Stand up paddling is getting popular in Colorado. Colorado River Race 2011 in Glenwood Canyon was dominated by SUPs. It looks like SUPs may soon provide more flatwater racing opportunities than kayak or canoes. Last weekend (March 25, 2012) Rob Bean tried his new paddling board on Beaver Pond in Arapaho Natural Area near Fort …
Stand Up and Paddle – Trying Boardworks Raven in Colorado Read More »
Quickblade paddle (Proton) and JKK Supernova kayak during winter paddling on Horsetooth Reservoir near Fort Collins, shot with GoPro Hero camera mounted on a kayak front deck. January 29, 2012.
Soldier Cove of the Horsetooth Reservoir (Pentax Optio W30 camera) After a couple of weeks of test paddling on Beaver Pond and Horsetooth Reservoir including some windy winter condition JKK Supernova kayak was added to my paddling fleet. First thing I had to do was to customize a cockpit. A narrow hanging seat was removed …
JKK Supernova Sea Kayak Added to My Paddling Fleet Read More »
I had a chance to do some test paddling with Jeremy Rodger’s JKK Supernova kayak. It happen just after first snow storm in Fort Collins, so I had a pretty scenic paddling on Beaver Pond in the Arapaho Bend Natural Area. I am trying to compare this kayak to my Thunderbolt-X from West Side Boat Shop from a perspective of a long distance self supported paddling and racing.
JKK Supernova is a multisport kayak from New Zealand – the same length as my WSBS Thunderbolt (21′), 1″ wider beam (19″), but a much bigger volume and a lot of cargo space with bulkheads and hatches. It is a racing sea kayak. Jeremy wrote a review of the Supernova for my blog a few years ago.
First impressions of the Supernova: fast, stable, quite responsive, much more maneuverable than Thunderbolt.
The Supernova cockpit is pretty small and tight. It is really narrow!. The cockpit opening is only about 14.75″ wide while I have 16″ in my Thunderbolt kayak, and a generous 17″ in Sisson Nucleus 100 which has the same beam as the Supernova. So, the owners of wide hips beware.
Related posts:
How to Choose a Boat for an Ultra Marathon Race? The Case of Missouri River 340
Valley Kayaks Rapier 20 and WSBS X-par Missile: Can I Fit My Butt into a Narrow Racing Kayak?
Outfitting Thunderbolt Racing Kayak – Sliding or Guerney Gears Bumfortable Seat?