you happen to be on the shorter side of tall, you might even get to foam it up a bit or wear your river shoes to reach. There is so much foot room it’s silly. Designer Eric Jackson claims it will accommo- date a 37-inch inseam, size 14 feet and 300 pounds. We couldn’t find anyone to confirm or deny it but the point is clear. This is a big pad- dler’s boat. Even the cockpit on the Super EZ is huge—a full 4 1/2 inches longer and almost 2 inches wider than other Wave Sport boats. It’s possible to stretch a normal skirt over it although we suggest doing yourself a favour and ordering one to fit—everybody makes one.
The Hull Story Different from the EZ and Big EZ, the plan-
ing surface on the Super EZ, Aces and Siren has been brought out closer to the edge, nar- rowing the width of the release chines. Just like boats designed for smaller paddlers and women specifically, having the optimum width is key to balance and edge control. In the case of the Super EZ, Eric Jackson maintains its 7- foot length but brought it out another 11/2
inch-
es wider than the Big EZ to provide a stable 27-inch platform. The Super EZ’s seams or parting lines are nice and high above plenty of flare. The bow and stern maintain plenty of width and are incredibly rockered. Sitting next to any other playboat, the Super EZ looks mammoth, yet on the river with a larger paddler inside, it rides perfectly normal.
On the Water We had an interesting blend of paddlers in the Super EZ ranging from a featherweight 175 to a respectable 230 pounds. The skill level and background was equally as varied with some old school displacement hull converts, freestyle paddlers and some all-river free- boaters—a cool cross section of the market. Interestingly, everyone’s first impression was that it was huge and they worried it would be too big, but that was only until they got on the river.
The most common first bit of feedback was that the Super EZ is confidence inspiring, pre- dictable, super stable and comfy with room for a Pelican Case behind the seat. The bow and stern rest high and clear from the water for river running—this is where the Super EZ really shines.
Paddlers pulled off their cleanest lines in rapids where they said they normally are a lit- tle tentative. The high seam line or edge allowed them to cruise over otherwise small boat swallowing boils and not worry about the nose diving on ferries. Although no one can call a short boat fast, everyone was impressed by the speed of the Super EZ. Most attributed the speed to floating higher out of the water
fall2002 47
length width volume weight
standard features MSRP Cdn
7 feet
27 inches 60 gallons 40 lbs FAT 2.0 Outfitting $1575.00
than they have been used to. This floating rather than plowing sensation made the Super EZ feel very nimble and loose.
No matter how much you weigh it is worth
borrowing a skirt and going for a rip in a Super EZ. Cruising off the tip of large waves it launch- es into the air and with such a large planing surface and friendly edges its an awesome flatspinner. When front surfing, the Super EZ does carve and although it’s 27 inches wide, transferring edges wasn’t an issue. Flatwater moves depends on weight; lighter paddlers (175 lbs.) could still initiate and get vertical while heavier paddlers had the girth to stall and control the volume. Again it just looks and feels right.
Closing Thoughts In the end, all our paddlers enjoyed the Super EZ. Its river
running capabilities opened their eyes to some of the challenges of paddling boats that have been too small for them. There is plenty of room and buoyancy in the Super EZ to wear shoes and carry a lunch and video camera. The built-to-proportion outfitting is ideal for large paddlers, and we think they enjoyed hav- ing to pad it out a bit. For once, big paddlers can watch others rip in smaller boats like the EZ or Big EZ and expect the Super EZ to perform the same for them.
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