Gul Viper 3/2

I’ve had this suit since April, and have been wearing it right through the summer and only changed to my winter suit when the recent cold snap arrived. So I’ve gotten 6 months of the year out of it. First off, the construction is quite impressive with lots of well thought out features, the grippers at the wrists and ankles are really good at preventing flushes, and zip-over flap/collar with smooth-skin neoprene lining is also well able to keep out the flushes. The neoprene is nice and soft, and even for a summer suit it’s very easy to move in, so much so that I spent an awful lot of the summer doing open water swims in it (upto 2km, and I wasn’t holding anybody up), as I was training for a triathlon. I eventually bought a tri-suit, but the vast majority of them were really stiff and fitted badly in comparison to this suit – the tri-boys could learn a thing or 2 from Gul!! I also really liked to liquid seams, as you can see that they’re never going to let water in.
In terms of keeping me warm, zero problems – I got 6 months of the year out of my summer suit – Happy Days!! If anything, it might have been a bit too toasty on some of the very warm days, I’ve been meaning to get a new shorty for a while now, and hope to sort it out soon - Gul Profile 3/2.
If you’re going to surf all year round in Ireland, then having 2 suits is the way forward. Wearing a winter suit all year round will only mean you’ll overheat in the summer, and not feel warm enough in the depths of winter (making you less likely to get out there, and we often get great days during the winter, way more so than in summer!!).

Brendan Barry.

WaterTech Speedy:







Where to start…. Well first and foremost the Speedy lives up to its’ name, it rockets down the line and will make sections that many boats will struggle with. I’ve had mine for over 2 years and it’s been great. I’ve had it out in all sorts of conditions and it has never let the side down – pity I can’t say the same! I have surfed a meaty Crab Island in it – awesome!! and I lived to tell the tale. On a couple of those waves, I should have been creamed, but I was able to tuck in and let the boats speed carry me down the line and away from what would have been a very unpleasant beating.
The build quality is good, I have the Shocktech construction, and 2 years later it’s performing just aswell as when I got it. The fittings are good – great backband. The backband might not be adjustable on the fly, like many of the ratchet ones that freestyle boats use, but it does provide plenty of support and will never slip. The feet are your standard foam blocks, no problems here. The knee position is quite good, and the cockpit rim is shaped a little to hold your knees, not something you see in many surf-kayaks. I glued in some foam here to increase the grip available for my knees.
Performance, given that it has a relatively high volume tail and the seat is a little more in the middle than some of the newer designs, it is a boat for carrying speed down the line, and it suffers a little when it comes to seriously hard carving, so if you want air, you’ll need to be a little more thoughtful and precise in order to get it off the lip. I’ve been using close outs as ramps, and it’s best suited to slightly flatter waves but airmiles are possible. The upshot of it’s seating position is that it’s a little easier to land upright and the beatings are a little tamer, than they would if all your weight was right above the tail, as it is with most newer designs which are closer to waveskis. The bow has quite a bit of volume and this can be used to throw big forward loops, a nice way to take-off?! The Future fins it comes with are great, and the fin boxes are very solid, I’ve had no trouble with mine, despite a couple of harder than intended landings. The placement of the fins works well as they are right under the seat, and as previously stated it’s a great boat for getting down the line.

Brendan Barry