Current Designs has long made touring kayaks in all shapes and sizes, but until recently lacked a British-style expedition kayak to complete their lineup. The new Infinity fills the void.
The Infinity extrapolates the design of CD’s smaller Willow and Cypress kayaks into the high-volume realm for larger paddlers. But not only larger paddlers. Although spacious, the deck and thigh braces are low enough to fit mid-sized paddlers comfortably.
regarding that age-old tradeoff, speed versus manoeuvrability, the CD design team clearly prefers to beat the playboaters to the campsite. The Infinity’s long waterline and low rocker profile translate into excellent tracking and speed. yet turning performance is reason- able for a boat of this length and very predictable. The Infinity responds nicely to an edge for subtle course corrections.
Another speedy feature of the Infinity is the soft, rounded cross-section of the shallow-arch hull; it’s curved like a racing kayak’s and you can feel this in the low initial stability, though less so when fully loaded. A confident paddler can effortlessly roll on edge and smoothly recover from any amount of lean—or from being upside down.
Another upshot of the speed/tracking proficiency is almost completely neutral response to crosswind, translating into control in rough conditions and skeg non-dependence, though dropping the fin helps when quartering into strong winds or running downwind with a following sea.
Current Designs crafts beautiful kayaks, and it is perhaps the parent company Wenonah’s expertise with lightweight tripping and racing canoes that allowed our kevlar demo to weigh in at less than 50-pounds. Peering through the layers of the translucent hull gives you a sense of CD’s composite wizardry and careful attention to which areas get reinforcement, like the hull and skeg box, and where material is pared to save weight, like the deck and bulkheads. Attention to detail also shows in such features as the skeg cable routing, which was well clear of the rear hatch opening so we could fearlessly cram gear into the hatch and fill the spaces around the skeg box.
CD describes the Infinity as a“large expedi- tion sea kayak” that will “comfortably accom- modate larger paddlers,” but it’s really a big boat that doesn’t feel big, or trade off super- smooth performance for carrying capacity. The Infinity is excellently suited for any midsized to large paddler whose primary concerns are speed, efficiency, carrying capacity, light weight and long-distance touring performance.
KEVLAR, KEVLAR, EVERYWHERE
Current Designs affixes the foot rails to a metal bracket moulded into the Kevlar hull, providing strength without through-hull holes. a heavier duty Kevlar fabric reinforces the hull under the cockpit. the bulkheads are lightweight Kevlar too.
BIG WITHOUT FEELING IT
We like the fit and layout of the cockpit and the positioning of the rear bulkhead close to the seat to maximize day hatch space. the front deck and simple, effective moulded-in thigh braces are high enough for large paddlers without sacrificing performance fit.
DON’T ROCKER THE BOAT
Sleek and speedy rule the day, as demonstrated by the sharp entry line, long waterline, low rocker, and rounded chines and bottom.
SPECS
length ……………….. 17 ft 9 in (51 cm)
width………………….22 in (5 cm)
depth…………………13.5 in (3 cm)
cockpit ……………… 31.75 x 1.5 in (81 x 2 cm)
total dry storage….. 55 gal (209 l)
weight……………….. 52 lbs (23. kg) fibreglass, 48 lbs (21. kg) Kevlar
MSRP …………………. $3,099 US fibreglass $3,999 US Kevlar
This article first appeared in the Fall 2009 issue of Adventure Kayak magazine. For more boat reviews, subscribe to Adventure Kayak’s print and digital editions here.
