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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
