Anyone paddle a Mega Rapide ? Thinking of looking at used one, for sale. Thoughts? I do not know much about the builder Mega. From research, they seem to be heavy into short WW style surf kayaks. I think Mega, may have ties to Valley. But not sure. Any feedback.
Here is an old Ebay ad, that shows a Mega Rapide. The lines remind me of a cross, between a Sirius and a Nordy LV. I used to own a Sirius and currently paddle a Nordkapp LV.
Mega -some info As you said Mega has been one of the big players in surf kayaks coming out of the UK for a long time. They historically have made some great high performance and international class surf kayaks that have won many contests.
The founder/owner of the company retired a few years ago and passed the business on, I don’t know too much about who is running the company now and I have never seen one of their sea kayaks in the US. There are lots and lots of their surf kayaks around in the US, 10 years ago they were pretty popular. usually people get together an do a shipment. Savannah Kayak is also an importer, you might ask them about the sea kayaks.
Mega Rapide Yes, I have one, and would like to buy another for my wife. Mine is the 16 foot model, they also built a 17. I have owned this excellent design for 7-8 years and find it to be very balanced in trim, responding well to the skeg in all conditions. A delight to roll, fun in the surf, and very similar to my Valley Avocet RM. and much lighter. In fact the only criticism I may have is that it appears to be rather lightly constructed. However, I have no spider cracks in mine after years of use. That said, I use my Avocet if I think I might be abusive. That tank can take a beating and has held up well in class 2-light 3 white water. So yes, if it’s in good shape and has a reasonable price tag, I would go for it. FYI, I am 5’10" @ 165 lbs. contact me if you need to know more.