The Vida 98

First time Paddleboarder who was looking to get into the sport on the lower end investment wise. I came across these Michael Dolsey Vida boards through Paddleboard New England in Beverly MA. This board offered the perfect solution for a beginner, its lightweight and easy to carry, it is very stable to stand on at 32 inches wide, colors of the board are also quite nice. I purchase the blue 9'8" board for my wife and the blue 10'8" board for myself being that I am taller and weigh 215 lbs. I found both boards tracked very straight in the water while paddling them. After a week of straight use so far, I am very happy with them. We also had a dozen or so other family members who have never done standup paddle boarding use them with no problem as well. Very nice boards, nice finish and triple fins. They also have pins to attach shock cord to so you can strap things to the front of the board. Seem to be constructed well. Pros Lightweigh and easy to learn to ride. Nice looking, was able to get matching blue boards in two different lengths. Comfortable pad to stand on. Cons Finish does show scratches, wasn't prepared to deal with family members and kids moving them around and bumping each other or leaving on sandy/rocky shoreline to move around with the waves. Have many scratches, some may wax out, we'll see. So just beware, it's a painted epoxy finish that does scratch. Usage We use these for touring and exercise. Looking forward to exploring many ponds and small lakes nearby, also may do some ocean locations as well.