Tiderace xcite S

Yup.
I’ve paddled just about all of the Tiderace boats. I like the looks of their boats a lot and they do seem well built, but my initial impressions were not up to my expectations. I didn’t care much for the seat and the top speed seemed to be limited by premature stern squat. Their handling aspects seemed to be their strong suit. No doubt they would be good in textured conditions.

Tiderace xcite S
So the TR xcite S is comparable to other 16’ for

speed. I just sold a NDK greenlander and wanted something a bit looser and more playful. I’ve owned

a avocet in the past but wanted to try something

differnent and was thinking tiderace, at 5’9" 155lbs

the xcite s was the one I was eye balling. The main

reason I sold the avocet was on flatter water it felt

kinda slow. Another boat that might be a good all

rounder was the Cetus LV, I have a demo setup to

paddle Cetus LV in a week from now and see how that

goes. Being in southern Ontario it’s hard to find

tiderace boats to demo, would have to drive 4-5 hrs

to demo one.

.
Try to get some seat time in SKUK Pilgrim Expedition

seat position
Moving the seat forward .5-1 inch will loosen the hull tracking.

They are not a fast boat compared to some of the other models like the xplore-s but not a dog either. I’ve done 25 mile day paddles with a partner who was in one.

Objective test
When my wife was in the market for a new boat, one issue was efficiency.

We compared the Tiderace Xcite S, the Avocet LV, and the Pilgrim Expedition.

I say “we”, because in addition to personal response to fit, comfort, and handling (subjective), there was also extensive playing around with heart rate monitor and a GPS. I will add that, as a reformed kayak racer, I have many years experience using the test protocol.

No surprise, the difference up to 3.5kn was…no difference. But at 4kn, the Xcite S consistently had superior efficiency (less effort).



Back to the subjective, my opinion is different than others regarding the tracking. I find all Tiderace kayaks noticeably “looser” than comparable model from NDK. They do exhibit more weatherhelm behavior as well.

Compared to an Avocet, I can say that the Xcite (not the S) feels far more efficient at higher speeds, but interestingly enough will accelerate better. The response to stern rudder strokes seems similar.

Tiderace xcite S

– Last Updated: Aug-13-12 11:33 PM EST –

So the xcite S feels more efficient when pushed
compared to avocet lv or pilgram ex. I do alot
of solo paddling and was wondering if the xite s
would be efficient enough covering ground when I needed to.
I always ended up selling my smaller 16'boats because
they felt slow or hit a wall speed wise compared
to a longer boat like an aquanaut or greenlander I owned and sold(both a little big)
and was hoping the tiderace xcite s might fall in
between them for any flat water day paddles or touring. I might be better off with a cetus LV because
of extra hull lenght but still have some playfulness.
What raised interested in tiderace was that the hulls
water lines were maximized for speed and the xcite s
rolls really, really good. I have a tahe greenland OC
for rolling and day paddles as well and wanted a really all good around boat that you could do anything with but has a reasonable cruise speed for covering
distance.

Have you considered
A 17’-2" NC. In the Lt. version, they are very light, fast and stable. The handling might not be as quick as a comparable Tiderace, but the NC will spoil you when you get it in the big stuff, or for that matter on flat water if you want to cover some miles. And they’re American made.

NC? what is a NC kayak?
Just curious.

re:nc
Novus Composites, IIRC. I think they’re a ‘direct-order’ company, i.e. no dealers, and probably no ‘try before you buy’.



From what I remember, they tend to make very straight-tracking boats that don’t turn very well.

cetus LV
I you’re going to look at the Cetus, try the Xplore-S: very fast, easy to maneuver, great fit, and the center hatch design is much better than on the Cetus. I have an Xplore M, and love it.

Xplore S
Had alot of people recommond a xplore s, so I went

and bought one! Thx

congrats!
that’s a fine pick given your priorities.



Late to this thread (good discussion, too) but have paddled all three of the boats which were in play earlier (Avocet LV, Tiderace XciteS and Pilgrim).



They’re much more alike to each other than different. All pleasant to paddle, mobile and fun, great for rolling and other skills… but none of them would have given you the speed over distance you were after, esp as a former owner of the NDK Greenlander and Greenlander Prol



That would be asking a lot of any highly rockered British style seakayak in the 16 foot range. It’s just not where they excel.



I agree w. suiram that the Pilgrim Expedition, and the Tiderace ExploreS would be significantly more interesting to you, and you picked the latter. Many happy miles in your new boat…






re: Xplore S
So Jay, what do you think of the Xplore S so far?


Xplore S
Still has to be picked up! I did the one thing you

shouldn’t and bought without a demo.

There is no way…
…you’re not gonna love this boat.

tell us how it is once you paddle it

Feedback
I’ll post after a couple of paddles with new boat.

One question
Congratulations on your new boat, Jay. Maybe you can satisfy a question I have about the Xplore. When I demo paddled it, I noticed that unlike the other Tiderace boats I paddled, the Xplore seemed to have a much more vague secondary. I didn’t have the time nor the desire to end up swimming, so I’m curious to know what you think.

I’ll try to answer, but ymmv…
I have paddled the Tiderace Xcite, Xcite S, and Xplore S.



Yes, I did feel the the Xplore S had rather vague secondary stability when compared to the other two Tiderace boats and my own Cetus LV. If I had to chose a Tiderace model it would be the Xcite, but honestly I’m about 25 pounds to light for it.

You can try an NC with us . . .
We are an NC Kayaks affiliate located in midcoast Maine and offer the opportunity to test paddle their boats.



Yes, the NC 17 is fast, light, and a straight tracker. The NC 15 has a looser, more playful feel. Both feel very secure in chop and waves. www.touringkayaks.com