The Sisu is the smaller sister to the "Prana", and shares most of the same lines and features, but in a shorter, slightly wider package. The Sisu is 16' and 22.3" wide, though the sculpting of the cockpit/seat area makes the boat feel wider and more spacious than most 21-22" wide boats. The geometry of the cockpit and deck puts your knees more straight in front, rather than splayed out - not a surfski, but not your 24" wide rec-touring fit either.
The hull design is an interesting mix of ideas. The ends of the boat are heavily rockered (about 4"), but it has relatively hard chines and a shallowly arched bottom in the mid-section, almost more whitewater than sea kayak in design. Secondary stability is, in a word, outstanding; I had it on edge at a 35 degree angle of heel, and the boat simply hung there without need for bracing support.
Outfitting includes an IR backband, aluminum track footbrace with CD's old school aluminum pegs. The Sisu and Prana both have a carbon fiber deck storage pod up in front of the cockpit and a centered day storage hatch behind. Skeg is controlled on the left side, with a solid metal driving rod for the skeg, which is a major improvement over the cable-driven skegs most other companies offer.
Build quality is excellent, as always. CD is offering an almost infinite range of color choices in their composite boats now, so it's easy to customize a boat to make it really individual.
As for performance, because it has the rockered hull, straight line speed is ok, but not remarkable. At a steady workout pace, the boat was able to drive 4.5 knots, though when the stick pace dropped, the boat's relatively shorter waterline became noticeable with less glide (which drops a point off the rating scale for me). But when you get it out on the waves, the boat comes into its own. Had 3 to 5 footers out there, and the Sisu rode right over the tops with no problems and surfed like a beast.
If I lived somewhere with flat water most of the time, I'm not sure this boat would make sense, but if you want a sportscar to get out on big open water, the Sisu is absolutely one to consider.
