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In this article, I will be reviewing the Red Paddle Co 11′ 3″ Sports stand-up paddle board. This inflatable SUP continues to surprise me with its performance, durability, and capabilities. I’ll show you how to set up this paddle board, introduce you to all of the new design features, and then test it out on both still and moving water.
Read more: 10 Best Stand Up Paddle Board Inflatable | Top 10 Picks 2022
How to stand-up paddle board?
The Paddleboard is made simple with a stable inflatable like the Red Paddle Co 11′ 3″ sports. So, whether you are a new paddler or a seasoned one. This article will introduce you to my favorite paddle board and explain why the Red Paddle is my go-to choice for getting out on the water.
Overview
So, here we are with the Red Paddle Co 11 ‘3″ sport for 2022. And well I say 2022 and the 11 ‘3″ sport itself. the board itself hasn’t changed a huge amount. And to be honest with you, that’s not a real surprise because the board’s brilliant is such a good touring board.
And I think it’s the fourth-fifth year in the red puddle lineup. I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t really understand the board’s position in the lineup. First off, but very, very quickly, especially once you pat on the board, you start to really understand as to how good this board actually is.
There are a few factors that we’re running through in just a moment as to why this board is so good as a touring shape and perhaps as a first board, interestingly, but really in 2022. The big changes that we’ve seen are the addition of the new ATB transformer backpack.
Top of the Board
So, the board itself Why is 11’3″ sport so good? Well, and with the 11’3″ sport its nose fills out very very quickly to its overall width of 32 inches. Now while it’s very purposeful. Its overall length is a bit pointy sometimes people were hurt to various points during boards.
It’s that width and it fills out too so early on that makes it exceptionally stable on the foot and you’ve got a bear in mind and a touring board such as this of 32 inches in width really puts it on par with popular boards and the red paddle co lineup such as the 10-6 rides which is really the first touch point for so many people out there.
But the board is very very stable. Then those are the board feature-rich. It’s got a red paddle coast plastic-free carry handle. They are the front with a really nice bit of red paddle code detailing in terms of the embroidery. There’s also an M6 by 10 mil female threaded fitting on the front now that will take either you know the red paddle code.
For example, The camera mounts a GoPro fitting RAM Trailblazer, whatever else it’s a really functional mount on the front of the board that you can use for far more than just a camera. A simple overall very clean aesthetic to the board. It just is eye-catching, a little bit conservative but eye-catching without being overbearing the straps back in 2022.
They replaced the original budget type system the crisscrosses system. I actually like the belts quite a bit. But the big thing I found with them is that they’re fantastic for very large items in 2021. They weren’t so good for small ones, and credit to rare paddle and credit where credit is due.
They’ve picked up on this lots of feedback from existing owners and also ourselves here at the sub-company. And what they’ve just made a very simple addition. This little stainless steel ring here really just means that small item, whether that be you know, flip flops or a water bottle.
For example, Sit is under this area and just all of a sudden becomes much more secure. And they don’t have to rely on the entire strap which can be a little bit easier to loosen over time. So a nice little touch of refinement on the red paddle code part. The deck pad is really really generous. Something red paddock. I’ve increased in all of their boards over the years.
And there is always good traction on the foot. And this red paddle code repeats a graphic that’s embossed into all of their deck pads and is very very eye-catching. It’s a nice touch and credit to them in terms of attention to detail. But underfoot is really comfortable and it’s quite an effective way of creating traction on the deck.
This transitions though as you work your way towards the back end of the board with like a diamond cross-cut deck pad which just improves traction yet again. But it does also just help you understand and orientate your footwork on the board. So, as you start to really engage tail turns on the board and you start to improve your overall paddle technique.
It just helps you very, very easily orientate where you are to get the board term from the water though. Yeah, a really nice carry handle in the center of the board, very heavily padded, which means it’s going to fit inside the palm of your hand really comfortably.
So, if your Portage is quite some way away, then yeah. It’s quite manageable and comfortable to get the board down to the water. Now is also an additional handle on the tail there. And that integrates with a stainless steel D ring.
Which is where you would attach your leash. I quite like how they’ve actually tied the valves into the deck pants now as well just cleaning up the overall look of the board. And if you weren’t aware that red paddle Co boards or inflatable. You’d probably have to double-take it. We need to find the valve on the board.
Rail of the Board
But let’s take the board and roll it on over to its rail. Because on the rail, you’ve got on all of the sports boards. The voyages, and then also the more performance orientated slightly smaller shapes like the whip and the nine eight rides red paddle cos is patented RSNs batten system. And that stands for rigid stiffening system.
