Review by Bill Woodruff
"The Epic 18x has a very clean, no-nonsense appearance that speaks to its racing heritage. The boat?s plumb bow and stern give this 18-foot boat a full 18-foot waterline."
OK, I am going to start this review with a very important disclaimer: I am fairly new to kayaking. I got interested in flatwater/sea kayaks about three years ago, and I bought my first sea kayak just over two years ago. Except for a very little bit of experience in (big, barge-like) Klepper folding kayaks about twenty years ago, that?s it. The point of this is that I have neither the depth nor the breadth of experience that some (most?) of the CPA members have in these wonderful little boats. With that qualification, I offer the following thoughts on the boat I have been paddling since April of last year.
Last winter, after a year of paddling (and enjoying) my first sea kayak (a plastic P&H Capella I found on Craigslist) I was getting the itch to go a little bit faster. With that in mind, I started looking seriously for my next boat around the first of last year.
My criteria for a new boat had two "non-negotiable" traits up front. First and foremost, I wanted a good, versatile, all-around boat that I could simply go out and enjoy. Neither my budget nor my marriage will support a stable of specialty boats allowing me to choose the one that fits the paddle du jour, so the hyper-competitive racing-only machines were out, as were the big comfy touring boats. The second standard was that it had to be significantly faster than what I was already paddling ? the speed/competitive advantage had to be worth the (significant) investment. In short, I was looking for something that was seriously fast and seriously fun.
At the top of my list was the new boat by Epic ? the 18x. It was a pretty safe bet that it would be a fast boat, given that the boat it was replacing ( the Endurance 18 ) had an excellent racing record over a broad range of conditions. The bigger question was whether, as a relatively inexperienced kayaker, I could get into a speed-first sea kayak and actually enjoy the ride. And so, on a windy, chilly morning in the first week of April of last year, I loaded up my drysuit and drove over to Galesville to take an Epic 18x out for a test-drive.
It was fairly choppy that first time out in the 18x. Compared to the Capella I had paddled for my novice year in kayaks, the 18x felt tippy to me, even in the protected water at the launch site. As we headed out for a 45-minute paddle, the short wind-driven chop was on our beam, and initially made it hard to really settle in and get comfortable in the boat. By the time we got back though, it was apparent that while this boat was somewhat more demanding than the boat I had learned on, there was nothing extraordinary about those demands. Even with my rookie skill set, this felt like a boat I could grow into fairly quickly.
About three weeks after that initial test paddle, I took delivery of my own 18x at last year?s SK102 weekend, where my first paddle was the night paddle on Friday night. From the first gentle forward stroke through the glassy sunset water of Lake Anna, the boat felt perfect. Now, a year later, it still does.
The racing heritage of the 18x is unmistakable. For starters, the bow and stern are nearly plumb, so this 18 foot boat has nearly an 18-foot waterline length. It also has a full-width footboard, giving the paddler a choice of a foot placement. You can use a wide foot position and lock into the minimal, but comfortable thigh braces for a traditional sea kayak fit, or you can move your feet together in the middle of the footboard for better rotation and a more powerful stroke. It has a full-width gas pedal rudder control system that works well no matter which foot position you use. And the already narrow bow has scallops cut into the sides forward of the cockpit to allow a closer paddle entry on the forward stroke.
"The 18x footboard/rudder pedal system is a rock-solid unit that allows full control of the boat with either a traditional or racing (narrow) foot placement. The footboard and rudder pedals are easily and instantly adjustable with a single cable release system. Also, notice the carbon fiber, which is used extensively even in this "standard layup" boat from Epic."
And it is light. Remarkably light. It was a very pleasant surprise to find out that the 18x weighs in at a mere 41 pounds in the standard layup. (It is also available in their lighter-weight "ultra" layup at 35 pounds.) This light weight, and the way it is achieved, says something about Epic?s company focus. Looking inside a standard layup 18x, one immediately notices something unusual for a "standard layup" boat. Carbon fiber. Honeycomb stiffening panels. While the standard boat is primarily fiberglass layup, the more exotic stuff is used strategically to allow a stiffer, lighter hull. The end result is that while the standard 18x is priced just about the same as most companies? standard (fiberglass) boats, it weighs about 10 pounds less than most of those boats. That?s a joy on the water, and it?s a joy when the time comes to load or unload the boat. The boat has full deck rigging, and very dry flush-fit hatches that complement the clean overall look of the boat.
