This year I
took some time to test some of the latest creek boats on the market, in
specific all the “M” versions which fit the most to my size. The test has been
done for all boats in the stretch of the river Soca (Slovenija) that goes from
Srpenica1 to Trnovo ob Soči including the Slalom course until the broken bridge
with a flow of about 30cms (class III – IV boulder garden), Whereas the LL
Stomper 80 and the Zet Raptor have been thoroughly tested in different rivers
and creeks of the Italian alps over the last couple of years.
I want to
clarify all that I wrote below (except the charts regarding the manufacturer’s
claim and the specs) is absolutely my personal opinion and it has to be
considered as such.
Always paddle
safe!
Ciao
Beppe
Caramella
BOATS
|
JK Karma M
|
LL Stomper 80
|
WS Recon 83
|
DR 88
|
ZET Raptor
|
Dagger Mamba 8.1
|
Titan Exile
|
Outlook
|
3
|
5
|
3
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
Outfitting
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
2
|
Confort
|
4
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
2
|
Weight
|
4
|
4
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
1
|
1
|
Bow
|
4
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
Stern
|
4
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
4
|
1.stability
|
4
|
2
|
4
|
5
|
5
|
4
|
4
|
2.stability
|
5
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
Acceleration
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
4
|
2
|
Speed
|
4
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
Boof
|
4
|
5
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
Maneuvrab.
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
Gliding
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
5
|
3
|
3
|
Total
|
51
|
49
|
46
|
45
|
51
|
45
|
37
|
1=poor 2=moderate 3=satisfactory 4=good
5=excellent
BOATS
|
PROS
|
CONS
|
JK Karma M
|
easy, fast and light boat, centre-rear side walls
quite high make it easy in turbulence, no holes in the deck, good overall
|
soft plastic, not solid seat, backband too high,
good concept regarding the adjustable footrest but not stable
|
LL Stomper 80
|
ideal for steep creek, perfect bow, auto-boof
machine, very confortable, soft landing on drops, not ultra fast, but enough
for the job
|
not a good primary stability, not a carving machine,
the stern has the tendency to be pinched in turbulence, not easy for
beginners/intermediate
|
WS Recon 83
|
easy, stable and fast boat, good outfitting,
forgiving stern make it neutral in turbulence, good boof
|
very heavy, thigh braces doesn't allow an intimate
contact with the boat (personal), not good manouvrability in tight creeks
|
DR 88
|
super stable, good hull, very good on steep creek
and hard white water
|
poor outfitting, soft plastic, boring on easy white
water, bow a bit too high.
|
ZET Raptor
|
fast, stable, nice gliding and carving boat. It
looks bigger than specified, but small once on board, very easy to turn
|
a bit poor finish, technical boat so not the easiest
in hard white water, once out of the wished line not easy to pull it back.
|
Dagger Mamba 8.1
|
good carver, stable and good manouvrability, good outfitting,
good creeker for weight lower than 65kgs
|
a bit small as medium creeker compared to its
competitors, low rocker, very heavy
|
Titan Exile
|
stable, reliable stern, rigid and robust plastic,
precise in big water
|
very heavy, very uncomfortable to carry, slow in
acceleration, difficult to outfit and find the right position inside, the hip
pads are linked to the ratchets used to adjust the backband, so when you pull
them the hip pads get narrow towards your hips too hard making your position
uncomfortable and painful.
|
BOATS
|
From the
Manufacturer Web Site
|
JK Karma M
|
Jackson Kayak's 4th generation creek boat.The Karma
takes a turn towards speed, stability, and carving. Fast, stable and
forgiving, with predictable turning, boofing and a bow that rises over
anything in its way.
|
LL Stomper 80
|
Semi-Planing Hull = effortless turning in any situation. Chamfered
Edges = carving edges that snap into eddies but don't trip you up. Smooth Transition Rocker Profile = gives
the Stomper its speed. Rounded side wall = incredible stability. Crowned
Deck = quick and easy surfacing from under water. Big Bow Rocker =
get your bow up and over anything. New Seat System = easier access to
boat stern for storage. Bad Ass
Outfitting = the most comfortable outfitting in the industry
|
WS Recon 83
|
The Recon will get
paddlers down river safely while performing at the highest levels of creeking
and class IV-V+ boating, enhancing a paddler's confidence and skill sets in
the process to make boundary pushing safer than ever before. The
continuous rocker profile combined with the unique distribution of volume
makes this design very fast and easy to boof. The unique volume in the bow
and its pronounced, upswept shape make the Recon resurface and unload water
quickly when blasting through holes, while the domed stern deck minimizes
back-ending in holes and drops. The location of the full stern chine
combined with the generous side wall flare provides superb secondary
stability and substantial control when carving, ferrying, or tracking.
