Voyager Adventure Racing Kayak
Imagine this eighteen years after taking delivery.
Part of an email received from Steve Gurney – March 27th 2018
Jeff Mitchell in the bow. Teak Seagate wins! This from the days before the Southern Traverse – lost it way.
The Voyager is a fully blown sea kayak that comes with Humps©, Sidetanks©, Real hatches, Decklines and a fully retracting rudder. The hull complies with the Southern Traverse Race 550mm waterline beam rule. – but – Never ever mention this to Jane Martin
The “Greenlander” bow provides dynamic lift when the boat strikes a wave, thus providing a lifting action to keep the bow paddler drier and paddling harder. The hull design of the Voyager carries its wide load-carrying water plane over a greater area to enhance the response to changing water surface conditions. The Humps© allow the stern paddler to keep the feet in the normal straight-up orientation allowing a much stronger paddling position. The deckline tubes and Sidetanks© add strength and stiffness to the Voyager so that it rams “shudderless” through large waves.
A ‘light-fast’ double from elsewhere. Serious leg injuries sustained. The reason the Voyager has Side-Tanks (girders).
The Real hatches keep the pressure tested compartments dry at all times. The Voyager is the first kayak in the world to come fitted standard with Steve Gurney’s great Bumfortible foam seats.
The Voyager is a real boat made the real way. Our boats are built tough. Instead of making the Voyager super light we specify a construction that is strong enough to do the job. Why race a 26kg boat when the race rules say that the boats must weigh 50kg?????!!!
Glass or Kevlar construction? You choose. The Kevlar Voyager option is not specified to be much lighter in weight than the Glass. The Kevlar option is aimed at super strength that most people will never use. The Glass option is specified to be strong enough to do the job. Because the Kevlar lay-up is using the Kevlar for added strength (rather than lighter weight) – it is bombproof strong! At the end of the day it is your choice. The year 2000 Southern Traverse winners the Propellor Heads had a bet both ways. Nathan’s boat is Glass and Steve’s boat is Kevlar. During their race there was no reported difference it boat performance. But then – they have the experience to avoid tree (or rock) wraps in midstream. If you do wrap (fold) a Voyager – chances are a Kevlar one may unfold, tape up and finish the race. A wrapped Glass Voyager will come home in two pieces. Your choice!
Nathan recently attempted a big surf ‘breakout’ off a small Banks Peninsular beach that resulted in a backwards loop onto the rocks at one end of the beach. The damage sustained to his Glass Voyager – massive gelcoat scratches and a bent rudder blade. Zero structural repairs needed. The Glass Voyagers are proven tough.
Team Seagate winning the Southern Traverse in the days when it had not degraded into a kayak sprint
Only eleven teams (56 started) finished the 2000 Discovery Southern Traverse Race. Our Voyager customers placed 1st, 3rd and 7th. The feedback from these happy customers is very strong and positive. “We like our boats” is one comment that really says it all. Subsequent feedback from our customers indicates that they are getting regular recreational pleasure from their Voyagers. Steve Gurney is at present writing a column on his findings on the sea…………..It’s all good!
Some unsolicitored quotes:-
Jeff Mitchell – “You have another good boat there! Quick on the flat water of Lake Coleridge which we were first across after the group started together on the second day. I was in the front of one, really nice to paddle. It felt like a racing boat as it was going so cleanly through the water. Stable, quick, appears really solid, and looks damn good. It is on my shopping list for later!”
Nathan Fa’avae – “Left the JKK boats in our dust”
Steve Gurney – “Three Voyagers went cruising to Ripapa Island two nights ago. A stiff Easterly blew up for our return, so I got out the kite. YEEEEEEEHHHHHHHAAAAR! Ian and I were launching off waves, skipping past the others having the time of our lives! What a blast! Nice boats thanks Giro (my nickname), they handle the rough and tumble really well. Lisa and I took it fishing to Motunau Beach. We caught 9 Blue Cod. Lisa and I are just about to out for an hour or so now. That makes it 5 days in a row in the Voyager.”
Jim Davidson – “We love our boats”
Ian Adamson – “The boats went really well, and we did our best to destroy them! John managed to pile into a cliff doing 15 knots on the Rakaia, and only succeeded in making a 10cm crack in the nose! Mike and I went over a 1 metre drop and seesawed for a minute or so over the lip before plunging down into the river. We didn’t notice the boat flex even a mm”
Posted in: Multisport Racing Kayaks
