Fluid Kayaks - Team Blog

With 2012 having arrived, there are some new and exciting developments coming with Fluid kayaks. The Bazooka is the new creek boat and will replace the long time proven creek boat (and in my opinion one of the best creek boat designs of all time), the Solo. So, after exclusively creeking in the Solo since 2005, I must admit that a replacement made me a little nervous. Like Mary Poppins, the Solo is practically perfect in every way. In early September, I had the fortune of getting to paddle the Bazooka prototype full time. So, after logging many miles in the boat, I am pleased to say that Celliers has fixed any minor imperfections the Solo may have had. He has eliminated the word, "practically," and has gone straight to perfect. So, at this point in time, reader, you may ask yourself, "Did Bobby just make the claim that I think he did? DId he just say that the Bazooka is the perfect creekboat? Oh no, he didn't! Don't go there!" Well, I just did it! I WENT THERE! Fluid Kayaks has created the perfect creekboat and it is called the Bazooka! The day after I got the boat, I headed to the Delaware Water Gap, an area know for SIK creekboating and big waterfalls. On this day, we decided to run Adams Creek, the most difficult and dangerous of the creeks in the area. The run features awesome slides and drops throughout but the final gorge is where the real SIK drops are. There are four major waterfall drops in a quarter mile, dropping over 100 feet total. The first one goes into a hole, pinches through a tight boat width slot and goes off a 10-12 drop onto a slide next to the wall. I punched right through the approach hole and was surprised at the speed I carried through the hole. Being used to the slower Solo, I didn't expect to shoot through the hole as quickly as I did. I ended up hitting the right wall and had to scramble to get back through the slot without getting pulled into the hole. Once through the slot, I launched a nice boof off the falls and landed cleanly on the slide. The next drop featured a steep 8-10 foot cascade that led directly into a 20 foot waterfall. There was a tree sticking out from the right bank so it was imperative to be in the middle and it was also important to keep your bow up due to the uncertain depth of the pool. I came flying down the slide and took a light stroke to avoid getting launched way out and l entered the pool smoothly at a 45 degree angle. A simple 10 foot sloping ledge carried us to the last drop of the gorge. Here the creek goes over a 6 foot ledge that lands directly on the lip of a 20 foot waterfall. I was worried about my stern catching the lip of the falls if I launched off the top ledge so I floated off the 6 footer. This allowed my bow to skip off the lip of the falls, which launched me out. I landed flat at the bottom and it was definitely a solid hit. I was also really excited by the performance of the Bazooka. The initial impressions of the boat were that it is definitely faster than a Solo, is more stable, and boofs nicely. The boat overall would take some getting used to since the boat has a different feel than the Solo. The deck is higher than the Solo so the paddle strokes need to be higher and this creates a slightly different launch point with your propelling stroke. Over the passing months, I really put the boat through its paces, testing it on all of the Mid-Atlantic area classic runs. I tried it in a variety of situations, I launched huge boofs off the waterfalls at Great Falls of the Potomac and on the Big Sandy. I took it down bouldery runs with tight slots and precise boofs such as the Upper Blackwater. I ran cascades such as Swallow Falls on the Top Yough and punched through big holes in rapids like Railroad Cut Falls on Wills Creek. Initially, I found the stern especially tricky to get used to. I found my unfamiliarity with the stern edge would occasionally catch me off guard. The Solo has a very forgiving stern and the edge of the Bazooka is definitely less forgiving. However, I could tell right away that the stern gave me a great ability to carve my turns in a way that the Solo can't. As I started to get used to carving with the stern, I really started to like the boat, a lot. My lines got cleaner and I noticed that, with a tilt of the edge, the boat shoots in the direction you want to go. I feel like I get to know the boat a little better each time I get out and my paddling has climbed to new heights. This boat has really impressed me and I can't imagine creeking in anything else. The boat and I now have become one and I know that the sky is the limit for what I can accomplish in this boat. I can't say enough good things about the Bazooka! I am very excited for the production model to be available! The boat is fast for its size and boofs extremely well. The stability allows you to feel confident when cranking into a boof stroke or even just while running tight rapids. The edge in the stern allows the boat to carve extremely well when put on edge. This boat is a performer and really will rocket in the direction that you tilt the edge. The edge is rounded off near the bow so you don't get tripped up in shallow water or when going for a boof. For fans of the Solo (or similar soft edge creek boat desgns), the boat will instantly be faster and more responsive but the stern edge will take a little time to get used to. For fans of the Detox (or similar hard edge designs), you will instantly notice that the boat is more forgiving but still is very high performance. I think that Fluid has hit the mark of creating a spectacular creek boat that is forgiving yet is great at carving a turn with the Bazooka and this design will make any creek boater who tries it a believer. Thanks, Celliers, for designing this new and exciting boat, which I know will be a leader in the creek boat world!