For more than a decade, Glide has been the dominant force in supplying rental paddle boards to liveries and outfitters from coast to coast. People often ask us how we ended up becoming the brand for rental fleets—why so many businesses rely on Glide for boards that last longer, perform better, and require almost no maintenance.

So grab your beach chair. It’s story time.

Glide didn’t start with rental fleets in mind. Glide started with whitewater—the kind of water that breaks boards (and bones).

In 2010, our founder, Ken Driscoll, was recovering from a fractured back after sending a 50-foot waterfall in a kayak. Sitting in a kayak cockpit was no longer an option, but his passion for river paddling hadn’t gone anywhere.

So he grabbed an epoxy stand up paddle board, took it down the river…

…and broke it clean in half.

Most people would call it a day. Ken called it an opportunity.

Over time—after experimenting with coatings like Rhino Liner (too heavy) and nearly every protective compound he could source—Ken dialed in the formula that would become Glide Surface Shield (GSS): a coating tough enough for whitewater abuse but still light enough for high performance.

When Ken began demoing these ultra-durable boards for whitewater kayak shops, something unexpected happened.

Shop owners kept saying:

It was an aha moment.

Renters are, in fact, harder on boards than Mother Nature.

So Ken designed a new model specifically for rental use:

• Wider than typical all-around boards for easier first-time stability

• A flat, rock-steady bottom to help absolute beginners stand instantly

• A reinforced GSS-coated shell that could take unbelievable abuse

• A lock-through tail hole so fleets could secure dozens of boards at once

This wasn’t just a durable board—it was the perfect rental board.

Competitors offered:

• Epoxy boards (beautiful but fragile)

• Rotomolded plastic boards (durable but brutally heavy)

• Composite/heat-pressed boards (lighter, but prone to seam failures)

But none had the trifecta:

• Durability

• Performance

• Reasonable weight

Glide delivered all three.

Rental managers immediately noticed:

• Fewer repairs

• Higher customer satisfaction

• Lower long-term costs

• Better stability for beginners

Word spread fast. Orders poured in from rivers, lakes, ocean outfitters, resorts, camps, and rental shops across the country.

To show just how tough these boards really were, we created a YouTube series called Will It Break Wednesdays.

Some of our stress tests included:

• Driving 60 mph down a road and releasing a board

• Towing an employee standing on the board across a parking lot (concrete skiing!)

• Dropping boards from cranes

• Sliding boards down rocky hillsides

• Shooting baseballs at the board in a batting cage

What happened?

A few scrapes.

Some cosmetic scuffs.

Zero cracks. Zero structural failures.

Even we were shocked at how well they held up.

While we could have stopped there, Glide never rests.

Over the years, we’ve:

• Improved our Glide Surface Shield formulation

• Reduced weight without compromising strength

• Adopted new materials as technology advances

• Continued field-testing with outfitters and rental operations nationwide

Every generation of Glide rental SUP is tougher, lighter, and better performing than the last—and we’re nowhere near done.

Stay tuned. We’re always tinkering.

Whether you’re renting a paddle board for a couple of hours or running an entire fleet, board quality matters. Cheap rental boards might look appealing, but they can lead to frustrating experiences for customers—and costly repairs for livery owners.

Glide set the standard for rental paddle boards by creating boards that:

• Beginners can easily stand on

• Outfitters can rely on for years

• Withstand abuse that would destroy other boards

• Deliver a smooth, stable, confidence-building experience

Before you rent—or before you buy for your fleet—test the board. There’s a big difference between a good price and a great paddle boarding experience.