And then there is the thing that pretty much everyone asks about: the incredibly trick rudder system. The 18x rudder is integrated into the stern of the boat ? actually, it is the stern of the boat ? so that when you steer the 18x, it looks like the boat is wagging it?s tail.
"The ultra-trick rudder system on the 18x. The rudder is very effective both at steering the boat on the water, and drawing comments off the water."
Is it better than a standard rudder? Who knows? It is very effective, and normally only small rudder applications are necessary to keep the 18x tracking exactly where you want it to go, and there is enough rudder authority to bring the big 18-footer around quickly when needed. It is a pretty big chunk of fiberglass though, so it will darn near bring the boat to a stop if you really put your foot in it. Because the rudder is not retractable, you can?t forget to retract it (or deploy it.) You can set the boat down flat on the ground without damaging the rudder, and if you find yourself in unexpectedly shallow water, it is not a problem for either damage or fouling. In short, Epic has invented an Alzheimer?s-proof rudder. And, oh yeah, it looks really trick.
But what is the 18x like on the water? Well, my initial perception that the boat was a little bit tippy went away pretty quickly. It is true that the boat has less initial stability that many other sea kayaks, especially those with flatter bottoms, hard chines, or greater waterline widths; but at the same time, the boat has a very reassuring level of secondary stability. Even coming from a relatively stable boat (the Capella), it took very little time to adjust, and I quickly learned to trust the boat. More and more I have come to love the feel of the boat, especially when the waves are on the beam, where the lower initial stability is actually an advantage, because it lets me put the boat where I want it without getting knocked around as much as I would in my old boat.
And then there is that speed thing. You know, the reason I started shopping for a new boat to begin with. Is this a fast boat? Well, in the right hands it certainly is. Greg Barton won last year?s Blackburn Challenge in an 18x, coming in ahead of the surf skis, the OC-1's, the unlimited K-1's, everything except six racing shells (doubles) and one five-man outrigger. So clearly, it is possible to make this boat go fast with the right paddler, but what happens if you put a fairly ordinary guy in this boat? What about me?
Well, the bad new is that I ain?t no Greg Barton. The good news though, is that I do go faster than I used to. A lot faster. Better than a mile an hour faster. Starting with that first stroke at Lake Anna, this boat felt really special. It still does. It accelerates easily, even eagerly. Once up to speed, it holds its speed with surprisingly little effort. In my old Capella, which does pretty well for a plastic boat, I was good for about a 5.2 - 5.3 mph sustained speed, maybe 5.4 if it was really glassy and there was a pretty girl watching. I could push it up over 6 mph briefly. In the 18x, 6 mph is a fairly average training pace. Race pace has been 6.3 - 6.5 mph for out-and-back courses in the 8 - 10 mile range.
"This is a stern view of the 18x, a view the boat is more than willing to show to other kayaks if the padder does his/her part."
Another really cool thing that comes hand in hand with this speed potential is that when I don?t really feel like pushing hard, the boat cruises effortlessly around 5 ? mph. You can really put some miles away in this boat, even if you?re not killing yourself to get there.
Complaints? Sure, there are a few. The topside finish quality could be better. From the rub rail down, the hull is absolutely flawless. On the deck though, there are a couple of places where the gelcoat finish is rough around one of the hatches, and near the cockpit coaming. I also have mixed feelings about the seat. The seat is a fairly deep composite seat that has enough side and rear lip to position the paddler well. I haven?t tried it without using the back band yet, but it feels like it should work well that way. For shorter paddles up to an hour or so, it feels absolutely perfect. Up to a couple of hours it is OK. Past that though, the lip that forms the rear of the seat creates a horizontal pressure line that just won?t go away. Admittedly, much of this may be resolved with a good seat pad, so I?ll be trying several out this Spring on longer training paddles.
So what?s the bottom line? It?s simple: I love this boat. It does everything I tell it to, and it does so with style and elegance and ease. When I want fast, it gives me fast. When I want smooth, it gives me smooth. When I want to relax, it lets me relax. Seriously fast, seriously fun. This is the boat I was looking for.
Dave wrote:Bill Woodruff has been paddling with the CPA for about 2 years. He has competed in the CPA Race Series since its inception. He is a member and trains with the Washington Canoe Club in Georgetown and competes on his own in various kayak races locally and farther afield. When not paddling he works in D.C. as a legal-guy.