Now, it might seem like a bit of a gimmick, but I can assure you it is not on this board at 4.75 inches thick. It makes a massive difference to the rigidity in terms of the overall standing area. I guess one criticism that we get back really from customers and also ourselves when we inflate these and put them in our test center is they can at first be quite hard to insert into the pocket on the side of the board. Now that does get easier over time.
Setup
I have to say this is one of the best-designed backpacks. It’s got some heavy-duty straps. It’s even got hip support. So, it’s great for hiking in remote locations. It’s also got some wheels so you can wheel it around like a suitcase.
So first, we’re gonna pull out the pump. Now, this is a double barrel triple action pump. This is so awesome in a minute and we’re gonna get out the 3 piece paddle. This is a carbon paddle. It’s really light really easy to set up and it’s adjustable.
So, if you’re tall or short or whatever your height is don’t worry Red Paddlegot you’re covered. This paddle board is out of the backpack. Let’s unroll it and start inflating it. Now, Red Paddle was really smart when they included this double-barrel triple-action pump.
It’s got 3 settings there. we’re gonna start on setting number one. It’s got a pressure gauge at the top we wanna fill this board to 14 to 18 psi and we’ll undo the fill cap and attach our hose and we’re going to start pumping on stage once that’s setting
Number one utilizes both barrels and fills the board on both the upstroke and the downstroke. This is kind of like high gear. It’s gonna fill the board initially really really fast and then when you get tired you can go to the stage.
Number two and that’s just gonna fill the board on the downstroke. So, it’s gonna get a little bit easier to pump and if that’s too hard you can switch to
Number three-stage only utilizes one barrel and inflates only on the downstroke. This is the easiest pump setting but it also fills the board quite a bit slower.
But we use this to get up to the max psi that we want which in this case we’re only going to go to 17 psi and we’ll attach the cover and attach our leash which is a 10-foot leash really easy to secure. This little velcro system there. we’ll get that tucked away now we’re going to attach the fins.
And what I rocker did here is absolutely brilliant instead of those really frustrating clips red paddle co 11′ 3″ sports developed a flip-lock type system. Which makes attaching the fins super simple really easy to attach and easy to remove later on.
All you have to do is lift the tab up put the fin in and push the tab down into the lock position and we’ll set the board down to be nice and gently secure. The paddle in the stretchy bungees and we are basically ready to hit the water and test this thing out here’s.
Bottom of the Board
But let’s roll it up onto its rail fully, so you can see the underside. And the other side is really clean, red paddle code with the overall look and aesthetic just like to keep it clean. And the nice thing with it is it’s very easy to maintain as well.
Really easy to wash down. And it’s just a nice overall look. For a product coat branding on the underside. There you can really see the overall width of the board now and just how quickly. It fills out in that forward section. But the main standing area is 32 inches.
That’s where the widest part of the board is. And it tapers ever so slightly towards the tail but not massively. So again, lots of stability on the tail. The fin box color match this year. Red paddle co 9-inch touring fin and there is a nice rigid fin that hasn’t got too much flex in it. And it just helps a lot with tracking and also overall lateral stability.
And then really the final refinement in the board itself is red paddle co speed tail. And that’s that hard edge that you see go round the tail edge of the board. And that just cleans up the overall water release a huge amount and it means that the board just accelerates and maintains its top speed that little bit easier. And it’s just a little bit more rewarding to paddle overall.
Pros
- Red Embossed Grips.
- Rocker stiffening system.
- Ergonomic carry handle.
- Easy fix D for attaching your board leash.
- Bottle and small kit holder.
- Touring fin.
Cons
- None.
Conclusion
So as a board in 2022, if you’re out there looking for premium quality, exceptionally well made, good, efficient, stable touring board. I would seriously take a look at the red paddle co11’3″ sport. I would also say that if this is your first board, don’t be put off by the overall length. We often find that people coming to our test center they’ll gravitate towards.
For example, a red paddle co 10-6 right straight away. But often find themselves wanting that little bit more they come to terms with the 10-6 ride very, very quickly. It’s an excellent all-rounder and it is still read Calicos best selling model by quite some way.
But in 11’3″ sport just offers that little bit more in terms of glide and room for overall progression. Particularly if you’re paddling on flat inland waterways. And an all-rounder board really isn’t something you’re going to actually end up with overall, and kind of grow out of to some extent.