Bryan Kirk has been with Team Wave Sport for as long as I can remember. He's one of the most well rounded paddlers in the world, and a large part of the reason that the
Wave Sport Mobius was invented. Not only does he push the limits of what's possible in a creek boat, he also shreds in a play boat. He's a huge asset for the Wave Sport design team because of his skill set. He's also one of the key players in regards to the launch of the 2013 Wave Sport Mobius - the latest freestyle specific weapon from Confluence.
Specs:
1.)Is the Mobius a brand new design? It is not a modification of any other boat right?
The Mobius is a totally new design, started from scratch. Inspired by our new lead designer, Hans Nutz, we wanted to take an entirely different direction with the boat.
2.) What are the highlights of the design (edges, hull, rocker profile, tail, bow, volume distribution, etc)? Does it have any unique features?
The Mobius has
volume distribution like no other kayak. It packs in a whopping
57 gallons into a 5'8" hull, with the perfect
wedge-like shape for massive air for loops. We've exploited the fact that
volume close to the cockpit area is really easy to throw around and initiate - and we've taken this concept to the extreme with the Mobius. The hull also features the
fastest speed on waves amongst any playboat under 6 feet. In fact, the Mobius is faster than many boats on waves that are close to 7 feet long, thanks to an
ultra-smooth rocker profile. It really needs to be experienced to be believed.
The wedge shaped bow helps the boat pop out of the water quicker. The Mobius is also very easy to initiate, which helps beginners learn to get vertical, and expert paddlers and tweak out their combos.
The smooth continuous rocker profile results in a boat that is very fast for being WELL under 6' long. It also is able to release predictably.
The bow is able to initiate very easily (there is even a bit of volume scooped out of the sides) and predictably. The mass of volume near the cockpit creates huge lift when immersed in the water.
3.) How will the Mobius be for hole moves, and what about waves? How does it do in low volume features, and what about high volume freestyle?
The high volume wedge shape, and stubbed end will cause you to hit the bottom of low water features a lot less than in other boats.
The high volume and wedge shape makes the Mobius go huge for hole tricks, and stay
super retentive at the same time. You'll also be tagging the bottom in shallow holes a lot less.
On waves the boat simply flies - both in speed and in bounce. We did most of our testing in West Virginia, which offers countless small playspots on the Gauley and some of the biggest surf waves on the planet. We paddled many prototype hulls until we felt we had a boat with no compromises.
4.) How's the Mobius do for downriver freestyle? Does it run rivers reasonably well? Is it predictable?
The high volume of the Mobius allows it to pop off the bow for mach moves, and explode of the stern for kickflips. As a bonus, the voluminous ends also stay up on the surface quite well in big Gauley-style rapids.
5.)Who designed the boat? Who else helped out with this project?
Hans Nutz is the main designer, with input from Team Wave Sport athletes in both Europe and North America.
6) How would the Mobius compare to the Jitsu? What about the Project X?
The Mobius has a lot more volume packed into a shorter shape than either of these 2 designs, which leads to bigger air and better retentiveness. No other boat under 6' on the planet come close to the hull speed of the Mobius.
7.) How does it stack up to other freestyle boats out there like the Rock Star and All Star?
The Mobius will trump both these designs similarly to the last 2 that I compared based on the volume we packed in there. The Mobius has top-notch speed and looseness, with chines that are equally forgiving as these two designs.