The Recon is also equipped with seven points of rescue and new, strategically
placed handles for greater accessibility. The Recon was designed for
intermediate and advanced paddlers who want best-in-class performance and maximum
safety features while enjoying both multi-day river trips and tackling class
IV & V+ rapids.
|
DR 88
|
It's the new Dragorossi creek boat, ideal also for river running. It's fast and
precise in the manoeuvres; great habitability also for heavy paddlers. All the
outfitting system is completely new, with new seat, footrest, backrest and
kneebraces fully adjustable.It comes standard with hip pads, seat pads, drain
plug, 4 carry handles, 1 metal bar, front and back foam wall+PE slot for
Pelicase or Watershed dry bag. The 88 is the ultimate extreme creeker.
|
ZET Raptor
|
The RAPTOR is in its element on
difficult whitewater, making it the perfect choice for multi-day expeditions,
running steep creeks and competing in extreme races. Due to the stability of
the hull, the boat is suited to beginner and intermediate paddlers who are
seeking to develop and push their whitewater skills. The Raptor is also the
ideal choice for advanced paddlers because it is both very fast and
highly manoeuvrable.The exceptional design of the Raptor has been proven on
all types of whitewater, from the largest volume rivers in the world to the
steepest creeks and waterfalls. The outfitting has been redesigned making it
more adjustable, robust, and comfortable than ever before.
|
Dagger Mamba 8.1
|
Newly beefed up for 2012, the Creeker edition of the
Mamba offers a sturdy, reliable package designed to carry you safely through
your next adventure.With increased volume and carefully designed rails, the
Mamba is built to be fast and predictable on even the pushiest of big volume
whitewater, whilst maintaining excellent performance on the steeper stuff.
Whether it's a multi-day trip in the Himalayas or on a big waterfall run in
|
Titan Exile
|
The Exile is Titan Kayaks long awaited creek boat.
From extended expeditions to the steepest of creeks the Exile has been
designed to do it all. It's continuous rocker leading to the rear, combined
with a displacement hull nose that blends to soft chines running down the
tail make the Exile not only wickedly fast but also very forgiving while
still holding a rail and being extremely responsive.The Exile turns on a
dime, and boofs with effortlessly ease. It's unique upturned nose has been
designed to not only shed water downwards but to also push it back and around
the boat helping to propel the boat through holes and to re-surface not only
upward but also with forward speed. Large rear access to the tail allows you
to easily pack and stow gear in the rear, while the front bulk head which
features 3inchs of cushioning foam is also easily removed for packing gear
into the front of the boat.
|
BOATS
|
Overall Impressions
|
JK Karma M
|
 For sure a step beyond compared to the former creek
boats by Mr. EJ. A fast, confortable, light and maneuvrable boat, with a well
balanced volume. You can enjoy paddling it on either class 2 or 5.
Interesting the fact that you can "play" with the footrest and the
backband in a way that the paddler position can be moved back and forth a
little bit. I found the good one when the knees are well against the inner
hull. All in all the M version is one of the best creek/river runner boat in
terms of volume for people of 70-75kgs. |
LL Stomper 80
|
 I've been paddling the Stomper 80 for 2 seasons and
I simply love it! By simply looking at it. It's the best looking boat on the
market, and usually when a boat it's good looking it's also a good boat. Not
the fastest one, but with good acceleration, then it's really auto-boofing,
but this is not a secret, it's the best boofing boat on the market. Perfect
for steep creeking, I really like the soft landing on big drop and the way it
quickly leaves the turbulence. Estremely confortable and reasonable light it
provides an exceptional outfitting with good finishes. But now let's come to
the downsides because there are some: First of all the 80 is quite small and
narrow for 70-75ks paddlers and the 90 is too big, so a real medium version
is missing. Then the side walls of the hull just behind the hips are too low,
so it suffers a little in side turbulence, you need to work with your hips
quite a lot. The bad-ass is confortable, but honestly the couch-like cover of
the seat is a bit too much for me. I like a simpler approach for that. |
WS Recon 83
|
 |
DR 88
|
 Quite unusual this new long-awaited Dragorossi creek
boat, with all those round edges, especially if we compare it with the former
models. This time Mr. Zanga & his team wanted to make an easy-paddling
boat more for the mainstream and at the same time maintaining their typical
footprint. DR continued their idea of having one size, but the 88 covers a
wider range of paddlers weight (65-85kgs, but its best is for 70-80kgs). So
now they have the full range covered with the Mafia for small paddlers and
the Critical Mass for big people. Coming to the boat's behaviour in the
water, I've tried it a few times in different environments an I have to say
that this is another pure creeker. Absolutely boring up to class 3/3+,
extremely performing on class 4 and above, the harder the better. Enough
fast, good boof and good maneuvrability. It holds the line well once
addressed it. Stable and easy rolling. Downsides are: too deep sitting (I
need 5cm of foam under my buttocks), once you try to lift onto one side with
your legs, it immediately goes back down, it's difficult to hold it on one
side. Then I've already mentioned about the poor outfitting, handles and soft
plastic. Improving. |
ZET Raptor
|
 This is the boat with the whitewater competition in
mind. Sure, the designer is a former slalom racer and an actual
"sickliner"! So the result is: fast! It's a bigger-than-rated boat.
