I first tried a Red Paddle board at an event last year on the island (I live and work on the Isle of Man) where the island's tourist attractions encouraged the residents of the island to try something new. Previous I have used canoes and kayaks so a paddle board sounded like a new challenge and possibly a long term hobby. I found the feel and stability of the board very reassuring and even though I spent quite a lot of the time falling off when going from kneeling to standing to start with. However this didn't put me off because the rigidity of the board gave you the confidence to keep trying. A few days later I went to the local stockists of Red Paddle Co boards and after a discussion with the fella I bought my own 10,6 board. I did look at other boards (adverts and web information) but felt that the Red Paddle board was the best for long term use rather than getting a lesser quality board and either need to replace it more often or find it wasn't as stable and be put off progressing and ultimately end up trying to sell it and give up on an exciting way of keeping fit and seeing the wonderful sights paddle boarding allows you to enjoy. The fact Red Paddle have a web site you can become a member of which not only tells you about new products but has information videos on everything from techniques to improve your paddling and use of the board but also maintaining your board so you get the best out of it and can get a longer life from it. The first impression experience with the new board: The moment you get the back pack the board, paddle and pump are in out of the box you are impressed by the quality. This feeling of quality continues when you unzip the bag and get the board paddles and pump out. The feeling of quality continues after you have inflated the board and get it on the water. You would expect an inflated board to be wobbly but as you climb aboard any fears are instantly dismissed. The paddle itself is solid and very high quality with a good level of thrust as you sweep it through the water. The Titan twin chamber pump is a solid piece of kit which kicks the air into the board and quite a reasonable rate. The fact as the board starts to get under more pressure you can switch the pump into a light outlet pump so you can actually continue the inflammation of the board without getting a double hernia or not being able to get the board up to its correct pressure. Really glad I bought a Red Paddle board.