KAYAK RACECAR. BEST
PALINDROME EVER. PHOTO: PO MOFFAT
Boat InsiderTHE EDGE 14.5 THERMO BY RIOT KAYAKS
Porsche’s bestseller is a four-door sedan. Dodge’s new Charger SRT Hellcat seats the whole family and hides 704 horsepower under the hood. Lamborghini built an affordable supercar. Carmakers know most drivers want a vehicle that’s comfortable and practical, as well as high-performance. It’s a trend that kayak manufacturers have noticed as well. With sleek, muscular lines and our demo’s flawless, Ferrari red finish, Riot’s Edge 14.5 thermoformed plastic
kayak looks like an
expensive composite boat, or a sports car. And it’s just as much fun to drive…er, paddle. Where Porsche and Dodge lured soccer moms and hockey dads with traction control and spacious seating, Riot’s directional control and cockpit outfitting also speak to a more recreational everyday consumer. First,
there’s the seat. Grippy, moulded-
in thigh braces and a padded seat pair with a substantial back rest that adjusts from
extra-high to skyscraper. While it’s certainly supportive, that comfort comes at the expense of paddler mobility and spraydeck fit. Then there’s Riot’s rudder system. Sliding
foot pegs are familiar and intuitive for many rec paddlers, but offer less stability than the toe pedal systems found on many premium sea kayaks. The rudder itself is new this year from Riot and features an innovative, scalloped leading edge for improved hydrodynamics. “It is bio-inspired from a humpback whale
flipper,” explains designer Felix Martin, “they have the shortest turning radius for whales.” The plastic rudder tapers in thickness and is shaped to reduce drag in the water. Indeed, we noticed very little resistance with the rudder deployed, and a push of the pedals swerves the boat around like a 458 in the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca Raceway. On the straightaways, the Edge is equally well behaved, tracking obligingly with rudder up
This article first appeared in the 2015 Summer/Fall issue of Adventure Kayak. 42 PADDLING MAGAZINE
and crosswind gusting. Besides coloring, our demo boat shares a
few other traits with the Italian stallion. The lightweight hull accelerates quickly,
cruises
effortlessly and is wonderfully maneuverable. Like its name suggests, the Edge’s moderate V hull and hard chines make for dynamic yet stable edging. This is a kayak in which developing paddlers will love cutting their first carved turns. With those crisp hull lines, it’s no surprise the Edge handles rough water like a champ—powering
across currents, sculpting
S-turns amid the rocks, and slicing through haystack waves. When automotive aficionados say a car “has
good bones,” they’re referring to the vehicle’s structure, its essence—not trivial details like trim and upholstery. The Riot Edge 14.5 is a novice- friendly day tourer with the bones of a supercar. —Virginia Marshall
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