I’ve been paddling the Large Storm for a bit now, so I thought I’d share my thoughts…
Whilst I’m excited to get the Storm on some bigger waves, for me, it’s going to be about opening up options on the small waves – it’s super loose and easy to spin, and whilst I can tailee it happily, it’s on a wave that it shines. I’ve not been a fan of short half slices in the past, preferring the speed of the longer options, but I’m hooked on this boat! Spinning and grinding on the local waves I can normally only front-surf, is a game-changer.
Definitely the perfect boat for my local rivers of the Kent and Leven. Surprisingly, it feels stable and predictable, almost creekboat-like, dropping through Backbarrow and the big weirs on the Leven, and through the drops on the Kent, it skips out really well. Looking at the square side wall profile, I was expecting powerflips and wipeouts, but it’s been surprisingly forgiving, and it’s bugging me that I can’t work out why!
It’s different to tailee from my Large Ripper 2, needing a more dynamic unwind to get the shorter, wider stern under, but as I get used to that, the shorter back end opens up new tailying spots I would have previously hit the bottom on.
Last, but by definition, not least, it’s a Large! and a proper ‘Large’, not a medium-large. At 95kg, with a split paddle and kit bag in, it sits high and would happily fit a much heavier paddler. At 175cm I’ve got the footrest nearly all the way up, and even with boots on there’s still loads of room!
Ian Adey
kineticpaddlesports.co.uk