Boat Review: Solstice GT Titan by Current Designs

Surely the hardest part about crossing an ocean in a sea kayak is sleeping. When Ed Gillet paddled from California to Hawaii in 1987, he resorted to using a double kayak so he’d have room to snooze. Other voyages, like Peter Bray’s 2001 Atlantic crossing or the 2007 Crossing the Ditch expedition from Australia to New Zealand have spent big bucks on custom-made kayaks with sealed cabins. Pity that none of these adventurers had had the spacious luxury of a Solstice GT Titan kayak from Current Designs.

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Try the Solstice GT Titan on for size

Despite the Dagwood sandwich proportions (take a look at the extra depth along the seam) the Titan’s footprint on the water is that of a normal boat. The Titan is essentially just a “double high-volume” cut of a Solstice GT hull—same length and width with an extra inch and a half of depth to give it 30 percent more volume.

Gigantic is beautiful

The Titan retains the performance characteristics that have made the Solstice GT one of the best-selling boats of all time—stability, speed, reasonable manoeuvrability. The noticeable effect is high windage, but this is a small concern for the very large paddlers and loads this boat is meant for.

The shallow-V bottom is nearly flat at the cockpit and results in rock-solid initial stability worthy of a fishing or filming (or sleeping) platform.

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Our Titan bobbed above the water like a cork when loaded with average-sized paddlers and their gear. We concluded that the larger the paddler, the heavier the load, the better. We imagine a multitude of uses for what is surely one of the world’s largest production singles: long expeditions, cross-border drug trafficking, eco-friendly international shipping, wilderness programs for Overeaters Anonymous, “mothership” services for friends with small boats, and of course, a brilliant new solution for slumbering at sea.

Stowage to spare, and then some

We loaded the Titan for a weekend by haphazardly dumping in the entire contents of our camping and kayaking storage crates, and we still had room for all the extra gear that our friends couldn’t fit in their Greenland boats. Then, at the campsite, this scary stowaway popped out of the rear hatch and said, “Wow, these Current Designs’ hatch covers are perfectly dry.”

The sleek and practical deck layout features colour-matched, flush-mount hatch covers, reflective deck lines and recessed deck fittings. The extra-large cockpit opening and standard wide-base seat meet the needs of a rapidly “growing” population.

Steady feet

A glimpse inside reveals flawless Kevlar layup, glued plastic bulkheads and the Sea-Dog foot brace system whose pivoting pedal allows the rudder to be controlled without sliding the feet.

[ Read more: 5 Steps To Plan An Epic Kayak Expedition ]

Kayak in comfort with the Solstice GT Titan

Whether you’re setting out on an ocean-spanning voyage or simply taking a local coastal jaunt, the Solstice GT Titan kayak from Current Designs will provide plenty of space to paddle in comfort—plus the extra room to catch a few Z’s.

This article was first published in the Spring 2007 issue of Adventure Kayak Magazine. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.