A
ith such dramatic differences in performance between spuds and their longer, slicier cousins, the next question is the most
obvious.Do you need two play- boats? There certainly is a good argu-
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be sure to paddle it on a run similar to the one you play on most of the time. If you paddle mostly on the Kananaskis River, fifteen minutes in a spud at Skook is probably not going to give you a good indication of the overall performance you are looking for. If you paddle mostly on a big water playground like the Ottawa, don’t demo a spud on a lower vol- ume technical run like the Gull. To maximize the performance,
Another benefit of spud boats is the ability to play in much shallower playspots.
have to move faster—do more ends in a shorter amount of time—to stay
stable.This can be a real problem if you are just learning vertical moves and need time to think about your next paddle placement, about your edges,or about your head rotation. A spud doesn't give you that time like a longer, slicier playboat.
ment for having one of each. The reality is that certain playspots better match certain boats. Shallow holes that for years have been good for nothing but spinning, are suddenly cartwheel playgrounds in short, corky boats. But other wide, flat green water waves that have been traditionally great surf spots are never going to be cluttered with sub seven foot boats—only those with hull-speed need apply. You may be able to keep your current boat for river running play,and add a spud to complete your quiver. How do you decide? Demo,
demo,
demo.There is actually a wide range of performance amongst the spuds. Some spuds are fairly slicey. Other spud designs maximize water- line having hull speeds that match longer playboats. Demo, demo, demo.When you try-out a spud boat
put yourself in the middle of a boat’s weight range and ensure you have it set-up properly. Spuds seem to per- form best if they are trimmed slight- ly nose heavy. Make sure the shop you demo from shows you how to move the seat to get the best per- formance and try different positions. If you find yourself consistently drift- ing off the back of a wave, with the nose of the boat slightly elevated, then you probably need to move the seat forward.
B
ottom line is that spuds are playboats and you may walk
around some rapids that you didn't used to. Spuds provide more fun with significantly less work on most playspots and open up the sky for huge aerial moves.You will give up some soul surfing spots, but you will gain some others. Only you know if the trade-off is a pay off.
—Thom Lambert
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