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INSIDE OUT BY ALEX MATTHEWS The Whiskey 16


THE WHISKEY IS A NEW DESIGN from famed sea kayaker Nigel Foster. Designed for a Swedish company by an Englishman who now makes his home in America, built in China and named after a drink from Scotland—this is truly an international undertaking. Rather than producing yet another generic


“me too” sea kayak, Foster continues his re- cord of distinctive designs, boldly pushing the Whiskey deeper into the playboat niche than most would be willing to go. Clearly the hull was conceived with play and


surfing in mind. It is highly rockered for ma- noeuvrability, with a very hard chine running the full length of its flat hull. Volume carries well into the ends and the bow in particular is very full, almost bulbous, and buoyant. Te cockpit is quite far back. Tere are large oval rubber hatches bow


and stern, a smaller 20-centimetre round day hatch, and a 15-centimetre hatch on the fore deck within easy reach of the cockpit. Te Chinese build quality is reasonable but


could use refinement. Te boat felt solid, but multiple leaks into the cockpit were disap- pointing (one suspects the builder will have this resolved in short order). Te Whiskey is also heavy for its size. And with the balance


26 ADVENTURE KAYAK | EARLY SUMMER 2009 BY POINT 65


point of the kayak being forward of the cock- pit, it’s an awkward solo carry. Te fit is excellent and suits a wide range of


paddlers. Te backband offers good support and the thigh braces create a nice knee pocket that makes edging and rolling easy. Afloat, the boxy cross-sectional shape and


22-inch beam yield solid primary stability and tons of secondary. It’s fun tossing the Whiskey on edge, although due to its extreme rocker, it doesn’t require edging for tight turns; the boat virtually spins 180 degrees with one sweep! Given the extremely high manoeuvrability,


tracking was a pleasant surprise. Te Whis- key is easy to paddle in a straight line. Even in high winds where I expected the high-riding bow to deflect, the Whiskey was easy to con- trol. When the bow did wander, it was easy to bring back on course. Te Whiskey is primarily a day-paddler


that excels in play spots like rock gardens, tid- al features and surf breaks. But it also works surprisingly well as a do-everything kayak. It has decent speed and, other than its tendency to “slam” in chop, it’s enjoyable to paddle in a wide variety of conditions and can carry enough gear for a few days. Te Whiskey is a different and a very fun kayak.


WHISKEY TO GO GO Is designing a hatch specifically to carry your booze a warning sign? How about naming your new boat after your favorite alcoholic bever- age? We don’t think so. The whiskey hatch is useful for all sorts of things.


HARD CHINE, FLAT HULL The flat hull and hard chines combine with the stern-weighted position of the cockpit for very good surfing characteristics. The full bow does a great job of staying on the surface too; the downside is its tendency to slam down hard on the backside of oncoming waves.


SIZE DOESN’T MATTER Even fully deployed, the Whiskey’s distinctive clear plastic skeg doesn’t present much surface area, yet it provides good tracking and ef- fectively counters the boat’s slight tendency to weathercock in wind.


length ...............16 ft (489 cm) width .................22 in (56 cm) capacity...........341 lbs (155 kg) weight ...............58 lbs (26.3 kg) (fibre- glass) as measured


price..................$2,799 US fibreglass ...........................$4,099 US Kevlar/ carbon


www.point65.se


PHOTOS: ALEX MATTHEWS


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