INSIDE OUT BY TIM SHUFF The Zephyr 160 PRO BY WILDERNESS SYSTEMS
Derived from the name of the Latin and Greek gods of the west wind, in English “zeph- yr” means “a gentle breeze from the west.” Te boat’s name suggests a craft that is light and airy. Te Zephyr is indeed light, being com- posite, and is airy in substance—like its name- sake it can be everywhere at once and refuses to be nailed down on the spectrum of kayak performance. No kayak can do everything, but for the medium- to large-sized paddler, the Zephyr comes close to a quiver-of-one. Its 16-foot length puts the Zephyr smack
between day-touring and expedition classes, offering a mix of nimbleness for tootling about and storage capacity for ambitious trips. Simi- larly, the 23-inch width makes it neither torpe- do nor tanker, swinging the needle just slightly to the side of playfulness by presenting a more rockered profile on edge. Tis tubby belly with a taste for rock-garden mischief spins like a dervish on a steep edge and makes room for paddler and gear. Te cockpit is cavernous and welcomes rec
kayakers making the transition to a high-per- formance boat. A six-foot-two paddler had the foot pegs four to five notches back from max and could barely toe the bulkhead. But there’s
no sacrificing a snug fit, even for medium-sized seamen, thanks to the adjustable outfitting. Smaller testers found the 17-inch deck a bit high, however, confirming that this is a perfor- mance punt for paddlers on the large side. We noticed that the cockpit opening seemed poor- ly positioned relative to the seat, or vice versa, with several inches of space behind the seat back making it harder to get a spray skirt on. On the go, the hull tracks straight on an
even keel and holds its own, speed-wise, amidst a fleet of expedition boats. On a tilt, there’s a direct relationship between degree of edging and willingness to turn. Te point-of- no-return is a point of mega-turns, providing you have a handy brace. Initial stability is more solid than its sister ship the Tempest, while secondary on this softer chine is less defined: the Zephyr is friendlier to beginners, but its edging less precise. On the Greek theme, the Zephyr sticks to
Aristotle’s golden mean in both capacity and performance. Also available in rugged plastic and a sportier 15.5 length suited to smaller paddlers, the Zephyr succeeds as the do-it-all high-performance kayak that Wilderness Sys- tems claims it to be.
CLICKETY-CLICK, BARBA-TRICK Years ago Wilderness Systems’ adjust- able outfitting migrated over from its whitewater designs to sea kayaks and has been improving ever since, provid- ing lickety-split customization of thigh brace position, hip pad width, and leg support height. We like.
A HULL OF A GOOD TIME Shallow-V hull and soft chine make for good initial stability and soft second- ary—increasing degrees of edge give greater turning speed with no obvious point of resistance. When deployed, the plastic skeg felt loose and could be heard wiggling when rocking from edge to edge. Oddly, the Zephyr is available in Kevlar for the same price as fibreglass.
A JOLLY GREEN GIANT Attractive deck layout with generous bungee tie-downs and three waterproof rubber Kajak Sport hatches. The 10-inch bow hatch is less convenient to pack than an oval hatch but provides greater security in rough seas. Compass mount recess ahead of front hatch.
length ................16 ft (487 cm) width .................23 in (58.4 cm) depth ................17 in (43.18 cm) capacity ........... 300 lbs (136 kg) weight ............... 54 lbs (24.4 kg) fibreglass or Kevlar
MSRP ................. $3,700 Cdn, $3,150 US fibreglass or Kevlar
wildernesssystems.com www.adventurekayakmag.com 27
PHOTOS: TIM SHUFF
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