The ‘What kayak should you learn in?’ question is one that comes around again and again. It’s been great to see half slice boats making a resurgence, and from a coach’s point of view, I see more people back learning on Grade 2-3, getting their technique and skills dialled in, rather than relying on a big creek boat to survive an early push into Grade 4, where the consequence of a missed roll or line tends to be less forgiving.
But is a performance half-slice with sharp edges the way to go for every paddler? While some people benefit from being ‘cuddled’ down the river in a creek boat, this can slow down the learning curve and, for those not venturing into steeper drops, give dull feedback to the paddler.
I’ve been looking to add more boats to the Kinetic Paddlesports hire fleet alongside the ReactRs and was intrigued by how the new InaZones would fit clients and whether they would bridge the half-slice/creekboat gap.
It does look like the old InaZone from the late 90s, but this isn’t a boat for tricks like its predecessor was. The new InaZone is bigger, faster, more forgiving, but just edgy enough to give good feedback.
I’ve had both sizes for a while now, and clients have used them for ‘Intro to Whitewater’ and ‘Paddlesport Instructor’ courses through to some Intermediate coaching days, and I’ve paddled the medium-large on the River Eden and Leven, and I can fit into the small-medium. Whilst they might not fit anyone really small or anyone really large, these two sizes fit the majority of people really well, and from a fleet perspective, the sizing is spot on with the 2 sizes covering everyone so far.
They are notably fast on flatwater and super fast surfing, making small flushy waves easy to stay on (and let’s face it, we have plenty of these in the UK!).
On steeper waves, the InaZone keeps you on your toes, making you move the boat to keep the nose high and certainly rewards good technique for keeping the front dry. The volume at the back and the peaked deck shed water and stop it from backlooping.
They track really well in a straight line, allowing people time to set up moves without spinning out, which is great for building good technique. The conservative (by modern standards) rocker profile suits grade 2/3 well, rather than the foot of rocker suited to grade 4/5, which we have all become so accustomed to paddling. This also means there isn’t an auto-boof button in an InaZone; you will have to work to boof it and learn properly. But if you miss the move, the volume and shape of the back deck of the boat push you forward and away from the hole rather than backlooping.
The trend towards half-slice boats gives extremely blunt feedback for those learning, which suits some people who learn quickly and don’t mind rolling frequently, but this InaZone gives feedback in a more subtle way. It will let you know quicker than a creekboat, with a warning wobble but not a half-slice style ‘wathunk’ when you catch an edge.
On flat-water Instructor Training courses, the boat has been a favourite choice for participants. The lower-deck profile makes a really easy platform to rescue boats from, and the secondary stability gives confidence to reach out away from the boat.
The new InaZone comes with two different outfitting specifications, I’ve been paddling the more affordable ‘Element’ spec and it does the job perfectly well with plenty of connection to the boat and quick to adjust outfitting, which is also lighter than the ‘Elite’ spec found in ReactR and Storm, and I reckon it is the way to go for fleet or club boats, and those looking to save money or weight carrying or loading a boat.
The new InaZone is a great boat for learning and for anyone who loves fun on grade 2/3, and is certainly a new addition to the Kinetic Paddlesport fleet.