PakBoats PakCanoe 160 Review

By

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June 27, 2013

Photo: Kaydi Pyette — PakBoats PakCanoe 160

A canoe that can comfortably take you from big lake waves to remote rivers and only takes up half the trunk sounds impossible. But Pakboats’ PakCanoe 160 makes it happen. This hand-assembled canoe is an ideal wilderness boat that also functions well as a general-purpose day-tripper.

Formed of heavy-duty synthetic canvas coated with high-abrasion-resistance PVC, PakCanoes are held under tension by an interlocking skeleton of tubular aluminum. Inflatable air pockets help make them rigid.

While it took a little sweat and some skinned knuckles to get the 160 put together the first time, we shaved down the straightforward assembly to a lean 45 minutes on our second try. Taking it apart takes less than half that and, disassembled, the 160 stores in a 35- by 17- by 13-inch bag—our publisher thought it was a new cooler sent for review. Don’t worry about having to put it together every time you want to paddle, PakCanoes can ride on the roof while assembled, just like their hard-shelled cousins.

On the water, the 160 is stable, easy to maneuver and gets up to top-speed quickly. There’s plenty of space for several weeks worth of gear if you’re smart about your packing. The seats’ location and height are easy to adjust and the simple foam kneepads are surprisingly comfortable.

Alv Elvestad, who founded Pakboats in 1995, steers those interested in a dedicated tripping boat to the larger 165 or 170 models, but says the 160 is a popular option for those who take shorter wilderness trips as well as longer ones.

“It’s a very seaworthy boat and people feel very comfortable in it because of its stability— it’s designed to deal with the rough conditions that come with long trips.” The flexibility of the fabric hull keeps the boat drier in rough weather and on the river, as the boat flexes and runs over waves instead of through them.

The most common reason people buy PakCanoes is because their packable nature makes them easier—and cheaper—to take to remote regions. “The cost of float plane flights nudges people into using Pakboats on the really remote trips,” says Elvestad.

While he’s used to fielding questions about the durability and reliability of the hand-assembled boats, he says their exploits speak for themselves. PakCanoes have been the boat of choice for decorated explorers on first descents on everything from northern Canadian rivers to tropical Bolivian ones.

“The kinds of trips people do with these boats, you would not take a boat on this type of trip if you couldn’t rely on it,” he says.

Pakboat Pakcanoe 160 Specs

Length: 16’

Width: 37”

Depth: 14”

Weight: 53 lbs

Capacity: 760 lbs

MSRP: $2,060

This article originally appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Early Summer 2012. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Get Better in the Bow

Skills

By

Paddling Magazine Staff

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June 26, 2013

Photo: Marilyn Scriver — Bow paddling technique

Having someone ask if you would paddle in his or her bow is a great compliment and there’s much anticipation of greatness in your first run together. To have fluidity and make the moves, the bow paddler needs to be more than just a mindless power machine. An active bow paddler controls momentum, assists with eddy turns and aids in boat tilt and pitch.

Controlling Forward Momentum

Knowing when to supply power and when to back off or stop paddling altogether—without being told from the stern—is the first step to mastering the bow.

A good sense of timing is part of the momentum equation. When starting a wide cross-current manoeuvre, bow and stern paddlers build momentum together. However, as the new eddy approaches, the bow paddler may need to pour it on to reach the eddy, or back off or even pause his stroke in order to avoid overshooting the eddy. Practice timing on easy water, carving wide arcs across moderate current and giving the bow paddler time to use his eyes and plan the speed of approach.

Power from the bow is generally necessary when entering eddies as well as when starting from a standstill in difficult eddies. However, when surfing or using transport waves to cross currents, the bow paddler will probably need to supply less power and can help with fine-tuning the angle of the canoe. Too much power can result in the bow being buried in the on-coming downstream water, making it difficult for the stern person to control the angle and the boat being blown off the wave.

Turning Strokes

The bow paddler’s turning strokes are nearly always assistive. Once the stern paddler initiates a turn, the bow paddler determines its radius or sharpness. Radius is affected by the stroke you use and how much tilt you give the boat. For example, an onside sweep in place of a cross-bow rudder (the stroke formerly known as cross-draw) is a useful stroke when forward momentum and wider turning radius are desired.

Timing is key in all turning strokes. When heading into eddies, a bow rudder should be done in the eddy pool, where the water is moving upstream, not on the eddyline where the current is too undefined. Prematurely supplying turning strokes instead of forward power does two negative things: one, there is less or no momentum to cross the eddyline and two, the boat may be turned to face upstream before arriving in the eddy, waffling on the eddyline or stuck in the downstream flow of the current.

