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PO GENERATION X boat insider
WAVE SPORT’S LATEST PROJECT COMES OF AGE FASTER, SLICIER AND WITH MORE POP CULTURE
This winter witnessed two milestones at Wave Sport Kayaks. First, the release of a long-awaited new freestyle design—the Project X. And second, just days later, the departure of longtime WS lead designer Robert Peerson. The timing may be a coincidence. Or it may be that Peerson wished to
see through this one last project before moving on. The beginnings of the Project X and Peerson intertwine, stretching back
to 2004 when the young designer stepped in to fill the shoes of previous WS lead designer Eric Jackson and the wildly popular X and EZ play- boat series. That year, Peerson worked with Team WS to develop the very successful ZG (Zero Gravity). Two years later, he reworked that platform and helped usher in a new era of big-air freestyle with the Project (see Rapid, Early Summer 2006,
www.rapidmag.com/0017). In 2008, seeking to evolve the Project design and demonstrate the potential of an emerging material in freestyle construction, Peerson and WS produced the limited edition, carbon composite Project 54 Cx. The Project X draws on this wealth of design research, along with a half-
decade of paddling the much-loved Project in every kind of play feature imaginable. The new boat shares the original Project’s trademark WS drop chines,
smooth deck lines and propensity for flight, with major changes focused on the rocker profile, ergonomics and volume distribution. The result is a hull that planes up to speed faster, pearls less when surf-
ing and suits a wider range of paddlers across three size options than its predecessor. Bryan Kirk, WS team manager and top freestyle competitor, says that centering volume around the cockpit addresses the demand for quick and easy directional transitions integral to new school combo moves. The volume distribution also makes the Project X a monster in holes.
Throwing it around our local, spring-melt play spot, we found it explodes out of the water for loop tricks and the slicey ends feel well-balanced for cartwheels, stern squirts and bow pivots—an exceptional combination for moves like mcnastys and phonics monkeys. Peerson and the design team also looked beyond the river for inspira-
tion—to the wave-loving, hard-carving surf-shoe kayaks used for ocean play. We’re glad they did—the Project X is fast, loose and carves in re- sponse to the subtlest edging. This boat rips on fast waves, where light- ning quick edge-to-edge transitions enable huge bounces. The new WhiteOut outfitting combines classic WS comfort and func-
tionality with dazzling white vinyl that looks sexy and repels water for a drier, lighter boat throughout the day. From the outset, Peerson’s design team sought to balance no-holds-
barred performance with user-friendly, first-kayak appeal for budding playboaters. “We paddled five separate prototypes on waves and holes of all shapes and sizes until we had a design that no one could find fault with,” says Kirk. From Skookumchuck to the New River Dries to the small- est competition-style holes, WS took the Project X everywhere its future paddlers—from beginners to top athletes—might. The Project X is comfortable, forgiving and stable for a freestyle spud-
ster, but if these are your top criteria, look to Wave Sport’s river play Fuse instead. For those who enjoyed the original Proj- ect, or who simply love to rip, Peerson’s final WS project is worth the wait. —Virginia Marshall
WAVE SPORT PROJECT X 48 / 56 / 64 Length Width
5’9” / 5’11” / 6’1” 25” / 25.8” / 26.5”
Volume 48 / 56 / 64 US Gal Weight
Paddler 100–170 / 140–210 / 180–250 lbs MSRP
31 / 32 / 34 lbs $1,049 US/Cdn
www.wavesport.com www.rapidmag.com 27
PHOTO: SHANE GROVES
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