Knowing that I would be back in an open canoe for the bulk of our training for the day, I figured I'd sneak out a bit early and get a few laps in on Steve Maynard's Kayakpro 'Vampire' racing kayak. Of course I was stuck on the pond at the Twin Valleys outdoor center where we were training so it made for a lot of turning followed by quick sprints across the 10th mile long pond.
I rigged my GPS to the deck with duct tape and tried to better my sprint speed before running out of water on the far shore. The best speed I managed on those short runs was 9.1 mph, of course at that point my form was pretty much falling apart and was nothing that resembled the performance racing folks that paddle this kind of boat regularly. It didn't take much energy at all to sustain 6 mph. and just a little more effort put a sustainable cruising speed in the upper 6 to lower 7 mph range. The Vampire is definitely the fastest boat I've ever been in.
After flopping around for a while with a regular paddle Steve loaned my his wing and helped me get better fitted to the boat which made a world of difference in how tippy the boat felt. I thought the regular 'euro' paddle would help me feel more stable but, in fact, I could almost 'lean' on the wing paddle when I was paddling which actually felt much more stable. If you ever get the chance to try out a flat water racing kayak don't miss the chance. Once you experience the kind of speed you can obtain in a boat like that you'll never look at a regular touring kayak the same. Of course you'd never want to take a boat like that rock gardening or surfing either.
Vampire Review
Manufacturer = Kayakpro
Brand = Kayakpro
Model = Vampire
Type = Flat water Racing Kayak
Material = Fiberglass
Length = 21'-1"
Width = 18.75"
Weight = 40 lbs.
Location = Twin Valleys Pond
Time = 6:00 AM
Distance = N/A
Duration = 1:10 hours
Avg. Speed = N/A
Conditions = Partly cloudy and breezy
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