Inside Out
THE QUANTUM by Seaward
specs
length: width: depth: weight: cockpit
17.3 ft
21.75 in 13 in 54 lb
31 x 16 in
bow hatch: 96 litres stern hatch: 128 litres total storage: 224 litres total volume: 408 litres MSRP:
$3,855 Cdn fibreglass $3,136 US fibreglass $4,445 Cdn Kevlar $3,626 US Kevlar
www.seawardkayaks.com
A COUPLE YEARS AGO in the pages of this magazine (AK v4i2), columnist Alex Matthews argued for an end to the black and white separation between British and North American boat designs. “Let’s keep Brit boats British and take what we learn from
them and others, and put it through our own unique filters in order to make something that is truly ours,” writes Alex. Seaward has answered his call for a mashup. In steal-
ing from the British to create the Quantum they opted to abscond with the skeg but took an “if it ain’t broke” approach to hatches, resisting the temptation to slap on a day hatch and rubber covers just because that’s what they do in Britain. Seaward’s design team is clearly a restrained and
thoughtful bunch, and it shows in the Quantum’s on-wa- ter performance too. Initial and secondary stability are moderate. The multi-chine, shallow-V hull edges more pre- dictably than a single hard-chine, shallow-arch hull. Surf- ing a following sea is fun because you can rock the boat from edge to edge to steer without ever feeling like you’re going to overdo it and capsize. On the level, the Quantum tracks rail-straight despite
having more rocker than Seaward’s other multi-chine of- fering, the Chilco. In wind, she gives you just what you want from a skeg
boat—weathercocking mildly with the skeg up, trending mildly downwind with the skeg down, tracking across the wind with the skeg deployed halfway. The Quantum is slim without being cramped, predict-
able without being dull, responsive without being skittish. Neither completely British nor completely North Ameri- can, it’s a cultural identity complex waiting to happen. In other words, it’s Canadian, and who wouldn’t love
that? —Tim Shuff Comfortable, eh?
We’re always struck by the comfort of Seaward’s simple foam seats, er, we mean Seaward’s exclusive SRS™ (Self Rescue System). That’s right, the seat cushion pulls out and doubles as a paddle float. Handy, but did we men- tion that they’re darned comfortable? Newer Quantums may feature a flash- ier fibreglass bucket seat and Immer- sion Research backband, but we hope the good ol’ SRS remains an option.
Hoser proof, eh?
One of Seaward’s many proprietary features , the safeHATCH™ system is both functional and foolproof. The fibreglass outer cover and airtight neoprene inner cover—which is la- belled with “bow” and “stern” direc- tional arrows—are both tethered to the boat so you can’t lose them. And if you do, the hatch seals with a plas- tic bag instead. Beat that, Brits!
ADVENTURE KAYAK | | 45 Nice compromise, eh?
The multi-chine, V-bottom hull edges predictably like a soft-chine hull, yet grabs the water to carve a turn like a hard-chine hull. It makes edging performance accessible to paddlers of all levels.
MAIN PHOTO: TARMO POLDMAA // DETAIL PHOTOS: TIM SHUFF
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