When leaving an eddy, the bow paddler should again wait on the turning stroke until her end of the boat is fully in the current.

Tilt and Body Position

Sitting up straight and tall allows you to separate your upper and lower body movement and therefore tilt more effectively. For the most part, keep your shoulders over your hips for maximum use of your body weight and control of the boat. If your weight is forward over your knees, this often makes the boat (and you) feel tippy. The bow is the area where the canoe starts to narrow—keep your weight back over your seat where the boat is wider. Leaning forward also transfers your weight toward the bow, often pinning it and making it more difficult for the stern paddler to initiate turns.

Varying your posture in the bow also plays a role in how well a canoe punches through holes, surfs and turns. Leaning forward when surfing will drop the boat down into a trough. Leaning back keeps the bow light and dry when travelling through large standing waves or once the canoe is settled in a surf.

It’s way more fun in the bow when you are a thinking paddler and able to mind your end of the boat independently. The next step in double-domination is working on communication and coordination with your stern paddler.

This article originally appeared in Rapid, Spring 2010. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Sjoa Valley Trip Guide: Norway’s Whitewater Paddling Paradise

By

Graham Genge

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June 14, 2013

Photo: Graham Genge — Sjoa Valley Whitewater

The world’s best paddlers migrate to the Sjoa Valley in the spring and summer to seek out the towering falls, endless slides and amazing Fresca-colored rivers that have made Norway a premier international paddling destination.

Situated 1.5 hours north of Lillehammer and 4.5 hours north of the capital, Oslo, Sjoa is central to nearly all of the country’s most outstanding whitewater. The valley itself is home to centuries-old wooden churches, bridge trolls and historic farms, as well as Norway’s largest commercial rafting operations and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of rivers, waves and steep creeks.

[ Paddling Trip Guide: View all paddling trips in Norway ]

Whitewater lowdown

Warm up on the middle Sjoa, a 6-km, mid- to high-volume Class II-III+ play section with safe, eddy-serviced holes and a world-class wave that boasts epic playboating status in flood. Upstream, the Aseng Juvet canyon is 14 km of read-and-run Class III-IV that makes for a thrilling backyard run. Downstream, Amot Gorge provides 2 km of big-volume Class IV+ falls that can be run in a playboat or creeker.

Over a dozen more runs—including the renowned Ulla Falls, Lower Otta and Lagan— are accessible within an hour’s drive from Sjoa.

Factoids

Population: 311

Average rent: $685

Number of gear shops/guide outfitters: 6+

Number of rafting companies: 4+

McDonalds: No

Cross-training

Mountain biking

Get dirty on Lilehammer’s world-class, lift-accessed bike parks and cross-country trails.

Hiking

Reach treeline in a matter of minutes on 400 km of marked trails in the adjacent Jotunheimen National Park. Tackle the classic, six-hour Besseggen circle route, which includes a stunning ferry ride on glacial Lake Gjende, and top out under the midnight sun among Norway’s highest mountains.

Grub, pub and hubbub

Sjoa Kayak Camp is the place to meet other boaters and settle in for cheap camping. Gear up and get river beta at Strie Strømmer—Norway’s largest kayak shop. Sjoa itself doesn’t offer much in the way of food or drink, but with the high price of grub in Norway, the local Statoil gas station’s sausage and endless free coffee (with the purchase of a mug) start to look pretty good.

[ Also read: 50 Of The Best Whitewater Towns To Visit Before You Die ]

Fifteen minutes down the road, Otta is the regional service center and the place to stock up on supplies. Don’t miss the annual Sjoa Kayak Festival, held in July when the water levels and weather are perfect, and there’s no shortage of paddling partners.

This article originally appeared in Rapid‘s Spring 2010 issue. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions here, or browse the archives here.

That’s brisk, baby: Sjoa’s glacial whitewater. | Photo: Graham Genge

Paramount H2O Canoe Review

By

Michael Mechan

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June 13, 2013

Photo: Dan Caldwell — Paramount 16-6 by H20 Canoe Company

This review of H2O Canoe Company’s Paramount 16-6 was originally published in Canoeroots and Family Camping magazine.

When looking at sleek lakewater boats like the Paramount 16-6 from H2O Canoe Company, speed comes to mind. This is a fast canoe, but when was the last time you were in a rush in the back country? Marathon paddling aside, canoeing is rarely about speed at all. It’s about efficiency and the Paramount’s lay-up and hull design offer exactly that.

