-par or slightly faster than similar sized large all-around boards. In a sustained sprint, the 10’8” Ride managed to hold an average of 5.0 MPH and reach a peak speed of 5.4 MPH. This required quite a bit of effort on the part of the paddler, though.

At a more casual (and comfortable) cruising pace of 25 strokes per minute, the 10’8” Ride clocked an average of 3.5 MPH. Once again this is a good score for a large all-around iSUP, but on the larger scale of our testing is a little slow. Where the 10’8” Ride did very well, though was in our efficiency testing.

Once you are at a cruising speed, a single paddle stroke propels the board just over 19’ before slowing down noticeably. This gives it a gliding ratio of 1.8 board-lengths per stroke which is notably high for a larger all-around iSUP.

Overall the 10’8” Ride MSL is easily capable of paddling at fun cruising speeds.

Maneuverability and Tracking

With twin 4.5” fixed fins and a wider outline, the 10’8” Ride favors maneuverability over tracking, though is no slouch when you need to get from one place to another.

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In our maneuverability testing we purposely use less-efficient techniques to help highlight the differences between boards. With forward sweep strokes – a common entry-level turning technique that paddles in a large arc from nose to tail – the 10’8” Ride was actually quite responsive. It took only around 5 paddle strokes on average to complete a full circle from a standstill. This is a little faster than the 10’6” Ride. This agile board is quite easy to turn with forward sweeps, and even faster with more advanced techniques.

Reverse sweeps quickly turn the stopped or slowly-moving board even faster (needing just under 4 strokes), and bow-draws make for very responsive adjustments in smaller increments.

I did find that stepping back to the tail of the board creates an exciting scenario if you are used to the volume and support of a 6” iSUP – the thinner board tail sinks much faster than what you are used to! Even though this may be a little surprising at first, I quickly adapted to the different feeling and the 10’8” was quite easy to step back and pivot turn.

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I did find that the 10’8” Ride had less tracking ability than the smaller 10’6” Ride. It’s been my experience that wider boards (barring other intervention) will typically have lower tracking performance than narrower boards as you must paddle farther outside from the midline of the board. This creates more turning force with each stroke.

While this is the case generally speaking, there are very easy methods to counteract this phenomenon. First is to switch sides more frequently. I found that by changing sides every 5-6 strokes vs my normal ~8 strokes it was much easier to stay on course. The other effective method of improving tracking was to use a canted forward stroke. By slightly twisting the paddle in the water and placing it slightly away from the board before pulling the paddle back in for the rest of the stroke you can keep the board going straighter with each stroke.

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The 10’8” Ride uses two fixed fins at the tail of the board. These twin fins are made of a durable, but flexible material. This allows them to bend out of the way if they hit a submerged object rather than suddenly stopping the board or breaking off. The fins are 4.5” long and 6” wide at the base. This gives them a good amount of surface area to aid in tracking and stability without being overly long.

I’m still personally torn on the use of fixed fins for a board like the 10’8” Ride MSL. On one hand I like fin boxes, rather than fixed fins, for the ability to swap fins to adjust the board’s performance. On the other hand these two fins are really well suited for the board. They do an overall good job of balancing maneuverability and tracking, and they make it so easy to get ready for your day – no worry about losing the fins, fin screws, or other pieces.

Overall I think the fixed fins are a good fit for the 10’8” Ride MSL. Some advanced paddlers may want more customization, but for the vast majority of riders these fins are the right choice to begin with.

Warranty and Customer Support

Red Paddle Co. offers a 5 year warranty on all of their iSUPs, however you must register your board within 3 months of purchase in order for the warranty to take effect. Because Red Paddle Co is primarily a retail brand, return periods will vary based on your chosen retailer. Green Water Sports provides a 30 day return period for unused equipment. If you purchase directly from Red you’ll also have a 30 day return period for unused equipment. If you have any questions about the 10’8” Ride MSL or any other Red Paddle Co product you can reach Red via their website chate, email, webform, or phone. You can also reach out to Green Water Sports via their website chate, webform, email or phone.

Overall Impressions/Review Summary

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The 10’8” Ride MSL is a fun to paddle all-around iSUP for larger paddlers. I really like the clean aesthetic of the board and the excellent construction. Paddlers over the 250 lb mark may want to consider an option like the 6” thick Red Paddle Co 10’8” Activ MSL for the increased volume and rigidity. The 10’8” Ride MSL has a great balance of performance, excellent stability, and is suitable for beginners and advanced paddlers alike.

Red Paddle Co 10’8” Ride MSL iSUP FAQ