Anyone know anything about Karel's new one man that's due out soon? Word is its been spotted doing Hawaii Kai runs. I heard the name Fusion is being used. Some people say it looks similar in size and volume to a Polaris. That's all I heard so far...
Submitted by jc9_0 on Thu, 12/11/2003 - 12:35pm
saw it the other day. It looks nice. kinda a cross between the stingray and the polars. More volume thenthstingray, and the seat is very cool. It sits deep in the boat. And it is called the fusion
#1 Thu, 12/11/2003 - 8:16pm
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[b]jc9_0[/b], just saw maui paddling it in the ala wai today. nose looks sharp like the vantage ... looks pretty interesting.
#2 Sun, 12/14/2003 - 6:32pm
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It looks even bigger than the stingray. The nose didn't look sharp to me. It seems that Karel is staying in the big guy market with his boats maintaining their high volume and width. I would like him to make a skinny version of the stingray. Maybe 14" wide. That's what would get me interested. His quality and service are great but the boat is too wide. What does everyone else think.
#3 Fri, 12/26/2003 - 6:45am
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[quote="paddler"]It seems that Karel is staying in the big guy market with his boats maintaining their high volume and width. I would like him to make a skinny version of the stingray. Maybe 14" wide. .....His quality and service are great but the boat is too wide. What does everyone else think.[/quote]
I think you are right. I've spoken to a friend who spoke to Karel's wife about his boats. I think Karels stuck on this big boat stuff. That's too bad because a lot of male paddlers (not to mention, female) are less than 180lbs. I've paddled a number of canoes, including his stingray and viper and know that those boats don't work for me simply 'cause I'm one of those smaller guys. I'm able to paddle the smaller boats like the Hurricane and Vantage a lot better. I'm willing to bet that I'd be able to paddle other smaller boats like Kai's Pegasus and Martins Nai'a Iki better than the Karel's boats too, simply 'cause of they are smaller, lighter and have less hull volume.
Hopefully he'll come out with a smaller boat in the future. I think the quality of his stuff is second to none.
#4 Sun, 12/28/2003 - 11:25pm
I just got my boat, the Fusion two days ago and it’s great. There is more volume in the nose, the ama rides much better and is easy to fly or at least keep light on the water, the iako system has been altered to allow more stable balance, and the hull has been modified off the old hull of the Stingray. He has included a new seat system in which the seat is placed sort of inside the deck.
The Fusion was created to maintain the speed of the Stingray in the flats and surfing quality of the Mantra in the big stuff. I’ve only been able to go out once so far and from my experience the Fusion is everything I could hope for. I am 190 lbs. and have no problem with the size of this boat, although I see how the lighter paddler may struggle with the volume of the Fusion in flat conditions.
In my opinion the Fusion is yet another example of Karel leading the way in design, intuition, and craftsmanship. I wonder how long it will take the knockoffs to start coming out.
#5 Mon, 12/29/2003 - 10:53am
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[quote]
I just got my boat, the Fusion two days ago and it’s great.
[/quote]
Do you think you'd be able to post a photo of the fusion here? I'm very interested in seeing what it looks like, I'm sure many others are too. I own a Stingray and personally, I wouldn't buy a boat that wasn't made by Karel. He is always leading the way and I could only ever trust a design that had been tried and tested by him and the Outrigger Connection team. Glad he's stayed with the larger canoes also. I doubt Karel Jr. is much over 180 and he seems to handle the big boats pretty well if you ask me. Proving his versatility and also his boat's versatility this season in the flats and surf. I'm 170 and the boat is perfect.
Just interested to see the difference between Stingray and Fusion; would love to see the shape of the new ama too. If you have a photo that would be great! thanks.
#6 Mon, 12/29/2003 - 1:05pm
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I'm not sure how put the picture up, but there will be a few OCT Fusions down at the race this weekend in Kailua. Karel is also supposed to be finishing the demo boat this week if ya wanna try it out.
As far as the deck lay out the ama connection system is in the hull rather than on top verse almost every other boat. The nose looks sort of like a Hayden's nose but is much more narrow and has less volume. The ama is across between the old MANTRA ama and the Stingray ama. The ama's surface area with the water is further back than that of the Stingray and rides very light and stable. To me the Fusion just looks right, as all of Karel’s boats.
In the meantime I’ll try to figure out how to put a picture up.
#7 Mon, 12/29/2003 - 11:33pm
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[quote="Guest"]
In the meantime I’ll try to figure out how to put a picture up.[/quote]
Assuming you already have a picture on your computer, all you need to do is register as a user on the front page of the site, then once you get your password in the email, log in. Then when you post a topic or reply here you will be able to attach files to your post. drop me an email if any problems. Alohas :D
#8 Mon, 12/29/2003 - 11:52pm
I have a Stingray and would be interested in an ama that rides a little bit lighter- will this new ama fit the Stingray?
#9 Tue, 12/30/2003 - 10:29am
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Sounds like a good boat. I'd be interested in seeing a picture of it too when you get a chance. Is the rig even compatable with OC's old boats? I doubt it if the iakos enter the hull as mentioned above.
#10 Thu, 01/01/2004 - 9:42pm
Snarfblat, I ain't no genius on boats, but I'm only a 165lbs and feel fine on boats like the stingray. I kind of look at boats like surfboards. Dosen't the bigger longboard glide a lot faster than the shortboard?I'm not saying bigger is better, but it can work for the smaller paddlers.It just depends on the paddler and what they prefer.aloha
#11 Sat, 01/03/2004 - 7:49pm
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It's not really a matter of bigger vs smaller. longer could be good as long as it's narrow and not too long to not fit in the bumps. It's the narrowness that make it faster. Generally, a narrower boat will glide more than a wider boat because it doesn't push as much water as it moves through the water. What is being said is that Karel should make the boat skinnier or make two boats with one being wider for bigger guys and one being narrower for guys under 200 lbs. That's my 2 cents for what it's worth. Aloha
#12 Sun, 01/04/2004 - 12:25pm
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Whatever the debate about the size of canoes... I'm real keen to see a pic of this canoe - is anyone able to post a pic showing this new canoe???
#13 Sun, 01/04/2004 - 9:26pm
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I don't have a digital camera so I don't know how to put the pic onto the computer. However, I may be able to borrow a friends.
#14 Sun, 01/04/2004 - 9:31pm
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