The H2O line of canoes consists of resin-infused composite boats. This molding process uses minimal liquid resin, producing boats that are both stiff and ultra-lightweight. The Paramount we tested is at the premium end of the line-up, in H2O’s carbon-Kevlar lay-up. Ours came in at a svelte 42 pounds—impressive, considering the use of gelcoat. H2O has managed to shave off pounds by using a clear-coat epoxy from the gunwales down to the waterline. While lightweight, hulls finished entirely in clear coat are less abrasion resistant so H2O applied gelcoat where durability is most important—the underside. The result is a signature eye-catching two-toned look.

As another means of weight savings, designers reduced the Paramount’s surface area. There is little volume at its extremities and sheer lines are low, requiring less build material.

“We started the company concentrating on classic canoes,” says H2O founder and designer, Jeff Hill. “We wanted to make sure the modern boats we do make perform well across all fronts.”

By modern, Hill means asymmetrical. Unlike the Prospector or Bob’s Special found in H2O’s Heritage Series canoes, the Paramount’s widest point is aft of center, a design attribute that improves acceleration and glide.

The first thing I noticed about the Paramount was how effortlessly it travels across the water, exceeding expectations based on its weight and hull shape.

At 16 feet six inches and with little rocker, it has a long waterline eliminating any need for a keel. Few stern finesse strokes are needed, leaving both paddlers free to maintain momentum and take full advantage of the boat’s top speed and glide. Despite the straight-tracking nature of the canoe, the two and a half inches of bow rocker left me pleasantly surprised by the boat’s maneuverability.

Confident paddlers will appreciate the secondary stability afforded by the Paramount’s gently rounded hull. Limited initial stability could leave novice paddlers a little wary when paddling it empty.

With the refined hull, low freeboard and trim placement, this canoe is better suited to weeklong trips than expeditions.

All H2O canoes come with classy cherry seats, yoke, aft kneeling thwart and carry handles complete with finger grooves. Rounding out the beautiful trim package and true to clever weight-saving design principles, the carbon-Kevlar lay-up comes with H2O’s Integral Composite Gunwales—inwales integrated into the canoe during the molding process. On the outside, aluminum outwales are bonded to the hull to maintain strength.

Paddlers looking for a premium canoe can expect to pay a higher price for H2O boats, especially the carbon-Kevlar lay-up. Given that the Paramount’s hull shape is designed for intermediate to advanced paddlers, cost should be less of an issue. These are canoeists who are never in a rush but always have a discerning taste for efficiency.

H2O Canoe Company Paramount 16-6 specs

Length: 16’6”
Width at waterline: 32.5”
Width at gunwales: 35.5”
Depth at bow: 22”
Depth at center: 14”
Depth at stern: 20”
Weight: 42 lbs (in carbon-Kevlar)
MSRP: $3,295 CAD
www.h2ocanoe.com

This article originally appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Spring 2013. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Freestyle Move: Loop Lunar Orbit

Skills

By

Nick Troutman

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June 12, 2013

Photos: Emily Jackson — Nick Troutman freestyle tips

The loop lunar orbit is an awesome aerial hole combo that is sure to get you more chicks than a Nickelback concert. The beauty of it is that once you have it dialed, you can cartwheel into a mcnasty, and then keep adding more moves to infinity.

1. Start by plugging your bow for the loop.

2. Stand up tall and jump forward. The higher you go and farther upstream you jump, the better because the lunar orbit will pull you downstream.

3. Throw your body forward and pull back on your paddle blade. This launches your bow around over your head. Using only one blade to pull the loop stroke is key; this will set you up for the combo.

4. From here, you actually want to land on your stern, rather than finishing all the way flat on your hull.

5. When you are vertical on your stern with your paddle behind you from pulling the loop stroke, quickly use that same paddle blade for a reverse stroke. This is the stern pry that initiates the lunar orbit.

6. The farther back your paddle blade when you push, the more vertical your boat will go. Keep your paddle blade in the water the entire time or you will fall over on your head.

