I recently trialled a Kai Wa'a Chinese made Pegasus (with super stiff construction and the new Ama and Iako's) at Hamilton Island in as many varied conditions as I could, and have this to say about why I have changed over.
Firstly, a few things i found that the Pegasus does better for me (note i said for me) than the Hurricane. I’ve paddled Hurricane for 3 years now and love it, but at 54, I have found that I’m slowly losing my short explosive strength to pull onto some critical bumps that i need to get onto, to stay competitive downwind. After trialling the Pegasus in downwind conditions i have come to the conclusion that it drops in sooner, with less effort than the Hurricane and doesn’t need to be ridden as aggressively to achieve the same result. It’s also more responsive to rudder input and also seems to glide better in small clean ocean swells. Upwind and flat water the Peggie is on par with the Hurricane. (again my opinion, from my trials)
End result is my race times should improve because I’m moving to a canoe that covers my weaknesses in the type of ocean conditions that i now race in.
Yes, i could also do explosive strength exercises or gain more downwind skills, if i was 15 years younger i would probably take that option.
I’m not loyal to any one brand, I'm just trying to minimize my race times in all possible ways, including smart, results based training and skills, as well as, canoe selection.
I think, it’s a smart equipment choice for me, that will result in faster times and more comfort in the longer races. The Hurricane will remain with me, we’re been through a lot together over the last 3 years, actually i keep all my canoes.
Time will tell if i made the right decision, I’m confident i have.
Don’t forget my decision was based on where I paddle and the ocean conditions I race mostly in. If it was a flat water decision, i would have stuck to the Hurricane.BTW i also found the Fuze to be very similar to the Peggie downwind, but the way the volume is placed in the Fuze makes it feel slightly slower in the flat, but i have not confirmed this in a "one on one" trial. FuZe is awesome for comfort though.
Different boats for different conditions for different people .... it's not an easy choice is it?
Cheers Rambo
What do other Pegasus paddlers think of the canoe, or my reasons for changing?Please comment below. Labels: oc1 review, Pegasus
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13 comments:
Hey Rambo,
Have you ever given the huki v1x a go? I'd like to hear what you have to say about it.
~Scott
fullblade.com - if you paddle, you owe it to yourself.
Hi Scott, Huki's are not available in Oz yet, but i heard they may be soon. Can't say anymore.??
Rambo
well spoke Rambo.. interesting to hear a Hurricane rider admit there are other canoes in the ocean!
good luck with your new purchase!
Thanks for your comment Roscoe, it's always good practice to know what other canoes are out there and demo them whenever they are available. Everyone can be a better paddler by being open minded and aware.
Cheers Rambo
how much for your sh*tty old hurricane bro? i can go as high as $500. ;)
She's being put out to pasture and only being paddled on Sundays. Haahaa
BTW .. How far did that "sh*tty old Hurricane" finish in front of you at Hamo???
Cheers Rambo
Rambo,
I paddled a Hurricane for the last 1.5 years and just purchased a China Pegasus.
There were 19 canoes in the shipment that arrived here. It seems whatever manufacturing difficulties they were having, have passed. My boat is rock solid, but time will tell. It feels very light and stiff. A little tight to assemble and disassemble, but that's a good thing.
Have you received yours yet? I am curious if downwind times improve for you.
Later,
Ken
Hi Ken, no I haven’t got mine yet, should be about 4 weeks away. I fully expect my downwind times to improve based on the trials I have done on other China Pegasus’s.
Other people have also emailed me confirming that this has been the case for them as well. It’s amazing what difference it can make to performance when hi tec materials are married with hi tec- manufacturing. We will all be paddling 7kg OC1 before long, if we can afford it.
Cheers Rambo
Hi Rambo
I have owned a Pegasus and i do agree with you about being a easer boat to catch bumps down hill then the Hurricane, But up hill i found that i lost more than i gained. I now own a spyder and my times are alot better on the flat and up wind and i am still trying to master the longer boat (the spyder)in the down wind runs. Over all for me and where i paddle the spyder i an overall faster boat considering all conditions.
Hi Nev, thanks for you comment. Good to see you have found a canoe that works for you, that's all that is important. Was the Pegasus you paddled a China Canoe of which there are very few in the country at the moment (approx 18 from a single shipment)? Reason i ask, there is a huge difference between the local canoe and the imported one. My decision was based on the imported one.
Cheers Rambo
Hi Rambo
Big Al here
From the first day that I got my Pegasus I could not of been happier.This was he boat that I'd tested before I'd bought one I hadn't been on anything else except an anderson. It picks up bumps real easy and is stable in all conditions.
For these reasons I looked at other brands with the same characteristics before I desided to upgrade to the Wahooo. The peg will be kept for a long long time.
Cheers
Alan
Hi Rambo
I owned a local Pegasus, and i weigh 85kg i was told that the pegasus is a very good canoe for our bigger bros 100kg+ not that it made that bigger difference to me.
Hi Rambo,
thanks for your post on the Pegasus and Hurricane. I live in Hong Kong and paddle both types of canoes Kong and find that the Pegasus catches every little bump with minimal effort plus I find it more comfy than the Hurricane over longer distances. In flatwater then yes, the Hurricane is faster. But my preference is the Pegasus - I might just duck over the border to the mainland and get me one of those new ones...
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