Epic 18X Sport - First time testing it - YouTube
Epic 18X Sport - First Time Speed Run
I only have about 4 hours total on this boat so far. I’m 5’3 and 140lbs. Its not my boat but I am doing an extended 1 week borrow (trade). Here’s some quick observations:
-Very cavernous inside. Not good for a small paddler. Need a lot of customizations to pad the inside out for a small paddler.
-Rudder system does not have a good bite so the turns are slow. Possible that I have a defective strings not pulling it all the way. Also engaging the rudder while doing my leg drive movement is difficult (for me).
-Boat tracks well in flat water. However when I hit some chops and winds, the boat kept going in another direction. It was not easy to get it to stay straight. I ended up doing so many corrective strokes.
-Boat is very fast. I was paddling 4.5mph to 5.5mph with my other kayak Zegul Greenland GT. Here I am doing 5mph to 7mph consistently in my first speed run in the Epic.
-Boat rolls ok if I can add some paddings and thigh braces.
I’m in search of a fast sea kayak. I think the Epic 18X Sport is out already but still a full week left to do a few more speed run’s.
I am 6 feet and 150 lb and the Epic 18X is way too big for me:
only fast and manageable on flat water and no wind at all, and even then it did not seem that much faster than a 14X.
That is why I bought the 14X instead, although even the 14X feels big to me.
For 5 - 6.5 mph speeds the 18 and 14X really needs to be a tiny bit bow heavy trim with only me aboard.
The rudder is not for turning but for going straight or small course corrections.
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I have several thousand miles on my 18X sport, 6’2" 200 lbs. It has the older integral rudder system. Biggest problem I have with it is the seat, replaced it. Cavernous applies to the storage bulkheads too, so to me the boat excels at extended camping trips.
Agree about the rudder. When paddling on a river around trees and such I find that I can turn a lot faster with the rudder up than with it down and slammed over hard. Reason I suspect is that it prevents the stern from sliding sideways for your turn. Weather cocking is not as strong as my other boats. Reason I suspect is the large bow sail area helps push the bow downwind. But the rudder works well enough going crosswind that I don’t have to paddle harder on one side to compensate.
The boat has no rocker but the big bow volume keeps it from submarining in waves. Nevertheless it is best on flatter water - it spins too easy going up or downwind when your stroke coincides with cockpit centered over a wave top and the bow and stern lose their grip. Diciest situation is chaotic waves from the rear.
My 18X Sport happens to be lounging in our home gym at the moment. It definitely has rocker.
I suspect that the OPs observations are a result of his mass and volume. At 5’9” and 185 pounds the boat does a lot of things well for me. Running downwind in big waves the boat surfs extremely well. Although an understern rudder would serve better than the overstern.
I’ve had the opportunity to hang with Greg for a month over a few summers. Exceptional paddler, in all conditions and waters. With his engineering background, and having designed boats as a contract product developer, he is definitely the most credentialed person in that domain when it comes to boats not destined for WW.
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I finally got the hang of using the rudder mainly for corrective steering like someone said. No complaint in the rudder anymore. I did another 2 hours of 30min intervals sprints and watching my techniques. It’s definitely a speedy beast. The start acceleration is amazing.
When I had some large confused boat wakes, it spun me 90 degree. I never had that happened on my Zegul Greenland GT handling the same boat wakes in my home harbor that I have had thousands of hours in.
This is the first time in Strava I have a > 5mph avg! Now I just need to maintain that for 2 hrs would be amazing. My Zegul Greenland GT is definitely holding me back as nothing else has changed beside the boat. Same paddle and even skirt!
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Next race I’ll bring a Falcon SM for you.
Thanks Marshall. Your tip to take the blade out 10% sooner I think helped a lot. I don’t feel as fatique in my arms but now I am rotating more and slightly faster so getting fatique in different ways but getting faster!!
Epic 18X Sport - 2nd day speed run - 5.4mph
Hit my highest sustained avg of 5.4mph although only in a short 2 mile sprint in flat waters too.
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