7. Finish the reverse stroke and turn it into a forward draw to pull yourself around vertically.

8. Lean forward as you turn your forward draw back into a reverse stroke for your bow smash.

This article originally appeared in Rapid, Early Summer 2011. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Base Camp: Algonquin’s Logging Museum

Stories

By

Scott MacGregor

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June 12, 2013

Courtesy of Scott MacGregor — Algonquin alligator

The amphibious tugboat pictured here was invented in 1889. Called an “alligator,” it is a wood-fed paddlewheel steamer capable of warping 60,000 boom logs in a day, then winching itself on a temporary railway of logs overland to the next lake. Built in 1905 and taken out of service in 1946, the William M. is one of only three alligators remaining in existence. For the last 49 years, it has rested on the shore of a small creek 600 metres down a wheelchair accessible, stone dust path at the Algonquin Logging Museum.

Located on Highway 60 just inside Algonquin Park’s east gate, the Logging Museum has a bookstore, theatre and souvenir shop, but it’s outside—in the bush, above a log chute, behind the wheel of the William M. and aboard a locomotive—where Algonquin’s logging history really comes alive. The Logging Museum, like hundreds of others across the country, didn’t make this issue’s list of North America’s top six interpretive centres. Nevertheless, it is outdoors, interesting for kids and within an hour’s drive of my house, putting it at the top of my family’s favorites list.

By comparison, a 10-minute drive deeper into Algonquin Park is the Visitors Centre—a state-of-the-art interpretive facility opened in 1993 and heralded as a must-visit on any trip through the park. We do visit. However, all of the exhibits are indoors—like a museum, complete with a cafeteria. My four-year-old son refers to the Visitors Centre as, “you know Dad, that place where we eat pie.”

Stuffed wolves hide safely behind Plexiglas well protected from curious little fingers. The French lumberjack’s story of the log drive is interesting to small children for all of 10 seconds. After an hour inside the Visitors Centre, both kids and parents go crazy like moose with brainworm (see the exhibit if you have time). Quick kids, back outside to the wheelhouse of the William M.

In a hurried, blackberry-driven, concrete world so focused on higher marks and organized sports, it’s alluring to blow into these visitor centres for a canned, one-hour educational tour. However, study after study from education and health organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics says free and unstructured child-centred play is healthy and even essential to the development of children. Free play is even more beneficial when it’s outdoors in nature. This means that if we want our children to learn more, be more active and be socially and emotionally well balanced, we need to turn off our ringers, get them outside and let their imaginations lead the way.

Dan Strickland, author of the Logging Museum’s interpretive guidebook, writes that the twice-rebuilt alligator will never again belch out smoke and sparks as it struggles across Algonquin’s lakes. Perhaps, but in the imaginations of my children, the log drive has just begun and there are plenty of trees to be floated downstream. “Stoke up that fire Katie, we need more steam.”

—Scott MacGregor

This article appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Early Summer 2009. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Flushed: Doin’ It Duckie Style

Stories

By

Rob Lyon

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June 11, 2013

My partner Steve Thomsen and I work together on field projects as a photojournalist team. Our gigs are often crossover affairs: mountain biking and fly-fishing on rafting trips, disc golf on a sea kayak expedition. Invariably, our diverse pursuits require a lot of gear.

For our latest trip—a scenic downriver journey with fly-fishing, fowl hunting and some canyoneering on the side—we pack all the typical necessities plus such eclectic luxuries as a Dutch oven, camp chairs, cooler, fly-fishing gear, SLR camera setup, espresso brewer, shotgun and shells, fresh veggies and down pillows. We are set up in the tradition of a classic safari and that’s how we like it.

Our cargo, stuffed into Rubbermaids stacked three deep, fills the bed of Steve’s Tundra truck as we roll past Boise toward the put-in for the Owyhee. Most groups run southeast Oregon’s mighty O during spring runoff, when 7,000–10,000 cfs create a three-day, class III run from Rome to Birch Creek and raft support, or a lean tripping style, is de rigueur.

We’ve chosen to run this 45-mile stretch of river in early October at a niggling 100 cfs, taking a leisurely week to do it. Because our payload is lean only in comparison to a fully loaded 18-foot Aire Cat, we’re paddling inflatable kayaks (IKs)—no raft support required, or possible given the extreme low water.

Canoes are out of the question. The first time we took open boats down the late season Owyhee, the canoes emerged so thrashed that the rental guy refused to take them back. We paid for that mistake in no small amount of change.

Without all our planned side ventures we’d probably be paddling the new crop of crossover kayaks: Liquidlogic XP10s or Pyranha Fusions, hard shell kayaks with hatches and space for a little extra—but just a little.

Steve and I know we’ll be leaving cool at the corner running the Owyhee in duckies, but so what? We’re the only ones on the river and we stopped worrying about cool a couple decades ago. Our goal is to get our butts and our swag through the canyon, and if IKs are the ticket, so be it.