In the spec they claim a 80 gallon, but it feels a lot bigger, definitely
bigger than the Stomper 80, but once you sit in it's a perfect M version,
mainly due to the high seat. I've paddled it for a season and I really liked
it, super fast, nice boof, easy turning, light (only 19kgs) and simple but
efficient outfitting. Although it's light, the boat is super robust (5 yrs
warranty). I think most kayak manufacturer should learn from this small CZ
rep. company!! What I didn't like is the boat is a bit too wide and force you
in a too wide and compressed position of the leg. Then, it's river running
vocation (flat hull) sometimes it doesn't make it the easiest boat in hard
whitewater, especially when it takes the wrong line it's quite difficult to
put it back to the right one. |
Dagger Mamba 8.1
|
 The new Mamba to my personal opinion is the worst M
version of all the latest creeker on this test. It's not its fault, the
reason is that it's just too small. It claims to be a 77gallons but it feels
a lot smaller. There's a little difference between the 7.6 and the 8.1 (M),
but there's a big difference between the 8.1 and the 8.6. Then it's way too
heavy. Absolutely unbearable. In the water I had exactly the opposite feeling
than the 88. Nice on easy WW, little control on class 4-5. But again, this is
due to the fact it's too small. At the end the only thing I liked it was the
outfitting, but not enough... |
Titan Exile
|
 Honestly I was very keen to try this boat and I
thought it was definitely my next boat, perfect size and volume for me. And
also when I saw it live, I really liked it, quite different from all the
other boats and nice looking, maybe not with the best finish, but in its own
way attractive. Then, I lifted it up and it was surprisingly heavy and with a
cutting lip around the cockpit so that when you carry it onto your shoulder
it's really painful. Ok, also other popular competitors are very heavy, so
let's just try in the water! First impression while seating is that you're
low and definitely need something to raise you up, then plenty of space
around your knees, but when you pull the ratchets to adjust the backband,
also the hip pads are moving towards you, which is clever, but it's also f...
painful! To complete the outlook of the inside, the seat has two strange
offshoots with a peaky shape on both sides which makes it scary when try to
exit in a rush. Once in the water, I found it very stable, not extremely fast
to accelerate, but acceptable when is moving. It doesn't turn on a dime, but
not sure if I was in the right seat position. The stern seems very forgiving
and allows you precise lines which it makes it reliable in big water. But
consider this as a very first impression. It probably deserves a deeper test
on different waters. |
Specs:
BOATS
|
Length
|
Width
|
Volume
|
Weight
|
Hull
|
JK Karma M
|
259cm - 8'6"
|
66cm - 26"
|
325L - 86g
|
20kg - 45lbs
|
flat
|
LL Stomper 80
|
249cm - 8'2"
|
66cm - 26"
|
303L - 80g
|
21kg - 46lbs
|
semiplanning
|
WS Recon 83
|
251cm - 8'3"
|
67cm - 26,5"
|
314L - 83g
|
23kg - 50lbs
|
semiplanning
|
DR 88
|
259cm - 8'6"
|
65,5cm - 25,78"
|
315L - 83,2g
|
20kg - 45lbs
|
semiplanning
|
ZET Raptor
|
255cm - 8'4"
|
68cm - 26,7"
|
303L - 80g
|
19kg - 42lbs
|
flat
|
Dagger Mamba 8.1
|
246cm - 8'1"
|
68cm - 26,7"
|
292L - 77g
|
20kg - 45lbs
|
flat
|
Titan Exile
|
255cm - 8'4"
|
68cm - 26,7"
|
303L - 80g
|
21kg - 46lbs
|
semiplanning
|
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