Corran Addison's 2003 playboat review
Of course, the better you are, the less important a design becomes. A truly proficient paddler is able to make any kayak work to some degree of competence. It is thus for those less skilled that boat selection becomes important. The lower your skill level, the more important it is that the boat can compensate for your shortcomings.
I am the designer of the Air. While I designed it to perform exceptionally on large features, I am also aware that most paddlers do not have large features on their back door, and so I paid as much attention to its ability to perform on small stuff as big stuff. The Hull is based on the Booster – known for its ease and forgiveness, with as much of the play that was found in the Tekno packed into this explosive little toy. However, despite it being designed to perform in as wide a variety of places as possible, for as wide a range of skill levels as possible, it is still designed around MY STYLE of paddling.
I paddle for the sensations I get. Not to impress others, but to fill my need for exciting sensations to run through my body. For me, this is achieved through the feeling of gliding across the waters surface. Speed, acceleration and crisp carving and turning. Everything else is secondary, and I’ll give up an airblunt for a hard carve any day. However, having said that, I’d rather hard carve INTO an airblunt. Now that’s smoking. Consequently, my style has developed to complement boats that handle this way, and I struggle with boats that lack the capacity to do this. This will be apparent in my review of each design, and ultimately dictate which boats I liked over others.
Air 45:
Categories
1. Bounce/Amplitude
The ability of the kayak to explode into the Air and how much air it can get. The discussion is heated over which system is better---bouncing into aerials, or carving into them. I am of the latter. I can air more consistently big from a carve than from a bounce, and I can air higher, further with more trajectory if I can combine speed (both mine, and the waters under me), pop and the waters own bumps together. This requires a boat that is fast and carves well, bounces well, and releases well. For me the these cannot be separated. However, for the purposes of the test, I made the effort to sit and bounce on my ass into the air (Butt Bouncing). I was quite surprised to find that the Air did this as well as the best boats, so it gets a 10.
2. Pop
Pop to me is the ability of a boat to break free of the water from the bounce. Just bouncing is not enough. The boat must actually then release and explode upwards. The Air is exceptional at this (easily the best) and thus gets a 10.
3. Hull Speed
Hull speed is actually not the correct term. Hull speed refers to a crafts top speed in displacement mode. None of the boats tested are fast displacing, and the shorter and wider they are, the slower they get. So paddling, the Air is, well, slow! But, on a wave, once you break free of the constraints of hull speed and get the boat planing on the wave, the Air 45 was the fastest boat out there (actually, tied with the Vibe). At 5’9”, that’s an accomplishment. On both the big and fast Big Joe wave, AND the small little Black and Decker, the Air matched the speed of the best boat in each place. But don’t get me wrong… its one of a class of 6’ kayaks, and none of them are FAST by any stretch of the imagination, but COMPARED to the other boats in the test, it was fast. Thus another 10.
4. Carving/Edging
This is where the Air really distinguished itself from the pack. Carving is NOT a front surf at 45 degrees, nor is it simply front surfing on edge. It is the ability of the boat to accelerate, and turn in a defined radius towards a given point. NONE of the boats tested could match the ability of say the Tekno to accelerate and carve, but again, comparing the boats tested, the Air excelled. Again, I’d tie it up with the Vibe on Big features, and thus a 10.
5. Release-how easy it breaks free
Not the spinning ability of the boat, but how easy it is to break free. I helix from a side slide, not a bounce and pop. It’s a little different set-up, but it works for me. However, if the boat is not exceptionally easy to break free (not spin – BREAK FREE) I cannot Helix it. The Air was the ONLY boat in the test I was able to Helix. It is exceptionally easy to break free, especially from a front surf. In this, it was by far the easiest boat. 10.
6. Looseness
Here the Air is very, very strong, but I felt that one boat was better than the Air. This means… ONCE ITS BROKEN FREE, how well it continues to spin. So I give it a 9.
7. Sliciness/hole play
Its 5’9” The boat tested was the 45 (not my choice) and at 150 lbs, I’m on the large side for it. Thus, it is ULTRA SLICY and was effortless to link multiple clean ends, and because I’m big for it it sinks quite a bit and thus was very stable vertically. However, it wasn;t the most stable vertically, and because of its small size on me, wasn;t the best air looper either. It was good fun, and it was better in the big holes than the small ones, but not the best overall hole rider. It was great fun, performed well, but particularilly on the smaller features it was not the best. I give it an 8.
