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Name: paddler2628707
Most Recent Reviews
Although discontinued and with many older models, subject to a recall, there may be not be a lot of demand for a review of this boat, I thought it deserved it. This is a really interesting boat. I think I would sum it up as a really outstanding design on a budget. A very fast boat for 14', I recently raced my new-to-me boat in a 25 mile race and kept pace with a Stellar S16 (G1) and an Epic S14s for the entire race. Pretty impressive boat for 1/3 the price of those two.
It's also a very stable boat with strong primary stability but a little bit iffier secondary. I almost dumped her my first time out playing around with edging and carving a sharp turn. Still a very responsive boat even without the rudder. The rudder is almost mandatory to cut down on wiggling or in stronger winds and although there's a bit of an increased drag, the tracking makes up for the potential loss of speed. It's got "old style" rudder controls which people like to complain about but those are the only thing I've ever known so I think they work fine.
Now for the bad. Here's where you get what you pay for - the hatches suck. They are not watertight at all. Also the foam fore and aft bulkheads leak if you get any water in the cockpit. The deck lines and carry handles are serviceable but cheap as well. All in all though if you can find a non-recall version of this boat used, you should be able to get a terrific deal on a very fast, not too heavy boat that can really do anything you want with it.
This may become a bit of a hobby fixer upper for me since the hatches, bulkheads, deck lines and even rudder pedals are all things that can be improved or replaced if I feel the need to put the work in.