| OCTOBER 2007 -- TESTING THE ULTIMATE™ 12 TEGRIS | |
I've just returned from a trip into the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota. Now that is canoe country! The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness consists of more than one million acres of ancient forest and contains thousands of miles of canoe routes linked by lakes, rivers, and portages. These waterways have remained untouched by civilization, and the canoe, used by Native Americans, trappers, fur traders and explorers throughout the ages, is still a favorite means to experience them. |
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| The Boundary Waters Canoe Area seemed to me to be the ideal place to field test our new Ultimate™12 Tegris® kayak that Native Watercraft has introduced to the Paddlesports industry. The Tegris™ technology has added not only light |
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| weight but durability and strength to our already popular line of Ultimate™kayaks. The boat only weighs 34lbs. (27lbs. with the seat out) so if you have to do much portaging, its light weight is a real blessing. Tegris™ is also a material that's so strong, it is used in ballistics armor. It is built by utilizing the very latest technology, compression molded with two million pounds of pressure: there is no stronger or lighter product on the market for the price. The original patented Native Watercraft Ultimate™kayaks were designed by utilizing the best features of the Henry Rushton-type light weight canoes and the best features of a kayak. The Rushton canoes were paddled by double-bladed paddles. The paddler was seated in the bottom of the canoe instead of the traditional higher seats of the standard canoe which gave it increased stability because the center of gravity was lower. They had a lot of usable space for gear that allowed easy access and they were built of lightweight material which made portaging much easier. We incorporated the Tunnel Hull™(patent pending) to give the Ultimate™tremendous stability, and increased its ability to track well. We also designed its First Class™ seat that proved to provide the very best in seating comfort. The addition of the Tegris™ technology to the Ultimate™line has created a kayak that incorporates all of the best of both the old and the new world: a truly Ultimate™watercraft. What better area to test the Ultimate™12 Tegris™ than in an area where she could ply the waters dominated in the past by traditional canoes, and paddled through the depths of history until today by Native Americans. Ray Boshey, a tribal elder of the Chippewa tribe had agreed to go on a four day paddling adventure into the Boundary Waters. Ray was 78 years old and had only padded canoes and had never been in a kayak or used a double bladed paddle. I decided that I could not find a better field tester than a Native American elder in a Native Watercraft built with the latest innovation and technology. Ray was a little reluctant to get in the Ultimate™12 at first. However, once he got in and experienced both its stability and the comfort of the seat, he seemed to relax and settle in. We had plenty of room for camping gear and took a minimum of fishing gear because we were fishing mainly for a few fish to eat. The first day we took it easy and let Ray get familiar with his kayak. We took some time to fish, kept a couple of northern pike and a smallmouth bass for supper, and made camp early. |
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| The next day, we realized that we had to keep paddling in order to make our destination because the weather was deteriorating. In fact, we paddled all day, everyday after the first in a wide variety of water and weather conditions which included high winds, lightning storms, rain, and a dramatic drop in temperature. I realized at the end of the trip that I had not put my sun glasses on one time during the entire time. I believe in looking at the positive side of life. The good side to the trip was that we were able to test the Ultimates in just about any condition that you might encounter, and they performed even better than I expected. I was afraid that the Ultimate™12, only 12 feet long would be slow, and that it would be overly responsive because it was so light. I was pleased to see how well they tracked and how easy it was to paddle into a headwind or at one point, up river. The only water we had to bail out was paddle drip and rain. While crossing Lac La Croix which is a large body of water we encountered a storm with high winds and white capping waves. The wind at times was blowing the tops off the waves. A portion of the paddling was with the wind on the starboard beam until we could turn down wind and head for the shelter of a point of land. |
 Photo Credit: Mark Anders |
| The boats handled both tacks extremely well and even though we had only attached the bow and stern spray skirts they did a great job of keeping the water out. It is important to note that if you expect to encounter rough water conditions or excessive rain, it is important to attach your spray skirts to the Adapt-A-Trak™channel before you go out on the water: they are much easier to install on land. There is a wide selection of skirts available for different conditions. Any water that comes aboard accumulates in the bilges on either side of the tunnel and well below your seat, so you won't find yourself sitting in a puddle. The water is easily removed with a sponge. I use a natural sponge because they absorb almost twice as much water as man made sponges, and can last twice as long with proper care. Ray had never paddled a kayak or used a double bladed paddle but once he got the hang of it he never stopped. He was truly amazing for someone 78 years old. Ray was a quiet man of few words and when I asked him how he liked the kayak he simply said, "I like how easy they are to paddle, but I really like how comfortable that seat is." I said are you glad that I talked you into doing this trip and he said, "Oh yes, very glad." |
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JIMBO'S WATERLOG
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