First weekend of putting a new boat through some manoeuvres and conditions to start to work it out. Lots of fun. Full review after 8 months of use: / 1478195179182797
Ha, came here after reading your excellent review of the Audax (the PDF on Dropbox). One of the best kayak reviews I've read, I have to admit! I used a sun protection for the face like the one you have at the start of the video here in Denmark last year, and people kept staring at me as if I'm crazy. But even with my darker skin (Indian heritage, but grew up in Germany) I easily get sunburn on my cheeks without a sun protection of 50+, when I'm out kayaking in the sun. That's a great kayak, would love to paddle that in some waves, to see how it feels to do a downwind session.
Thanks for the kind words @raju-bitter! Yes, my wife makes fun of me sun gear as well (As you can see, I cover up like a Bedouin!) but it is the only way to stop sunburn for long days on the water in the tropics. For a downwind session try: th-cam.com/video/sydxjPb_WRw/w-d-xo.html
Had it out in any particularly rough seas yet? I'd be interested in your opinion. Im down near Eden and had one of these in my sights for a while, but the conditions are often rough and windy off shore. Thanks
Hi Heath. The kayak is certainly intended in its design for rough water work and I would guess that most people that buy them are putting them out in conditions. But it would depend to some extent on the paddler as to how it goes. I haven't yet had mine in particularly rough conditions yet (only to 15 knots or so - in this video there were conditions to a bit over 10 knots) but have paddled enough confused, messy and night-time waters to start to get some sense how it feels for me. Compared to my previous boat there is a bit less primary stability but the secondary stability is predictable and intuitive to access so overall it feels just as stable in the slop. Downhill, I have been impressed by it being a bit easier to control on the fly (on a wave). The boat fits me well and the thigh braces are well designed - solid and even with a slightly rough texture on the surface so your thighs don't slip during a roll - so it is comfortable to brace and roll. The rest is really up to the paddler :)
![Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 | เพื่อจักรพรรดิ ! [ตอนเดียวจบ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4M0ckYMA4-U/mqdefault.jpg)
Ha, came here after reading your excellent review of the Audax (the PDF on Dropbox). One of the best kayak reviews I've read, I have to admit! I used a sun protection for the face like the one you have at the start of the video here in Denmark last year, and people kept staring at me as if I'm crazy. But even with my darker skin (Indian heritage, but grew up in Germany) I easily get sunburn on my cheeks without a sun protection of 50+, when I'm out kayaking in the sun.
That's a great kayak, would love to paddle that in some waves, to see how it feels to do a downwind session.
Thanks for the kind words @raju-bitter! Yes, my wife makes fun of me sun gear as well (As you can see, I cover up like a Bedouin!) but it is the only way to stop sunburn for long days on the water in the tropics. For a downwind session try: th-cam.com/video/sydxjPb_WRw/w-d-xo.html
Looks like a pleasure to paddle, and just look at that scenery
Thanks, yeah, having fun working the new boat out. Sure is a tough part of the world to play with kayaks in!
Had it out in any particularly rough seas yet? I'd be interested in your opinion. Im down near Eden and had one of these in my sights for a while, but the conditions are often rough and windy off shore. Thanks
Hi Heath. The kayak is certainly intended in its design for rough water work and I would guess that most people that buy them are putting them out in conditions. But it would depend to some extent on the paddler as to how it goes. I haven't yet had mine in particularly rough conditions yet (only to 15 knots or so - in this video there were conditions to a bit over 10 knots) but have paddled enough confused, messy and night-time waters to start to get some sense how it feels for me. Compared to my previous boat there is a bit less primary stability but the secondary stability is predictable and intuitive to access so overall it feels just as stable in the slop. Downhill, I have been impressed by it being a bit easier to control on the fly (on a wave). The boat fits me well and the thigh braces are well designed - solid and even with a slightly rough texture on the surface so your thighs don't slip during a roll - so it is comfortable to brace and roll. The rest is really up to the paddler :)
Heath, I've just added a link to a full review in the Video notes.