Putting on the river in stellar weather, we bump inelegantly down the rapids dodging as many rocks as possible and bouncing off or sliding over the rest. Sometimes we get hung up—the beamy IK hulls refuse to go over—and have to wade out to haul the damned things free.

We drag ass in the riffles, line the boats down the messiest stuff and struggle over one truly miserable portage. We nail every lava nugget that more nimble river runners would easily slip past. More than a few times I think how fun it would be to slalom gracefully down a rapid that we’ve just pinballed through.

Still, we have no regrets. We are a different breed of boater.

We dig what meager performance we can squeeze from our rubber ducks, but our sights are set on the bigger picture: Eating Cajun-blackened quail from the Dutchie. Catching smallies on flies from stacked pools. Hiking up the canyon flanks to photograph the grandeur of the Little Grand. Exploring crumbling rock wall wind breaks built by Basque shepherds on the dry grass plateaus. Hunting for petroglyphs, partridge and bighorns. Playing a game of call-shot disc golf up the arroyo behind camp with a cold beer in hand.

When we roll up the IKs at week’s end, Steve and I agree we’ve found the perfect match to our tripping ethos. Next time we run the Owyhee, you can bet it will be duckie-style. Sure, the cool crowd would probably heckle us, but they won’t be there.

50 Of The Best Whitewater Towns To Visit Before You Die

By

Virginia Marshall

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June 7, 2013

Between all our editorial, design and sales staff, we have a combined total of 103 years of whitewater experience. That’s a lot of cycles on the calendar spent traveling bumpy put-in roads, tracing sinuous blue lines on topo maps, sharing accommodations with wintering rodent populations and generally chasing the whitewater dream.

We’re also based in the blink-and-you-miss-it timber town of Palmer Rapids. Sure there’s no nightlife (aside from community center bingo), a box of Corn Flakes costs six bucks, the general store rents only VHS and fine dining is a seasonal chip stand. But if you triangulate between the Ottawa Valley’s world-class whitewater, Algonquin Park’s thousands of wilderness lakes, and the spring creeks that tumble off the southerly edge of the Canadian Shield, you’ll find Palmer Rapids at the center.

Hopefully that provides you with some confidence that we when it comes to river towns, we know what we’re talking about. Here—in no particular order—are Paddling Magazine‘s picks for the best whitewater towns.

Best creeking towns

1. Terrace, British Columbia

2. Hood River, Oregon

3. Thunder Bay, Ontario

4. Asheville, North Carolina

5. Jasper, Alberta

6. Lake Placid, New York

7. Revelstoke, British Columbia

8. Nevada City, California

[ For top picks and expert reviews, check out Paddling Magazine’s guide to the best whitewater kayaks here. ]

Best all-river towns

1. Fayetteville, West Virginia

2. Copperhill, Tennessee

3. Clearwater, British Columbia

4. Confluence, Pennsylvania

5. Petawawa, Ontario

6. Crested Butte, Colorado

7. Kernville, California

8. Maniwaki, Quebec

Best newbie-friendly towns

1. Beachburg, Ontario

2. Franklin, North Carolina

3. Charlemont, Massachusetts

4. Palmer Rapids, Ontario

5. Forks of Salmon, California

6. Bingham, Maine

7. Canmore, Alberta

8. White Lake, Wisconsin

Best urban whitewater

1. Saint John, New Brunswick

2. Montreal, Quebec

3. Pueblo, Colorado

4. Ottawa, Ontario

5. Watertown, New York

6. Reno, Nevada

7. Cambridge, Ontario

8. Missoula, Montana

[ Further reading: 10 Things Only Whitewater Kayakers Understand ]

Best international towns

1. Sjoa, Norway

2. Pucón, Chile

3. Turrialba, Costa Rica

4. Hokitika, New Zealand

5. Thun, Switzerland

6. Jalcomulco, Mexico

7. Briançon, France

8. Oetz, Austria

9. Rotorua, New Zealand

10. Pokhara, Nepal

11. Tolmin, Soča, Slovenia

Best park ‘n’ play towns

1. Salida, Colorado

2. Trail, British Columbia

3. Fort Smith, Northwest Territories

4. San Marcos, Texas

5. Jackson, Wyoming

6. Enderby, British Columbia

7. Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Is It Better To Sit Or Kneel In A Canoe?

