journal k ayaker’s
BOYS WANT TO HAVE FUN, TOO. PHOTO: VIRGINIA MARSHALL
INSIDE OUT BY VIRGINIA MARSHALL Elias BY NECKY KAYAKS The
At last, an Eliza for bigger folks. Unless you’ve been kayaking in a cave for the past six years, you’ve probably heard of Necky’s accolade-win- ning women’s specific kayak, or watched petite friends paddling these pretty boats. Watched and wondered, perhaps, “Hey, what about me?” Well, big fella, meet Elias. Necky calls it “an agile, playful and re-
sponsive touring kayak” that is “extremely efficient for its size.” Sound familiar? By borrowing design cues from the Eliza—shallow-V hull, semi-hard chines and high, buoyant ends—and then stretching the hull three inches and boosting volume, Necky has delivered a nimble performer that’s well matched to its little sister. Wide at the hips and generous in depth, the Elias’ cockpit has
ample room for larger paddlers, without adopting oversized rec boat proportions. Together, Necky’s ergonomic foam seat and padded back band are comfortable and supportive on longer tours yet unobtrusive when rolling or re-entering. Contoured foam thigh braces provide ex- cellent grip for edging and boat control, and are adjustable to fit a wide range of leg lengths. Squeezing a day hatch onto a sub-16-foot boat usually creates more packing headaches than it’s worth, and Necky wisely sticks with
54 ADVENTURE KAYAK | SPRING 2013
just two generously sized hatches. There’s plenty of storage for week- end excursions or even carefully planned longer trips. Given its passing resemblance to a certain yellow fruit when viewed
in profile, it’s no surprise the Elias loves to crank turns. The hull is responsive to even the slightest edging input—it takes only a hint of tilt to dance around meandering backwaters, weave through rock gar- dens, or carve on a wave. Which is perfect, since the Elias favors con- fidence-inspiring stability over dynamic, spray deck-soaking edging. For straight-ahead paddling you may want to deploy the rudder
to reign in this playful streak. Touring in a moderate crosswind, we found the rudder necessary to anchor the stern, even with the hatches loaded for a mid-November overnight. When we reviewed the composite Eliza in the Early Summer 2009
issue of this magazine (
www.adventurekayakmag.com/0078), we noted that the boat was “better suited to hot on-water performance and playful paddling than long-distance touring” and concluded, “This girl just wants to have fun.” Sharing these same characteristics, the Elias is a capable match to the popular women’s boat, sure to appeal to boys who just want to have fun.
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