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To learn what the Xcite is able to I chose a day with minor wind and paddled with 2 GPS-'s on my deck.
First warming up at a moderate pace of 6-7 km/h
Then we changed speed and tried several speedblocks.
This is what I found:
- Relaxed pace: 4-7 km/h
- Normal pace for touring: 7-8 km/h
- Exercise- or workout pace: 8-9 (-10) km/h to maintain for an hour or so (10km/h only for strong paddlers)
- Maximum speed: 11,5 km/h (may be a stronger paddler gets 12km/h out of her)
The estimated maximum "hull-speed" is somewhere between 9-10 km/h. Above that speed you need excessive more power to come above 10 km/h.
Of course wind will influence these figures in a positive or negative way.
Summarizing, I think that the Xcite has a very normal cruising speed. She is NOT slow and not extremely fast.
To my opinion the Xcite is a very good compromise between speed and her other characteristics.
An interesting experiment was a sprint in very shallow water. Normally it feels there if the kayak sticks to the water. Trying to sprint there (just for a joke) it was much faster than I expected: I reached 11 km/h and it feels like the kayak was planing.
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Today we paddled on the IJselmeer because the tides didn't allow a trip at sea in daylight. Beside this the weather-predictions were quite unstable, not allowing us for a trip to Noorderhaaks f.i.
So we started in Uitdam for a 10 km crossing to the other side: Block van Kuffeler.
Conditions were ideal for summer-lovers, but not for testers: 2bft, sunny and too warm for a drysuite.
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Er zijn verschillende redenen waarom je (doordeweeks) zou willen gaan varen. Je zou aan je conditie willen werken. Of je hebt niets anders te doen. Of je wilt de werksfeer even ontlopen en neemt een dag vrij. Of je wilt jezelf eens verwennen. Waarschijnlijk kan je deze opsomming nog aanzienlijk uitbreiden.
Toen Jos mij belde met de mededeling dat hij vrijdag vrij had genomen en of ik in was voor een tochtje, zal het een combinatie van verschillende van de genoemde factoren zijn geweest. Ik ben altijd wel in voor een tochtje en die vrijdag waren er geen andere plannen, dus we waren het snel eens.
Aangezien het getij ongunstig was voor een waddentocht en de weersvoorspellingen wat te onbestendig voor de Razende Bol, kozen we het IJsselmeer als decor voor ons tochtje.
Alhoewel we om 9 uur afspraken op de loods, koste het ons toch een halve dag om te water te geraken. Eerst moesten we bij mij thuis nog de waterkaart ophalen die ik was vergeten. Vervolgens reden we een toeristische route langs Jisp en Neck. Daar deden we lang over want onderweg zagen we allerlei gevogelte dat onze aandacht trok. Het leukste was dat we een aantal Kemphanen mochten begluren.
Jos wist goed de weg in de omgeving van Purmerend en loodste ons helemaal binnendoor naar Uitdam waar we op het terrein van de camping konden starten na betaling van parkeergeld op het terrein. Alhoewel ze daar de kustlijn aan het verbouwen waren deerde dat ons niet want de zon scheen volop en het leek wel zomer. OP een strandje stond een picknickbank; zie daar een mooie gelegenheid om mijn eerste ooit eigengebakken gebakken appeltaart te consumeren.
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Today you can't really call the conditions suitable for testing. It was real nice weather. Sunny and only 2-3bft wind from the north: a present !. But as we were in the mood for paddling, I paddled the Xcite.
Starting at Wijk aan Zee we paddled to the south, crossing the piers of IJmuiden, having a break at a restaurant before turning back.
Of course there were almost no waves and than it is interesting to see that the Xcite needs the skeg to be a bit lowered for weathercocking. I think that weathercocking is a good quality for a seakayak because this makes a kayak less sensitive to leecocking. So the Xcite weathercocks a bit, which is OK. But it is interessting that when the Xcite is paddling what she is designed for, paddling waves, you almost never need the skeg. Just because of her maneuverability.
On our way back we did some rockhopping along the piers behind a few big concrete blocks. Maneuverability is a nice qualkity than.
This is also a good spot for some exercises again. I liked to check the stability again; after the re-entry having rolled up.
Well, the result of the exercises was:
High brace: very easy
Rolling: very supple
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Today we started paddling at Castricum aan Zee for a tour along the coast to Egmond. No challenging conditions (NW 3-4bft) but a lively sea, which was a good scenery for safety-exercises.