Skills

By

Michael Mechan

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June 6, 2013

Photo of woman in bow of a canoe paddling — Kneeling is no longer the superior way to enjoy maximum power and stability. | Photo by: Image Ontario

When it comes to the question of whether to sit or kneel in a canoe, times are changing. Tradition always dictated that kneeling demonstrated proper technique—sitting was sloppy.

Innovation, on the other hand, has resulted in technique that has canoeists actually paddling stronger while seated. It’s not quite as easy as just changing positions, though. You’ll need to modify your paddling style to match your seated stance for added power, efficiency and comfort.

Which is more stable?

Proponents of kneeling usually argue that it’s more stable than sitting. This isn’t always true. Lower the seat and there’s no need to kneel. Properly mounted tractor seats are installed with this in mind. Tractor seats also force paddlers to keep their center of gravity over the center of buoyancy of the boat, eliminating balance issues related to sliding to one side on a bench seat.

Which provides more power?

Kneelers who claim they get more power likely do so by leaning forward and planting their paddles further ahead—reach afforded by their kneeling position. However, when paddling most canoes, this is less efficient since it causes the bow of the canoe to porpoise in the water.

[ Paddling Buyer’s Guide: View all canoes ]

Using the right paddle

The shorter, faster stroke cadence of the seated paddler lends itself to bent shaft paddles. Because tractor seats are lower than bench seats, a shorter paddle is required. Bent shaft paddles also demand less reach because of the angle the blade enters the water.

Those quick to criticize bent shaft paddles for their clumsiness when it comes to steering strokes will find that switching sides is actually easier seated than while kneeling because of the stability factors mentioned above. Replace a pry, which is ineffective with bent shaft paddles, by changing sides (hut!) and doing a draw—generally more ideal than a pry anyways because it’s more powerful. Pries can also destabilize the canoe, which can be an issue with the lower freeboard boats commonly designed for this style of paddling.

Engaging your lower body

The shortened overall height of this more modern style of boat not only reduces wind sheer, it also allows seated paddlers to comfortably reach over the sides as well as brace thighs and knees beneath the gunwales.

Bow paddlers should rest their thighs against the sides of the canoe and feet against the air chamber in front of them. Boats with tractor seats often have an optional foot brace for stern paddlers. Engaging your lower body creates the feeling of pulling the boat forward across the water rather than pushing the water backwards, behind the canoe, as is the case with straight shaft paddling common to the traditional kneeling style.

[ Also read: The Beginner’s Guide To Canoeing ]

Greater comfort

Perhaps one of the greatest benefits to paddling from a seated position is the added comfort. No more sore knees, no more pins and needles. Marathon canoeists paddle almost exclusively seated with their lower bodies braced to maintain comfort over long distances while still generating maximum power.

Kneeling remains the best choice for classic soloists and paddling most technical whitewater, but if you don’t want to kneel, learn to paddle properly when seated. Just like kneeling paddlers, in order to maintain an efficient stroke, seated paddlers must sit up straight and generate power by rotating the torso rather than relying entirely on arms. They key here is not to slouch in your seat.

Zegul 520 Kayak Review

By

Paddling Magazine Staff

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June 5, 2013

Photo: Vince Paquot — Zegul 520 Kayak Review

A review of the Zegul 520 sea kayak by Adventure Kayak magazine.

Designed in Scandinavia, built in Northern Europe and shipped to U.S. and Canadian retailers from warehouses in California, Vancouver and Montreal, Zegul Marine continues sea kayaking’s long tradition of international cross-pollination.

Founded in Sweden in 2004 by designer Johan Wirsén, Zegul kayaks are now manufactured by Tahe Marine—one of Europe’s largest and longest established composite kayak builders—on the north coast of Estonia. In 2012, a merger with new, Quebec-based paddlesport powerhouse, Kayak Distribution, brought Zegul boats to North American shores for the first time.

Zegul lists the 520 in their play boating line, but as Kayak Distribution sales and marketing director Mark Hall notes, it’s really an all-purpose kayak for touring and play.

The 520 is available in two lay-ups: a glass/carbon/aramid “A-core” infusion weighing around 50 pounds, and an even stiffer, lighter vacuum-infused carbon “C-core” construction. Our lime green A-core test boat has the flawless finish of an exotic sports car, and features stylish black accents that also provide protection in high wear areas.

Zegul 520 Specs

Length: 17 ft

Width: 21 in

Weight: 42–53 lbs

Price: $3,500–$4,200

www.zegulmarine.com

This article originally appeared in Adventure Kayak, Early Summer 2013. To continue reading the full review and watch an exclusive video review, download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.