Scorpius Vs Pueo? Any thoughts on the Downwind?

[Admin]

Hey Evan,

Not yet.  Saw it the other day, though.  All red.  Just needs hardware and stickers.  At this point, it doesn't seem like I could like it more than dad's (full sized) Scorpius, but a few months ago I was thinking the same thing about Chan's Pegasus...

[Admin]

Picked up my new XM yesterday...STOKED!

Here are some pics to (hopefully) give an idea of how it compares to the full sized Scorpius and the smaller Pegasus.  The most noticable things right off are the extra volume in the tail over the Pegasus and the flair at the waist.  

[Pureadrenalin]

Sweet. Have you got it on a run a yet? Can't wait for your feedback. What weight will you be riding this bad boy at? From the pics it looks like it is a nice medium between the other two. What is the total weight for a custom XM?

[Admin]

I am 185.  I tried to weigh it but my scale is no good for this due to the boat length and how hard it is to keep it level and still.  The number I get most consistantly is 19 lbs for the hull only, but sometimes it reads as low as 17 and as high as 23.  Going for a maiden run today.  Chan and I have the Flu still,  but...its windy and this thing is drawing me out there.  Jack has a demo Pueo that he is going to bring, Mike has a Pegasus, and Chris has his Scorpius, so we plan on switching off and checking them all out.

[downwindaddiction]

Absolute eye candy. Will have my XM in about 6 months. Until then only dreaming about runs.

[LaPerouseBay]

Looks great,  love the color. 

Don't feel guilty if you paste one of these stickers on that bad boy. 

The folks in Modena won't mind.

 

[Admin]

Don't feel guilty if you paste one of these stickers on that bad boy.  

At my level, that would just be embarrassing

I did get to paddle this boat the last few days and it is awesome!  The conditions have been very good.  There are some real differences in the way the boat feels.  First off, it does not feel in the middle of the Pegasus and the Scorpius.  It feels much closer to the Scorpius.  I didn't expect that.  Also, with the seat in the same position as the Scorpius (all the way back) it has a more neutral trim that requires a less forward position to drop in, and a bit more leaning back to keep the nose out on the big ones (I am sure that will be diffferent for every paddler).  It feels easier to get moving and it feels like it maintains speed a tiny bit better.  I would say the big Scorpius bounds over the wild stuff a little easier and in those cranking sections may have an edge.  I love the way the XM does in the smaller to normal sized groomed stuff.  

My times and speeds have been right in there with what I have been doing on the Scorpius.  It may be one of those things where each boat will have an advantage on a given type of day.  

I got to paddle a Pueo as well for 3-4 miles but it was set up for a person about 5'8 and my knees were at my chin and it was not adjustable.  In that position I couldn't tell anything (except that I need to stretch more .  One thing I learned, though, was that the Pueo is not as big a boat as I had expected.  I was thinking it was in the same size category as the Scorpius, but the nose seemed lower volume than even the XM.

[downwindaddiction]

Thanks for that great report. Reaffirms my decision to get the XM. Mahalo

[SEA]

Don't feel guilty if you paste one of these stickers on that bad boy.  

At my level, that would just be embarrassing

I did get to paddle this boat the last few days and it is awesome!  The conditions have been very good.  There are some real differences in the way the boat feels.  First off, it does not feel in the middle of the Pegasus and the Scorpius.  It feels much closer to the Scorpius.  I didn't expect that.  Also, with the seat in the same position as the Scorpius (all the way back) it has a more neutral trim that requires a less forward position to drop in, and a bit more leaning back to keep the nose out on the big ones (I am sure that will be diffferent for every paddler).  It feels easier to get moving and it feels like it maintains speed a tiny bit better.  I would say the big Scorpius bounds over the wild stuff a little easier and in those cranking sections may have an edge.  I love the way the XM does in the smaller to normal sized groomed stuff.  

