I tried both the Fuze and the Vantage a couple weeks ago. My personal opinion is that I liked the Vantage a little better. It seems a little quicker in the flats and surfs really good. I feel the Fuze is a little more comfortable but for some reason, it seemed to have a little drag. Don't get me wrong, I do sprints with wahines 3 times a week and they kill in the ocean. I can't figure if it was just a bad day physically for me or something with the boat. All in all, I'd prefer the Vantage over the Fuze with my experiance. I'd like to try out the Fuze again though.........it's a really nice rig.
I have also tried both the Fuze and Vantage. They both have their pros and cons but both boats surf really well! The Fuze is very comfortable and with it's extra volume in the nose it doesn't bury that much on a good surfing day. Both boats are very manuvarable in the surf. The Vantage seems to excellerate quicker in the flats though. And then there the craftmanship. Personally I feel that Karel make sturdier boat, but that's just my opinion. I guess it depends on what you want out of a boat, a better surfing boat or a better flat water boat. If it's a flat water boat nothing seems to be faster than the Hurricane. If it a surfing boat you want they both are really good. You just have to try them both and see which one works for you. Hope this helps.
I've always wanted to try the Fuze. Craftsmanship looks superb as always. The favorable reviews of the Vantage in the flats as compared to the Fuze comes as a surprise. The Fuze appears to have less rocker than the Vantage so I would have thought that the Fuze would be a better performer in the flats. I guess the rocker and other factors like water line and volume play a factor here. IMO, the Vantage can't come close to the Hurricane in the flats and small stuff. But then again, I've already come to the realization that you can build a boat to excel in a particular condition but you can't build a canoe to excel in all conditions. The best you can do is build a boat that's "pretty good" in all conditions. One of these days, I'll have to try the Fuze and add my input here.
I tried both the Fuze and the Vantage a couple weeks ago. My personal opinion is that I liked the Vantage a little better. It seems a little quicker in the flats and surfs really good. I feel the Fuze is a little more comfortable but for some reason, it seemed to have a little drag. Don't get me wrong, I do sprints with wahines 3 times a week and they kill in the ocean. I can't figure if it was just a bad day physically for me or something with the boat. All in all, I'd prefer the Vantage over the Fuze with my experiance. I'd like to try out the Fuze again though.........it's a really nice rig.
Alohas!
#1 Mon, 04/25/2005 - 10:41pm
I have also tried both the Fuze and Vantage. They both have their pros and cons but both boats surf really well! The Fuze is very comfortable and with it's extra volume in the nose it doesn't bury that much on a good surfing day. Both boats are very manuvarable in the surf. The Vantage seems to excellerate quicker in the flats though. And then there the craftmanship. Personally I feel that Karel make sturdier boat, but that's just my opinion. I guess it depends on what you want out of a boat, a better surfing boat or a better flat water boat. If it's a flat water boat nothing seems to be faster than the Hurricane. If it a surfing boat you want they both are really good. You just have to try them both and see which one works for you. Hope this helps.
#2 Tue, 04/26/2005 - 2:39pm
I've always wanted to try the Fuze. Craftsmanship looks superb as always. The favorable reviews of the Vantage in the flats as compared to the Fuze comes as a surprise. The Fuze appears to have less rocker than the Vantage so I would have thought that the Fuze would be a better performer in the flats. I guess the rocker and other factors like water line and volume play a factor here. IMO, the Vantage can't come close to the Hurricane in the flats and small stuff. But then again, I've already come to the realization that you can build a boat to excel in a particular condition but you can't build a canoe to excel in all conditions. The best you can do is build a boat that's "pretty good" in all conditions. One of these days, I'll have to try the Fuze and add my input here.
#3 Wed, 08/10/2005 - 10:47am
Anyone demo the Vantage FT?
#4 Wed, 08/10/2005 - 3:00pm
I was told some would be ready for demo this month.
#5 Wed, 08/10/2005 - 4:51pm