Throughout the past 13 years, Red Paddle Co has been the industry leader in the inflatable paddle board arena, racking up numerous awards throughout the product line. Innovative features include the game-changing Titan dual action pump, Monocoque Structural Laminate (MSL) fusion material technology, Rocker Side Stiffening (RSS) system, the Forward Flex Control (FFC) nose rod on the racing boards and the Compact low-profile boards.
Red Paddle’s philosophy? If you plan on taking to the water on an inflatable board then you need a super durable board that is up for the challenge. And if you haven’t seen them, the Red Paddle endurance videos – pitting Red Paddle boards against teens, dogs, tractors, big rigs, martial arts and more – are definitely a testament to durability.
The 2021 Red Paddle Co product line continues with 20 models for surfing, whitewater, recreation, touring and racing, ranging in size from 8’10″ to to 22’0.″ This includes revamped graphics unifying the product line appearance while keeping subtle differentiations between paddling categories, as well as added features on many models. Three models have been retired and one reinvented. Prices are remaining the same. Read our writeup on the 2021 Red Paddle Co Product Line – What’s New to find out all the nifty new features and technical upgrades.
Each year we update our previous posts to reflect the new Red Paddle Co models and product upgrades – use this guide to take away some of the guesswork when looking at the myriad of options with Red Paddle Co iSUPs.
How do you use the following tables? First, ascertain your size from the list:
Big & Tall – 210+ lbs and 6’1? plus inches in height
Average – 140-200 lbs, 5’7? to 6’0? inches in height
Small – Under 140 lbs, Under 5’7? inches in height
Child – Under 100 lbs, under 5’0 inches in height
Then decide the type(s) of paddling you want to do (paddling situations):
Touring – Ocean, waves, long paddles, camping
Recreational – Lakes, sloughs, slower rivers, coastal, calm
Whitewater – Fast-moving maneuvering with eddies, drops.
Downriver – Wide-open moving water.
Surfing
Fishing
Racing
Yoga
Determine what attributes are important (or not!) to you – do you want versatility or storage capacity? Stability or speed?
Rank your experience level, realizing that the more you get out on the water, the better you will get. More experienced paddlers can get away with smaller boards. Last of all, will this be used by various members of the family? Do you want the ability to bring along a child, dog or gear? Might two people be on this together?
Multi Paddlers/Family: Two Adults, Adult and child or dog.
Beginner
Intermediate/Medium
Advanced Paddler
Follow the color key to decide what board is good for varying sizes and activities:
Blue – The board is great!
Green – The board is good.
Yellow – This board is not recommended.
For instance, if you were 5 feet 10 inches with a weight of 180 lbs, and whitewater rivers was the highest priority with a bit of recreational paddling, the Wild 11’0″ would be a good choice. But, if you wished to do predominantly recreational paddling with a bit of whitewater, the Ride 10’6 would be best.
For easier viewing, the Red Paddle Co boards in the following tables have been separated into four categories: recreational, cruising/touring, specialty and race. If you are having trouble viewing the details in the four tables, follow this link for a larger, zoomable and printable PDF version of the Choosing Your 2021 Red Paddle Co Inflatable Paddle Board iSUP.
2021 Red Paddle Co Recreational Inflatable SUPS.
This section outlines the recreational models, which include the Ride 9’8, Ride 10’6 and Ride 10’8 and Ride XL. This also includes the Limited Edition Ride 10’6″ created to celebrate Red’s 10th anniversary.
2021 Red Paddle Co Cruising/Touring Inflatable SUPS.
This portion lists the cruising/touring models, which include the Sport 11’0″, Sport 11’3″, Sport 12’6″. Voyager 12’6″, Voyager 13″2 and Voyager Tandem. It also includes the new Limited Edition Sport 11″3.
2021 Red Paddle Co Specialty Inflatable SUPS.
The table below outlines the specialty boards, which include the Whip 8’10, Snapper 9’4″. Wild 11, WindSurf 10’7 and Activ 10’8.
2021 Red Paddle Co Racing and Packable Inflatable SUP Lines.
The last table below outlines the packable and racing boards. The Packable series includes the Compact 9’6“ and Compact Sport 11’0. The Racing Series includes the Elite 12’6 and 14’0 and the Dragon 22’0.
Most boards come with the popular – and now updated – Titan 2 dual barrel pump (Voyager Tandem comes with two Titan 2 pumps) and the Roller Backpack – the two larger boards – RIde XL and Dragon come with two Titan 2 pumps and a carrying tarp.
Why are there varying board thicknesses?
Some of the larger boards feature heavier, drop-stitch materials, thus making the boards thicker.
What does this mean? The thicker the board (and larger the board) the greater the air volume. This will increase the board rigidity at lower pressures. The Sport 11″0 and 11’3, Ride 10’6 and 10’8 boards – constructed from 120mm materials – will have roughly 20% greater rigidity than the 100mm material boards (Whip, Snapper, Ride 9-8), thus will carry more weight, but will be slightly less maneuverable. The 150mm material boards – such as the Wind, Elites, Sport 12’6 and Voyagers – will exhibit roughly 50% greater rigidity. But, the 100mm boards (as well as the 150mm Elites, Sport 12’6 and Voyagers, but not the Snapper) have been beefed up with the Rocker Stiffening System (RSS), which also gives them an additional boost over the 100mm boards built by other manufacturers.
How does the width affect the performance?
Optimal width – measured at the widest point on the board – is typically 32 inches for most paddlers. Narrower boards (such as the race boards) will be faster but less stable. Wider boards have more volume, thus increasing stability and carrying capacity.
How high do I really need to pump this up for best performance?
Recommended pressure is 18-20 PSI, with an optimum of 18PSI. We suggest starting off at 15 PSI, and then deciding if you need to go higher – no sense spending time and effort reaching the highest PSI, when it may not get you any better performance. For instance, as a smaller person, I generally don’t pump up my boards higher than 12 PSI. And one of our customers – at 6’3″ and 300 lbs – found his 12’6 was perfectly fine at 20 PSI.
You can read more about SUP pumps in our Guide to Choosing a Pump for your High Pressure Inflatable SUP.
Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, you can view details on the various Red Paddle Co Inflatable SUPS at http://www.AirKayaks.com. Half of the 2021 Red Paddle CO inflatable SUPs (Rides, Voyagers, Sports, Compacts) are arriving late October, with the rest to follow in March 2021. AirKayaks is currently accepting pre-orders on the incoming 2021 models – order yours today to ensure you get one.
You can also read our writeup on the 2021 Red Paddle Co Product Line – What’s New to find out all the nifty new features and technical upgrades.
Still having trouble? Feel free to Contact us via email, or give us a call at 707-998-0135.