8. Top to bottom/river running/all-river
The ability of the boat to run a river. Again, I’m a little big for it. So it bogs down, and the slicy ends are always under water. Its only 5’9”, so hull speed (NOT planing speed) is slow. Basically, you can run a river quite well, but its not the best. I give it a 7.
9. Outfitting (I added this one)
Perhaps as silly as it sounds, here the Air was noticeably the winner of all the boats tested. For one simple reason. I required NO TOOLS to adjust the outfitting. I am able to move the seat back for big waves, and forward for small ones and holes. I can release the footrest, backband and thigh braces so tis easy to get in, and then tighten it all up so I was jammed in so tight I couldn’t move. During the course of the test, I moved my seat twice to optimise performance for each spot, and I never had to contort myself to get in. Once in it was functionable and comfortable. The outfitting was (quite to my surprise because I was sure the other boats out there had great outfitting) light years ahead of the next best boat as you will see. It gets a 10.
Overall:
The Air was by far my favourite boat. Part of this is because I designed it for the way I paddle, so quite obviously its going to compliment me to a T. I am an aggressive surfer backwards and forwards. I favour speed and acceleration over butt bouncing. In the AIR I am able to more consistently get big air than any of the other designs, and generally got more air over all. My rides in the air were on average twice as long as the other boats. I was able on Big Joe to not only reach parts of the wave that NO OTHER boat could even get to, but actually get some of my biggest airs of the day there. I never catch the edges, or the tips. I never came off the wave because of the boat - -when I flushed it was because I landed on my head from an incomplete aerial, or landed too deep (again, boat too small for my weight) from high up. On the small features I was able to throw the boat around generally as well as the other best boats. It was one of the most balanced vertically (though not the top performer). Like any boat, it is a compromise, and what it lacks in air looping it makes up for in cartwheeling. What it lacks in retentiveness on landing big airs, it makes up for in its ability to whip around into a safe and easy catch position.
Bottom Line:
The three things I liked most about the Air 45:
It’s the fastest boat out there in the class.
It’s the easiest boat to get air in.
It has by far the best outfitting.
Three things I liked less about the air compared to the other designs:
Weight. Not the heaviest boat by any stretch, but not the lightest. I like light.
The 45 is too low volume (slicy) to get big air in a hole (I prefer air looping over cartwheeling).
Its “hull speed” (Displacement mode - general paddling) is slow… combined with its low volume, it bogs down paddling.
Vibe
Categories
10. Bounce/Amplitude
The Vibes ability to bounce was of no surprise to me. Its highly rockered stern, coming out of smooth lines that work in sync with the plan view of the boat in much the same was the Airs do told me before I paddled the boat that it would be great at accelerating on edge into the pump, and air well. It did. The Vibes ability to Air on command, exiting from a speed carve was second to none, matching the Airs on big waves. However, where I was disappointed was that the Vibe was probably the most difficuld boat to air on small features. The rounded surfboard style rails, which work by sucking into the water and holding the rail while on edge, combined with the lack of edges anywhere on the deck meant that the boat gets sucked down into the water and without the speed of a large wave, remains there and simply refuses to resurface and air. I encountered the same problem with one of the early Tekno prototypes. Since the scoring system doesn’t allow for two greades – one for big features (10) and small ones (4) I give the Vibe an average of 8.
11. Pop
Once the Vibe begins its climb into the Air, its ability to release effectively is worth special mention. Seperation is clean and effective. There is no loss of energy that goes into releasing the boats natural cohesion to the water, and thus it skys well and effectively. I was able to perform more BIG airs in the Vibe than any other boat (I got Air more frequently in the Air 45 because it requires less speed than the Vibe, but the biggest Air I got of the day was in the Vibe). I thus give it a 10.
12. Hull Speed
Again, remembering that HULL SPEED is not the same thing as planing speed, the Vibes PLANING speed was surprising. While it’s one of the longest boats I tested, its HULL SPEED was one of the lowest. The price you pay for surfboard rails is that wetted surface area is increased, and the rails suck the boat down creating drag. This makes the boat painfully slow to paddle, a worthwhile tradeoff for the benefits of such a rail. However, once hull speed is reached and the boat begins to plane, it is fast. In fact, it was nearly as fast as the Air. The Vibe was the ONLY other boat that was able to reach and climb the “dragon” diagonal on surfers right of Big Joe. While I was not able to climb it as far as I can in the Air, I was able to make the ridge and air off its lip off a carve. These were the only boats that I could do this. However, the next day I went out to Maverics to get some pictures, and i was very disapointed with the speed. While it is the ONLY boat I tried there other than the Air (I know the rest won't surf Maverics), I was unable to stay on the wave for more than a few seconds, and I battled with the round sides of the bow which kept catching and endering me out. However, for purposes of the test on the features against other boats, I give the Vibe a 9.5 (it was just slower than the Air).