My times and speeds have been right in there with what I have been doing on the Scorpius.  It may be one of those things where each boat will have an advantage on a given type of day.  

I got to paddle a Pueo as well for 3-4 miles but it was set up for a person about 5'8 and my knees were at my chin and it was not adjustable.  In that position I couldn't tell anything (except that I need to stretch more .  One thing I learned, though, was that the Pueo is not as big a boat as I had expected.  I was thinking it was in the same size category as the Scorpius, but the nose seemed lower volume than even the XM.

I noticed that you are 185 which is just about max weight for that canoe. People who are reading this review should keep this in mind.  It seems the XM's designed for people within the 160 to 170 Pound range. However the elite paddlers can paddle a much lower volume canoe with a heavier body and still paddle fast. I'm sure there is a tested and proven reason Kai posts the optimum weight limits on each canoe he produces ?? XM's is 160 to 190 pounds.  Just food for thought.

[Admin]

It seems the XM's designed for people within the 160 to 170 Pound range.

Hi SEA,

a 10 lb weight range for a canoe would seem pretty small.  Actually, even the 30 lb range listed for the XM seems pretty tight.  The Scorpius has a 40 lb range listed and the Pegasus has a listed 65 lb range.  But, these boats feel so refined that I do trust the numbers that the Kai Wa'a team has put up.  I just considered those weights to be the core weight range of each boat.  For me at 185, I would be 10 lbs above the range of the Pegasus, 5 above the minimum for the Scorpius and 5 below the maximum for the XM.

Could I ask where your 160-170 lb info comes from?

[SEA]

From the guys I see paddling XM's at Hawaii Kai I'd guess that was the average weight I see. Of course there are heavier guys paddling them but I just was wondering cause that is the kind of guys I see paddling the XM's. Most guys I see paddling the Scorpious are in the 175 to 200 weight. So I was just curious if your assesment of the XM would be similar to a guy 160 or 170 ? I guess it does not mke much difference ??

[Admin]

From the guys I see paddling XM's at Hawaii Kai I'd guess that was the average weight I see. Of course there are heavier guys paddling them but I just was wondering cause that is the kind of guys I see paddling the XM's. Most guys I see paddling the Scorpious are in the 175 to 200 weight. So I was just curious if your assesment of the XM would be similar to a guy 160 or 170 ? I guess it does not mke much difference ??

Got it.

Probably because this is Kai's newest boat, and because people are really liking it, a lot of paddlers who were in the market went for it.  I know a group of women is the 120 to 150 range that are on XM's and guys into the low 200 range.  I would be surprised if you were not correct that the boat feels way different for all of us.  I hope that I did not make it sound otherwise in what i wrote earlier.

[Pureadrenalin]

From the guys I see paddling XM's at Hawaii Kai I'd guess that was the average weight I see. Of course there are heavier guys paddling them but I just was wondering cause that is the kind of guys I see paddling the XM's. Most guys I see paddling the Scorpious are in the 175 to 200 weight. So I was just curious if your assesment of the XM would be similar to a guy 160 or 170 ? I guess it does not mke much difference ??

Got it.

Probably because this is Kai's newest boat, and because people are really liking it, a lot of paddlers who were in the market went for it.  I know a group of women is the 120 to 150 range that are on XM's and guys into the low 200 range.  I would be surprised if you were not correct that the boat feels way different for all of us.  I hope that I did not make it sound otherwise in what i wrote earlier.

I know its funny when Kai comes to Honolulu he usually jumps on a Pegasus but now he prefers the XM over the Pegasus. Its not just Kai there is alot of people that is in that weight range mentioned above prefer the XM over the Pegasus now that its available. Maybe because we have more heavier people than lighter ones in Hawaii. ;DLOL

[Admin]

Way off topic now, but these 6 man shots of Kamanu's new boat are awesome.  Interesting to see these changes coming to that sport.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100524/SPORTS13/5240348/Kamanu+goes+channel+surfing