TideRace Xplore-S
Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:57 pm
I demoed this boat as an all-around (expedition and day-trip) boat for an experienced small paddler using a greenland paddle. Turner Wilson brought one down for me from Maine to try at Nantasket Beach on a cold afternoon with some small dumping surf. The boat is composite, heavy duty British layup so it's a weighty boat. Very narrow at 20", 17.5' long, and 12" deep behind the cockpit - so it's fast and very easy to roll.
When I was first paddling out through the surf I thought the boat to be confidence-destroyingly tippy. But then I tried a balance brace and realized that it will lay on its side forever with no effort - outstanding secondary stability. There are virtually no chines on this boat's hull so it rolls smoothly, but it needs to be leaned to the gunnels to bring the boat around with any precision. The length and narrowness gave it plenty of speed for catching a ride on a wave, but it took some effort to pull off the wave before it broke - again, the lack of chines added to the difficulty here. The cockpit design allows for a very comfortable leg position which also makes for easier forward-finishing rolls (according to Turner. I didn't try any).
It's a well-thought-out design, with a fore and aft hatch, a day hatch, and a small fourth hatch just in front of the cockpit for small items with easy access. The fore deck is beveled on either side which minimizes the chance of hitting the hands on the deck while paddling (I've done this too many times....). There is a drop-down skeg. The boat has moderate rocker but not as much as its zippier little sister, the Xcite-S. There are also full-size versions of these boats.
The boat remains on my list of possible next choices, although the price tag of $3700 is a bit daunting. Nice design though, and very kind of Turner to let me give it a try.
NK
When I was first paddling out through the surf I thought the boat to be confidence-destroyingly tippy. But then I tried a balance brace and realized that it will lay on its side forever with no effort - outstanding secondary stability. There are virtually no chines on this boat's hull so it rolls smoothly, but it needs to be leaned to the gunnels to bring the boat around with any precision. The length and narrowness gave it plenty of speed for catching a ride on a wave, but it took some effort to pull off the wave before it broke - again, the lack of chines added to the difficulty here. The cockpit design allows for a very comfortable leg position which also makes for easier forward-finishing rolls (according to Turner. I didn't try any).
It's a well-thought-out design, with a fore and aft hatch, a day hatch, and a small fourth hatch just in front of the cockpit for small items with easy access. The fore deck is beveled on either side which minimizes the chance of hitting the hands on the deck while paddling (I've done this too many times....). There is a drop-down skeg. The boat has moderate rocker but not as much as its zippier little sister, the Xcite-S. There are also full-size versions of these boats.
The boat remains on my list of possible next choices, although the price tag of $3700 is a bit daunting. Nice design though, and very kind of Turner to let me give it a try.
NK