New PaddleSports Gear for 2013
There are lots of reasons to attend OR (Outdoor Retailer). The party's non-stop from the day that you arrive, till your hangover wears off, 3 days after you leave. The
schmoozorama meter is about a 9.9/10, and the
eye candy is also pretty world class. Most importantly (slightly ahead of the eye candy,
movie premieres and free booze), all of the new 2013 gear is available for preview. Earl, Chad and crew were on hand at OR to check out the latest from our vendors. Here's a brief recap courtesy of Earl's iPhone.
Confluence (Dagger / Wavesport)
In a nutshell, both Wavesport and Dagger have completely redesigned outfitting (see photos below). Also, Dagger has a
new playboat (The Jistu), and Wavesport has a
new creeker (The Recon) and river tourer (The Ethos). Here are some sneak peaks:
The Ethos will be another option in 2013 for the river touring category.
The 2013 WaveSport Recon creek boat. Semi-displacement weapon.
Wavesport CORE Whiteout Outfitting. New for 2013
Another shot of the new Confluence Outfitting
New 2013 Dagger playboat. The jitsu has been tested all over the world, and is more than ready for prime time.
The Dagger Jitsu Outfitting.
The new Confluence bulkhead
Pyranha
Pyranha surprised us with an all new boat.
The Nano follows in the footsteps of the discontinued Ammo. It's a 68 gallon, 7'2" micro creeker / river running play machine. With design hints from The Shiva, Jed and Burn, it ought to be a fun one to paddle. Pyranha also is building the Jed in carbon fiber. Dead sexy. In addition to Connect 30 outfitting, they will also be offering Elite Outfitting. This is a higher performing design altogether.
Sexy boat. Carbon Jed.
The 2013 Pyranha Nano. 68 gallons and 7'2" of micro creeker.
The Nano hull has characteristics of the Shiva, Burn and Jed. Class IV and V downriver play.
I have always been a fan of Pyranha outfitting. This looks even better than before.
Boardworks / Badfish Stand Up Paddle
SUP is evolving quicker than Siri's vocabulary (on your iPhone). Badfish is on the forefront of inland SUP, and had some interesting (in a good way) new products, as well as some
super hot promo videos. They released the Badfisher fishing SUP. Basically, it's a
modified MCIT with a wider waist, more primary stability, and some cool fishing accessories like scotty mounts and deck bungees. They also are adding a
"SharkSkin" option to the progressive MVP downriver surfer SUP. This is a polymer layer that will enhance abrasion resistance, and encourage rock splats, and overall river shredding.
They will also be releasing a touring board later this year. If you've been to any of the Boardworks tour events this year, you've seen Mike Tavares winning races on the same design. It's fast, stable, and pivot turns on a dime.
The Boardworks Badfish Stand Up Paddle Badfisher.
The Boardworks Sirina. Think of it as a female friendly Raven with cooler colors. Chicks dig cool colors right?
Jackson Kayak
As usual, Jackson Kayak has a few new boats that are going to be quite popular.
They have an all new creek boat called the Karma. It has some similarities to The Zen (the hull), as well as the Villain. It will be offered in 2 sizes, all the way up to 96 gallons. Wow.
The All Star is back! It's a blend of the older model Star series (longer, balanced ends, faster) and the Rock Star. The goal was to create a boat that performed better than the older model All Star, and was more forgiving than the current model Rock Star. Also, they have a whole bunch of new SUP's coming out. The one that caught my attention the most was a 10' roto mold board that is very stable, and also has an emphasis on performance.
It's called The SUPercharger. Click here to see all of the new items that Jackson is launching for 2013.
New 2013 All Star. Part Rock Star, part All Star.
Stern look familiar huh? Every play boat on the river looked like that 3 years ago...
The Karma. Creek it, and run rivers in it. You can win extreme races in it too because it is really fast.
Astral Buoyancy
Astral has their new shoe line coming out in 2013. In addition, they have redesigned the Green Jacket, and added a large front pocket,
a la Sea Wolf. Also of note, CKS owner (and U of O alum) Earl Richmond, is pretty psyched on their new yellow and green color scheme. Go Ducks!!
Go Ducks! The 2013 Tempo is gonna be a hit in Eugene on the McKenzie.
New Green Jacket. The best gets better. Recognize the front pocket? The Sea Wolf has the best front pocket in the business. Now the GJ does too.
Kokatat
Kokatat also has some cool new PFD's. The Maximus Prime is the top of the line rescue vest. They will still carry the Ronin (and Pro). They also will be releasing a whole bunch of new Team Jackson colors.
The Maximus, and Maximus Prime is the new rescue (and non rescue) PFD line from Kokatat.
Legendary GORE TEX Dry Suits.
NRS
NRS also has a great new PFD. The Zen is a type V rescue vest based on the uber mobile Ninja framework. This vest will be a champ.
We love the Ninja here. It fits well, and the PRICE IS RIGHT. Besides that, NRS has some AWESOME new SUP's that they will be releasing in the very near future...
The Zen is the new NRS type V rescue PFD. At $189.95 this sucker is going to be VERY popular.
Other highlights:
John Weld. IR Owner. However much you think you know about spray skirts, this guy knows more than you. Guaranteed.
Aiden Weld. Youngest owner of a Paddlesports company.
Neoprene hoody from C4. Clever.
Last, but not least....Floating beer pong. iSUP beer pong with no copyright infringements pending...
