Barracuda racing and training kayaks
These kayaks are described below for their features as they are related to training and racing. These boats are designed for high performance but they're also made to be versatile with comfortable recreational paddling in mind. If you're interested to see how these kayaks work as a recreational kayaks click below.
Beachcomber
First time paddling in the Coast to coast? This is likely the kayak for you. With stability, comfort, and manoeuvrability in mind during design, the Beachcomber is a great kayak for making your way quickly down the Waimakariri river for the first time.
The beachcomber, like all our kayaks, is made with durable thermoplastic to keep you safe in the hull over any bumps you may encounter.
Whilst this boat is popular with recreational paddlers it also stands up to the task of coast to coast with many multisport athletes using it as their kayak to get them to the finish line.
Enigma
With sea kayaks becoming more popular in the Coast to Coast the Enigma is the Barracuda kayak created to suit the needs of recreational racers. Great for recreational paddling and training the Enigma is primed to perform well on race day too.
If you’re planning on taking part in the Coast to Coast and will be training on the sea the Enigma is the clear choice. Compared to traditional multi-sporting kayaks the Enigma is a much safer option when paddling on the sea.
The Enigma follows the lead of the
Beachcomber as a sea kayak suitable for competitive racing but is made longer and slightly narrower with less rocker allowing it to move through the water more quickly.
Interface
The interface is another sea kayak that is available in different volumes to accommodate a wide range of paddler weights (see below).
The interface is stable and consistent in choppy water which makes it great for training and race day. The interface is responsive and allows paddlers to maintain a good pace all day.
Low volume: 50- 70kg
Medium volume: 70- 85kg
High volume: 85- 110kg
Waimak
The Waimak is a good stable intermediate kayak designed to be comfortable as the Coast to Coast isn’t the shortest paddling stage.
A typical Waimak paddler will have been paddling rivers for at least 1 year, or perhaps this is their second or third Coast to Coast.
The Waimak is a racing kayak so it has none of the hatches, bungee holders and fittings of our sea kayaks, which makes it even lighter. The weight of the vacuum plastic Waimak, is about the same 15 to 16 kgs as a typical intermediate fibreglass boat.
There’s a lot of innovation gone into the Waimak. And it’s obvious from it’s eye-catching radical curves that we’ve been thinking outside the square. Knowing the river so intimately and the challenges that the river presents to paddlers, we’ve made sure the boat is extra-responsive for the bluff rapids, and that it runs fast in the shallow braids.
The icing on the cake is that it had to be extremely comfortable for the hours that we spend seated in it for the race, so of course it comes standard with a Bumfortable seat.