Kayaklife
http://www.rapidmag.com/kayaklife_fiveboats_you’ll_fall_for.php ONLINE PROFILE
Length 8’ Width 25.5” Volume 70 gal Weight 43 lbs
Paddler 120–190 lbs MSRP $999
www.wavesport.com
SEND IM ONLINE PROFILE
Length 8’2” Width 26” Volume 80 gal Weight 46 lbs Paddler 110–210 lbs MSRP $1,099
www.liquidlogickayaks.com
SEND MAIL
PLAY_MACHINE WAVE SPORT DIESEL 70
W
ave Sport first released the Diesel—billed as the “SUV of Kayaks”—in 2004. An instant hit with boaters around the globe, many paddlers were puzzled five years later when Wave Sport announced plans to overhaul the design. Then lead designer Robert Peerson explains, “After paddling the Diesel and compiling feedback for four years, we came up with a few tweaks to improve the design.” The most striking changes to the newer Diesel are the revamped rocker profile, peaked bow and stern decks and three new sizes. Do these changes help refuel the romance?
FIRST IMPRESSION
Wave Sport’s whiteout outfitting was a hit in the looks department and testers even compared it to a sports car’s smooth leather interior. It is functional, easy to adjust and the backband sits nice and high. Those with size 11-plus booties, however, will notice a lack of foot room.
FIRST DATE
Revving up the Diesel, it quickly became obvious this boat likes to go fast. It takes a few more strokes than the other boats to get up to top speed, but once there it easily cruises near the front of the pack. The Diesel’s flat planing hull and rocker profile keep the bow and stern well out of the water. This makes it easy to spin on a dime mid-rapid or while surfing a big green wave. We all agreed that out of all the boats in this shootout, the Diesel felt the most playful. It even had some testers throwing downriver moves and trying blunts and airscrews. We found the Diesel’s primary stability among the lowest of the boats test- ed. If you are on the high end of Wave Sport’s recommended weight range (or a more timid paddler who leans back a bit), you’ll find that eddylines and crosscurrents grab the edges and try to flip you. This is easily overcome by staying aggressively forward or keeping the boat on edge, where the Diesel is rock solid. This bomber secondary stability favors boaters who like to drive their way around squirrely water and carve assertively in and out of eddies. The combination of the Diesel’s downriver speed and ample rocker make it easy to lift the bow up over waves and skip over less friendly holes. Again, staying forward or having the boat on edge is the key to ensuring you sail through the backwash without the water grabbing the stern and slowing you down.
LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP
Our heavier testers felt the 70 was better suited for tight and technical runs where you spend more time on edge and thought that the Diesel 80 would be a blast in big water. Playboaters will be familiar with the edges on this boat and probably fall in love with how it handles on the first date.
36 RAPID SUMMER/FALL 2012
KING_OF_CREEKS LIQUIDLOGIC STOMPER 80
W
hen Liquidlogic launched a campaign during the winter of 2011 called “Automatic for the People” asking paddlers what they wanted to see added to the company’s 2012 line-up, the response was overwhelming. Designer Shane Benedict says, “All these people had different passions and different concepts but the number one thing they wanted was a flat hull creek boat.” Several months later (after leaving the Jefe and Remix alone for a few nights together) the Stomper was born. Will this be the true love paddlers have been looking for?
FIRST IMPRESSION
If you want a comfortable boat, you want the Stomper. Liquidlogic’s super plush Bad Ass Outfitting hugs your curves in all the right places. The upgrad- ed backband system sits low on your back and flips up to allow unparalleled access to the stern for extra cargo.
FIRST DATE
While the other boats we tested relied on speed and edging to get you around the river, the Stomper is all about spinning and riding over anything. This boat is by far the most rockered in the group, making it a boofing machine. It slides over rocks, skips over holes and flies off ledges without needing to be moving at Mach 1.
Add to the rocker profile a semi-planing hull and very soft, wide, cham- fered edges and the Stomper is easy to maneuver mid-rapid. You can flirt all you want with boily crosscurrents and waves without much thought and still be forgiven—those edges just won’t catch. The tradeoff to softer edges is that you can’t carve out of holes as easily as in a boat with harder rails. You also need to be very aggressive to avoid spinning out on eddylines. Keeping your weight forward and charging hard is the key to snapping the Stomper into those tiny eddies. The Stomper isn’t really built for play and leans hard toward the creeking side of things. Surfing waves, it tends to noodle around rather than carve. We found the Stomper had less primary stability than any of the other boats in the shootout—a result of the semi-planing hull’s narrower footprint. Lean the boat over to the side, however, and you’ll find bomber secondary stability.
LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP
Our testers agreed, while some of the features of this boat are a plus for beginners—like not having any edges to catch and the ease with which it maneuvers around—it is better suited for advanced paddlers looking to charge tight, technical rivers, slide down rocks and boof everything in sight.If you’re tired of playing around, take a Stomper for a romp.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48