13. Carving/Edging
Again the Vibe distinguished itself as being the only other boat able to really carve a defined line. Like the air, the rocker profile and the plan view of the kayak work together in synergy to create an even flow across the rail. The Vibes rounded rail holds very well, and worked efficiently with the centre and stern of the kayak to drive forward with precision. While it didn’t have the tight radius snap of the Air, it held better on a very steep wave wall. I loved its carving, and give it a 10.
14. Release-how easy it breaks free
While I was not as impressed with the Vibes ability to release as the Airs, it was noteably better than the next best boat out there. It broke free easily, smoothly and predictably. More so in the stern than the bow, but either way it was a pleasure to feel. I was not able to helix the Vibe (my personal technical deficiency I know, but then again, a fair representative of what the average paddler is likely to encounter). However, I was impressed and give it a 9.
15. Looseness
The Vibe is loose, period. In fact, the loosest boat I tested. Once released, it spins and spins like a top. So I give it a 10.
16. Sliciness/hole play
The Vibe does not like to move slowly. It sucks down and becomes tough to handle. In fact, the first 18” of the bow must be watched like a hawk because before you know it the tip buries and you’re vertical and on your face. In a hole, this became an issue that had to be watched. But other than this, it performed well. Very stable vertically, smooth from end to end, air looped well. Basically, good fun. Not the easiest boat to handle, but certainly very fun. I give it a 8.
17. Top to bottom/river running/all-river
As I’ve said before, the rail shape of the Vibe pulls the boat down while paddling. In addition, the rounded rails in the bow hull and deck make this worse. The concave sides (an unfortunate by product of the surfboard style rail) also make the boat very edgy feeling in currents and basically difficuld to handle in general. Essentially, its no fun to paddle around at all. I give it a 6.
18. Outfitting (I added this one)
The Vibes outfitting is an aberration! While it looks slick, it is completely useless. I fiddled with the backband for an hour trying to get it sorted out. It simply cannot be tightened while seated in the boat. This means that it needs to cranked up before getting in. This makes getting in a bit tough since there are no adjustable footrests either. The thigh braces were in the wrong place, and the stainless screw was permanently fused to the aluminium thigh brace. I broke the screw driver that is supplied with the boat trying to adjust the thigh brace (which I was never able to do). The backband broke the first time on the wave… the list goes on. The hull flexed badly each side of the aluminium bar down the centre (slowing it down and effecting release). Basically, anyone interested in the boat needs to be resigned to the fact that the outfitting is the worsed of the lot and needs to be systematically removed from the boat in its entirety and replaced. It gets a 3.
Overall:
If I were not sponsored by Riot and designing for Riot, the Vibe would without a doubt be my boat of choice from those tested. While its performance on small river features leaves something to be desired… I don’t paddle on small features. I live in Montreal, and the boat excelled on this type of water. Here, on big waves and big holes, the Vibe was light-years ahead of the next best boat in the test (assuming the non existence of Riot for the purposes of this). Despite the horrific outfitting, this boat was fun to paddle, and I would happily paddle it again.
Bottom Line:
The three things I liked most about the Vibe:
Speed. Its fast for its length.
Weight. This boat is light! Awesome.
Carve. I like the way the boat carves into turns and airs.
Three things I liked less about the Vibe compared to the other designs:
Outfitting. Honestly, its embarrassing.
Its really hard to paddle on small features.
Its by no means a river runner.
Space Cadet
Categories
19. Bounce/Amplitude
The Space Cadet bounces. Boy does it bounce, but not the way I was hoping. On the wave the nose is constantly pointing skyward. The boat boing boing boinged on the wave face constantly. This has the unfortunate effect of making it really hard to time a bounce with the boats speed and bumps on the wave. It seemed that whenever the wave was yinning I was yanging, and when it was yanging I was yining. In fact, it was infuriating. I have heard so much about how this boat bounces into airs, and I climbed into this boat with the highest expectations of all the boats tested, and was thus the most disappointed. However, WHEN I was able to get the nose down so that I could time a bounce in time with the wave, I really launched. While I got far fewer airs in the Space Cadet than the Air or the Vibe, those I did get were big. Really big. I’d give it a 10 for amplitude, but a 6 for bounce , so an 8 overall.
