Rio

My wife has an all white Rio which she love! I have and Eddyline Equinox which is a nice kayak, but I cannot for the life of me keep up to her. It doesn't take her much effort to leave me in her wake.

A new lease on life!

But let me explain in a little bit more detail WHY I am such a fan of the Eddyline products…..this is a disaster turned miracle story that happened almost exactly a year ago. I have been meaning to tell you about this because it is also a testament to the quality of the Eddyline kayak product, feel free to use or share any of this story. I will NEVER purchase a different brand - and when others hear my story they are amazed as well. I had purchased a brand new lime Rio from Mary last year (at the time she had not retired and was still running Silent Sports), it was also my very first Eddyline. I was taking it to Silver Springs State Park to kayak the beautiful and pristine crystal clear Silver River for it’s maiden voyage. The river run was beyond expectation and I knew I had chosen the right boat for me. At the end, the livery came for us, we loaded our boats on the trailer and the staff insisted on taking over from there to secure the boats. On the livery almost halfway back to the origin point I happened to look behind us and saw my lime green Rio dangling off the side of the livery trailer held on only by getting it’s tail tangled in the rubber trailer rigging and at the other end, it’s nose, dragging on the ground at 40 mph down the black top road for I don’t know how long. The staff had forgotten to secure it. It took me a minute to fully realize exactly what I was seeing and I yelled stop, stop my kayak fell off!! Long story short I will attach a picture that paints a thousand words, my Eddyline Rio tail was bent at 90 degrees, bent but only one crack in the hull very close to the edge/seam join of the deck and hull, and the deck at the nose shaved down to the inner core, but had just barely reached the hollow core. I sure I am not the only person to ever have a livery disaster, the livery company in question voluntarily settled and made restitution and I understand is no longer in business, but at the time I was just sick to my stomach. They strapped the wreckage back on the trailer, and at the origin we laid it on the ground. Within 5 minutes there was a loud pop, I mean LOUD. We all said what was that, but it was the Eddyline popping back into shape, straight again, with dimples and divets and very small crack but no longer at a 90 degree angle. It was nothing short of a miracle. Everyone watching was awestruck. When I got home I called Mary and explained what had happened and wondered, could my lime Rio be salvaged? I had saved so long for it and carefully chosen the color and design etc…lots of nostalgia attached to it. When I got to Silent Sports they took one look and with positivity said "lets see what we can do, we need to consult the experts at Eddyline", which they did, and you guided them through a delicate restoration process, which made it possible for me to continue using my lime Rio to this day. It’s my Franken-boat but I still love it and use it on many of my freshwater narrow winding rivers here in FL, it’s still so agile and quick. Anyway, I have since bought and sold a used Equinox (too big for me), and just today purchased one of the last new discontinued Samba’s (white), from my friends at Silent Sports Nokomis, FL. It was a tough decision choosing between the Samba and the Fathom LV they both fit my SM 5’8” 138lb size like a glove! And of course I will always always have my lime Rio, it has taken me on approx. 35 Florida freshwater river exploring trips in the past year, most of which I’ve posted on Facebook. Hope you enjoyed the story - I like to pass on good news and credit where it is due! Sincerely, Lifetime Eddyline supporter…and FL river explorer Marsha Crabtree 941-928-1776

I no longer have to get someone to help me load my kayak - my Rio is so light I can load or unload in less than 10 minutes, by myself. It is also good looking, sleek and comfortable. Keeps up with those long boats, too!

Absolutely perfect for a shorter woman. I am 5'2", 130 lbs. and the Rio is the perfect fit for me. It's lightweight, responds extremely well, and is FAST. Totally recommend the Rio to anyone of smaller stature. I have paddled trips of over 4 hours non stop and have loved every minute.

The Rio has been great! It's not too big and not too small, it tracks great and is stable for my size (5'4", 128lbs). It has great storage and a very comfortable seat. It's size and weight make it much easier to carry and load and unload from my car. I would definitely recommend trying it!

The minute I got into this kayak I started to laugh out loud in delight. It was a perfect fit, really responsive and fun to paddle. The seat gives excellent lumbar support. I am a 123lb female and have found many kayaks too broad in the beam or too heavy to handle single-handedly. I can put the Rio on my shoulder and walk to the put-in with no problem. The thermoform hull is an appreciated midpoint between polyethylene and kevlar.

Lightweight

Wow! What a great kayak for the smaller paddler. Touring kayak feel in a smaller more manageable size. (11'9"). 1st off, it's BEAUTIFUL!! 2. It is agile and the bow/stern rocker allows for more maneuverability, so it is a great boat to take on rivers, too. 3. Very stable. Fabulous secondary stability! 4. LOTS of storage for a boat this size. 5. comfortable seat back - padded band-style. 6. Easy to adjust foot pegs, while out on the water. (No need to crawl inside your boat to adjust- hand levers make it easy). 7. Perfect for the smaller paddler, the 24" beam allows for better paddle placement. (no need to reach over so far to place the paddle in the water. 8. The Thermoform ABS construction means that is is light enough to carry (35lbs.) 9. Can carry up to 270 lbs. so a 120 lb. paddler can carry about 150 lbs worth of gear, (if you had to! ;-)

I am 5'3, 125lb and most boats are too wide to fit me. This is the perfect fit. I LOVE it!

I just tried the Rio kayak from Eddyline this week. Wow! This is a beauty and fast. Very fast, light and maneuverable from a company known for their high quality kayak construction and innovative building techniques using a Carbonlite 2000 Thermoform Composite.

Here's what I especially like about the RIO. it weighs 35 pounds. Yep! Only three pounds above our Sky 10 kayaks that we currently own. That's a nearly 12 foot boat vs. a 10 footer (SKY). It's a bit narrow and built for smaller and lighter kayakers such as my wife who is 5'4" and weighs 125 pounds. It moves with incredible ease and speed. So, for us, a no-brainer. We are selling a SKY 10 and buying the Rio for my wife. It's a bit pricey, but I was able to buy it on the Fall sale at our local kayak shop. We are approaching our 80's now, so weight is a factor. Yet, we didn't want to lose out on performance. So, the RIO fits the bill for lakes, rivers and small bays. Plus, it's small and light enough to fit in our apartment in the off season.

We plan to spend the winter on Conception Bay in the Sea of Cortez (Baja California). So along with a RAM Promaster Van that we are converting into a camper, we should be all set for the next five years of kayaking. My own preferred kayak is a 13 foot Necky Manitou which weighs around 45 pounds. I am keeping my Sky 10 for local trips because it's very light and will fit inside our new van.