Submitted: 05-04-2001 by Michael Furtado
Billed as an "Extra Fast Tourer" (EFT), this is West Side's most versatile racing type boat. Comparatively stable at 20" beam, the boat is great fun in rough seas or class II/III white water. The boat has a lot of rocker and can turn on a dime with the rudder retracted. With a rear bulkhead and hatch, the boat carries enough for weekend camping. With the beam and rocker, lighter paddlers may find the boat hard to control: At 230# and with a longer than standard rudder, I have a riot surfing and sprinting. My only complaint is that the boat is over 19', and therefore fits into the HPK racing class. If it were 18' long it would be a FSK, which is really where it belongs. Reasonably priced in Kevlar and Carbon, the boat is very light. |