First we paddled against the current and diagonally against the waves. Just like I noted on earlier trips the Xcite splashes a bit after passing waves; more than the accompanying Mariners and Explorer cutting more through waves. But as explained earlier the Xcite is designed to suppress the waves in the tidal races around Wales: real "thick water" over there. The Xcite almost never got water on the foredeck today while the other accompanying kayaks frequently dove deep enough to have water on the deck.
While the Mariners needed their skeg, I paddle the Xcite without using the skeg: she paddles so lively that she keeps her course with the greatest of ease.
During a short break at sea I lent back, hands folded, for a while observing the stability. The kayak turned parallel to the waves by itself, as most kayaks do, and I bobbed without problems on the waves. Great stability.
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To test a kayak it is important to paddle her in different conditions. The weather is however a matter of luck: I mean that mankind does not have influence there. But today I was lucky. We went to the Noorderhaaks (a sandbank near Den Helder) an area known for the heavy conditions you can meet there. Today's conditions were: a WSW 4-5bft wind and a big swell from the north; the remnant of a storm somewhere on the ocean.
This resulted in a very choppy sea with cresting waves, especially on the north-side of the sandbank.
Crossing the Marsdiep, having departed from Den Helder, we met the first serious waves at the beginning of the Molengat. The Xcite rides this short steep waves splashing down after every wave. The accompanying Xplore did the same thing while the accompanying North Shore Mariner cuts the waves without so much splashing. But while the Xcite stayed more on the surface without water on the foredeck, the Marines often dives a bit getting water on the deck.
The designers of the Xcite designed her for the heavy seas near Wales and this means more volume in the bow. This is about making choices and every choice is a compromise. As a result the Xcite will splash more. But in this seas we paddled now I felt completely at home: the Xcite listening to every paddlestroke and hip-movement without delay.
Paddling against the wind and waves the Xcite did not show signs of leecocking nor weathercocking. The kayak is maneuverable enough to correct her course between waves.
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Today my kayakclub KVU planned a tour around the "island" Marken. Starting at the end of the dike connecting the island to the mainland, we paddled before the wind. The waves were a bit disturbed but now and then a nice surfable wave came by. With the skeg lowered to maximum depth it was no problem to keep course. However it was necessary to stay alert en react quickly on waves to maintain course. But I can tell that these conditions a difficult for a beginner in what-so-ever seakayak.
But in the hands of an experienced kayakker keeping course should be no problem at all in this maneuverable kayak.
Nearing the lighthouse " 't Paard" the waves were a bit higher and the Xcite just dances over them. It is really a lively kayak in which you can feel united with kayak and waves.
IN these waves U exercised turning away from the wind as well as turning into the wind. I used edging plus sweepstrokes for this and had no difficulties: the kayak just responded very well. I mean there was NO obvious point where the kayak refused to turn (something which happens with some kayaks when parallel to the waves).
When the wind came from left the Xcite weathercocked only slightly. I could easily tune the kayak with the variable skeg for this.
Although: without using the skeg it was also easy to keep course with this maneuverable kayak on these short, irregular waves.
We paddled also a track against the waves and I did not notice any significant leecocking. But I must say that leecocking most of the time only occurs in stronger winds than today's.
Highlights of today: lively, maneuverable and stable seekayak.
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Today I visited the seakayak-demo-day by NDK and kanoshop.nl.
For me this was an interesting event to compare Tiderace and NDK; two kayak brands sharing some roots.
But what I want to write about now is the Xcite, which I am currently testing.
My testkayak is one of Wieger's kayaks; which he is so kind to lend me for testing.
What I learned today is that the testkayak is produced by Plastex in Poland, whereas the newest Tiderace kayaks are produced in Thailand.
Although this has no effect on the kayakdesign, there are differences in the cockpit.
The differences between the newest Xcite, I saw yesterday, and the Xcite from Poland are:
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Finally, after having completed the test, I would like to mention a few technical issues
Dimensions:
Length 5,48 m
Width 55,9 cm
Depth: 28.6 cm
Storage capacity: bow-compartment 87 litres, stern-compartment 119 litres
Weight: 19,1 kg; for the performance version
Capacity: 173 kg
More details can be found at www.epickayaks.org
Design
The 18XS has a design that is basically equal to the 18X and 16X:
- long waterline for creating a fast vessel,
- sharp bow which has still a lot of volume (more volume than the 18X)
- a wide, flat aftship
- the deck, in front of the cockpit, has cutaways making an efficient, fast paddlestroke possible.
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I paddled the Xcite before on the Alkmaardermeer, a few months ago. Today was the second trip, at sea this time. Unfortunately or luckily, it depends how you look at it, the weather was very quiet with a 2-3 bft SW wind.
