Mon - November 28, 2005

Thunderbolt X, Thunderbolt T-REX, Bullitt K-2 Tandem - New Racing Kayaks from West Side Boat Shop


WSBS Thunderbolt



Kayaks designed and built by Doug Bushnell have dominated races in the east coast during the recent years. The X-par Missile is showing up even in Colorado . Thunderbolts and EFTs are, especially, visible at the Blackburn Challenge. However, several kayak racers switched to surfskis in this year challenge.

The West Side Boat Shop web site was updated recently with new pictures, new produxts, downloadable catalog and 2005/2006 prices. Doug Bushnell added two new designs to the famous Thunderbolt. Is this his response to a growing popularity of surfskis?

Thunderbolt X. Created by modifying the underwater sections of the standard Thunderbolt, this all weather, all season, marathon racing kayak is faster yet. A narrowing and sharpening of the front section of the hull, reduces entry drag and bow wake size resulting in improved glide and less resistance. Add this up and you drop 6-8 seconds per mile over the standard Thunderbolt at 7-9 miles per hour, in calm water.

Thunderbolt T-REX. The Thunderbolt-X carried to the extreme! The Hull has been narrowed to 17” at the widest point on deck (1” narrower at the 4” waterline). The stability curve also differs from the Thunderbolt-X. Secondary stability starts at approximately 15 degrees from center, 10 degrees further than the Thunderbolt-X. These modifications result in 6-8 seconds per mile speed increase over the Thunderbolt-X at 7-9 miles per hour, 12-16 seconds over a standard Thunderbolt!

And that's not all !

The Bullitt K-2 Tandem is a new model for 2006, is an innovative concept in a tandem touring kayak design. Now you can cruise, lightly loaded at 7.5 - 8 miles per hour and faster with well trained paddlers. Cockpits are far enough apart to allow occupants to paddle out of sync and allow for individual style differences. The Bullitt K-2 has a long water line, narrow beam and low wetted surface area with a round bottom. This design allows paddlers to maintain fast cruising speeds due to the very low wave drag of the boat. The deeply flared bow keeps a dry ride.


Posted at 10:50 PM    


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