Ula Nui's Shakedown

I took the day off from work and wanted to do a shakedown run with the new Revo.  Got up early, kissed the wife and daughter good-bye and headed for Haleiwa.  I took the time to bless the kayak with some Hawaiian Salt and also a shot of whiskey to wake up the spirits.  And because it was the first run I also attached Ti leaves to the stern.  I also gave her a name, Ula Nui  - Nui(Big) - Ula(Red).

Once that was taken care of it was time to get her wet.  To put it locally,  She go!  The Revo glides well and was noticeably faster and smoother on the water than my previous two yaks, and that was with using the paddle.  I put in the mirage drive, well it took a couple tries as I'm not used to it yet, and started to push faster then my paddle stroke could take me.  One thing that I did notice after just a few minutes of peddling (it's more of a recumbant stairclimber motion) that my legs were OUT OF SHAPE.  After five minutes I already felt the burn and had to take a break.  I adjusted the peddles and seat to make the
positioning more comfortable and was able to peddle with a more relaxed rythym, but I still had the burn.

The water I was on was clean and glassy even with the wind starting to pick up.  The surrounding area keeps it a bit more protected from the trades.  I peddled the yak up towards some chop to see how it would handle.  It took small waves off of the bow very well but it got squirrely when the chop was from the stern.  Chop from either side was OK but still had that tippy feel to it.  So not as good on the initial stability as my previous two boats.  I saw a spot that was pushing up some clean 1 to 2 foot waves and decided to give it a try.  Once I got the wave speed matched, it was just a matter of steering with the hand controlled rudder.  I'm so used to bracing with a paddle and it kind of felt "off", but it handled well and it didn't clip sideways.

What I didn't do and should have done was a shallow water huli.  Flip overs are inevitable and not always the same on every kayak.  I'll have to put that on my to do list.

Anyway, a good run and it gave me some confidence about the new hull.

Hrs logged:

07-10-09

0700 - 1000