20. Pop
WHEN I could get the boat to bounce properly, it did pop into the air very well. Like I said, when I got air, it was big. It deserves a full 10.
21. Hull Speed
OH-my-god this thing is slow. Planing speed wasn’t much better than hull speed. I never came close to hitting the Dragon diagonal, and I was never able to accelerate across the diamond back into the pit. I had to butt bounce my way about the wave face. This is due to the unexplainable rocker shape’s crisp break just behind the seat that creates a low pressure area under the stern and sucks the stern down. However, this was most noticeable on big waves. On smaller features and low speeds this was barely noticeable, and the boat was as fast as any other (and faster than the Vibe on small waves). But where I was able to get big air was on waves, it was big waves, and her the boat was impossibly slow. I give it a 6.
22. Carving/Edging
What carving? What edging? It’s like the rocker profile was designed by one person and the plan by another. The two are simply at odds with one another. Edging the boat in an effort to carve and accelerate either stalls the boat to a complete stop, or hooks the nose into the pile which is followed abruptly by a windowshade. Basically, the boat cannot carve at all, and must be paddled flat. It gets a 4.
23. Release-how easy it breaks free
This wasn’t bad. While it doesn’t have the effortless break-free of the Vibe or the Air, it really wasn’t bad at all. The key was to get the nose out of the sky just long enough to get the stern out of the water, and the boat would break free. However, again using my Helix technique as the judge of how easily it can be slid out without taking a stroke, it was noticeably less than the Vibe, so it gets a 7.
24. Looseness
It was loose. Not Vibe Loose, but as loose as the Air. ONCE spinning it spun very well. So I give it a 9.
25. Sliciness/hole play
Short, stubby, high volume centre. Not a great combination for easy hole playing. Like any short boat, its not stable on end, and tends to fall over. However it was as balanced vertically as the Air, and the bigger volume (closer to the Air 55) made it a great air looper. I had good fun throwing all the various air moves in holes. I give it an 8.
26. Top to bottom/river running/all-river
No 6’ boat is going to be agreat river runner, but compared to the other boats, it wasn;t bad at all. It paddled well through through waves and currents, and while not fast, maintained its speed well. It was easy to paddle. BUT… and this is a BIG BUT… this boat is impossibly hard to Eskimo roll. I ALMOST swam out of it. I was doing extended paddle rolls. This is not a good thing for a river runner at all. So I give it a 7.
27. Outfitting (I added this one)
This was one of the chief surprises of the boat. The outfitting looks slick. When I got into the boat on the bank, I was very comfortable. My back was supported, my legs comfortable and the footroom good. I liked the way it felt. However, once on the wave, this changed. The back band is so high that 1) any move that requires you to lean back like a Air Screw is really tough, and 2) my ass could slide under the backband between it and the seat, making my knees drop out of the knee brace. Then the aggravation started. The seat was in the wrong position… and couldn’t be moved. Why not? Well, I don’t paddle with a tool kit, and the boat requires tools to be adjusted. So it was bow heavy the whole time I paddled it. My ass kept slipping under the back band, making my knees drop. Because the boat doesn’t come with adjustable footbraces I couldn’t do anything about this. So I cranked the bakcband up as tight as I could to compensate, making the boat even more bow heavy. Now the thigh braces were in the wrong place, and once more couldn’t be adjusted without dragging a tool kit down the river. Basically, despite its slick looks and comfortable showroom feel, it was about as effective as any 1984 kayak. Completely inadequate unless you’re willing to tag along a tool kit and take 20 minutes to tune in the boat at each feature (by comparison I moved the Air seat and footbrace 3 times during the test depending on the spot – each time taking about 1 min).It gets a 6 – passing mark, but only just.
Overall:
The bigger the buildup, the further the fall. I was so pumped to paddle this boat at a spot like the Lachines after all I had heard, and I was extrememly disappointed. While its performance on small features was certainly adequate (but not remarkable) I was sourly disappointed with its performance on big features. The general appreciation for the deign escapes me. Its not a bad boat by any means, but its certainly nothing to write home about. Slow, hard to roll, and hard to time the bounce. No semblance of carving at all. But on the flip side, when it does air, it goes big, and in holes it’s a lot of fun.
Bottom Line:
The three things I liked most about the Space Cadet:
When it airs, it goes big.
It’s a good river runner.
Its fun on small features
Three things I liked less about the Vibe compared to the other designs:
Its just too slow and has no feeling of glide on a wave at all.
It bounces so uncontrollably on a wave that it makes it hard to get air on command.
The outfitting, while slick looking, is ineffective in practice.
