New Riot Thunder, and new outfitting changes

Lots of you have been asking about our new boats, so I figured this might be interesting to some folks.
We have 2 new whitewater boats this year, the Astro 58 (larger cut Astro) and the Thunder 65 (river-runer).

We just got some Thunders in, so here are some photos from various angles of a shiny new one, plus some info on how the boat paddles.

I paddled the Thunder prototype a lot this summer, mostly using it to instruct out of. I really enjoyed teaching in it. It has enough space to carry lots of gear, and enough volume to be effective when rescuing. Also the playful hull makes it able to surf well, and carve on a wave. Although the boat is very playful, it still retains a good amount of speed for making moves. I like the manuverability of the boat, it does not feel bulky at all, it is very responsive, but very stable. It surfaces well off of drops, and boofs nicely.

Here are a few shots of the deck.

The lines on the deck look really cool

and here is a shot of the hull, notice the stepped rail.
Heres a shot of the rail, made to help the boat be forgiving and playful.

This angle gives an idea of the rocker profile.Here is a shot of the stern

One thing I really like about the boat is that the deck is relatively low on it. This will be helpful to people who feel like they can't "see over the deck" of big creek boats, particularly shorter and or smaller folks.

This boat is going to be great for a variety of paddlers....someone who wants a forgiving river runner thats more playful and less bulky than a full-on creeker....smaller paddlers who want a responsive creek-able boat.....beginners all the way up to advanced paddlers looking for an all around good boat.......instructional programs looking for a good fleet boat.....and many more.

Here are some shots of me on the Green in the Thunder proto.



Heres a shot of the cockpit, see the new blue thigh braces?

Also new in the outfitting department this year are the redesigned hip pads.

These are easily adjusted. They are attached to the seat by webbing attachment points, undo the webbing and you can flip the hip pad up and add foam behind it. You can raise and lower the plate that backs the hip pads by simply losening some screws. The webbing attachment points are firmly attached to the seat, so theres no worries about having to fiddle with them when readjusting the hip pads.
The boats are still shipping with a nice fit kit, including the following:
Bulkhead pads that are scored to be easily trimmed for your setup
Padding for the knees with super sticky backing
And knee wedges. These should go underneath your knees to give you something to rest them on. These are really helpful to gain more control of the boat. Make sure they do not impede your exit from the boat though.
It helps to put a little contact cement on these before sticking them, and I suggest installing these and then putting the other knee pads on top of them.

The Thunder 65 and the Astro 58 are available now. Check with your local dealer to demo. Soon we will have a full report on the Astro 58.

If you'd like to check out the Thunder in action, visit Ken Driscoll's site where he has posted his own review with photos.

--Joey Hall

Riot paddlers at the National Surf Kayaking Championships

Click here for the video, by Effort.tv

The National Championships of Surf Kayaking were held a few weeks ago on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. East and west coast surf kayakers competed in High Performance, International, K-1 Plastic, and Waveski classes.

The waves were pretty substantial all weekend, with chest high sets on saturday and over-head- high surf building all day on sunday.

Riot paddlers did well at the event. In the International Class (long boat) I took 3rd and Spencer Cooke earned the title of National Champ, getting many nice lip moves in the head high shore pound during sunday's final.

Spencer and myself going out in the International finalSpencer, lip move in IC

Me going for a barrel roll in the closeoutSpencer, going for it in IC

In the High Performance division, Spencer made quarter finals, and I made semi's.

Spencer in the HP division

The K-1 plastic class features whitewater kayaks and is judged on a trick based system. Competitors who link up the best tricks using a combination of green face and white break score the highest. Good rides featured combinations of Helix's, airblunts, McNasty's, green face cartwheels, and loops. The finals featured three Riot boats, Spencer in the Flair 47, myself in the Flair 57, and 16 year old Alan Young in the Astro. It was a close heat, and a lot of fun to compete in. I finished 4th, Spencer 2nd, and Alan had impressive rides to finish first.

K-1 final blunt by Spe
Me blunting in the K-1 final

Alan also won the Junior International Division, AND the Junior High Performance division, in which he surfed the Riot Boogie.

Me and Spe holding our winnings

It was a really fun event, and OBX is a really awesome place.

--Joey Hall

If you'd like to read more about the National Championships of Surf Kayaking, check out
http://www.eskasurf.com/2006/09/full-report-and-results-from-2006-us.html

And for more info on surf kayaking, visit http://www.eskasurf.com

Ohiopyle Falls Festival Wrap Up...

Watch the Ohiopyle Falls Video 2006

Another Ohiopyle Falls Video.
The 2006 eighth annual Ohiopyle Over the Falls Festival proved to be a great success. Hundreds of boaters from all across the nation, along with a few international participants, enjoyed a day of racing, attaining, downriver freestyle, and waterfall running.



Adam during the freestyle competition going for the multi-end freewheel.
Photo By Bob Anderson of SYOTR.com






Don’t forget to check out Zachary Frederick’s website, Class-Sik, for Another Ohiopyle Falls Video.
Watch the Ohiopyle Falls Video 2006 (Dial-Up Users Only)

Check out Bob Anderson’s Ohiopyle Falls Gallery HERE.

Points of Interest:

This year the event had over 200 participants.

Out of those 200 participants, the falls was run about 1,000 times in a single day.

For many, Ohiopyle Falls was their first waterfall.

Dave Fusilli won the Freestyle this year for the second year in a row.

Geoff Calhoun won the “Oliver Cup”, given for being the overall winner in the attainment race as well as the short boat race.

There is a very good chance that Ohiopyle Falls will soon be opened up to paddlers in the Ohiopyle Falls “data base”.

The provisional date for next years Ohiopyle Falls Race is August 25th, 2007.
See the Ohiopyle Falls Festival 2006 Results

For more information about the Ohiopyle Falls Festival, go HERE.

Canada Summer '06

Been pretty immersed in school and work for the last month, but I finally got around to getting the footage from Canada… It was a super sweet trip, and we spent a total of 2 weeks on the St Lawrence, Ottawa, and Gatineau rivers. Dylan Bruce, Matt Woodward, Nick Urquahart and I drove up from Asheville and met Chris Gragtmans at the Gatineau. We then paddled down to High Tension with tents and sleeping bags tied onto the outside of our boats. (And of course the 10%’s). We got 3 days on High Tension and there were tons of people going really big. (The video shows only our group).

The Wavesport guys were there, as well as some guys from British Colombia and a bunch of locals. After High tension came and went, we left for the Ottawa for a couple days, then Lachine, then back to the Ottawa. All in all it was a really sweet trip, and thanks to Gragtmans’ Canadian heritage, everything went very smoothly. Unfortunately the Lachine tape got messed up, so all the footage is from High Tension and McCoys. Enjoy! -Nathan Silsbee

What I did on my summer vacation.......

Hey everyone, its been a while since I posted, so I figured I'd post an upate as to what ive been up to.

A big part of my paddling career has been spent instructing others. Its probably the thing that makes me proudest of anything I've accomplished in paddling....having had a chance to expose others to the sport of kayaking. I've spent every summer since I was 17 years old teaching kids how to kayak at summer camps. It makes me happy to see the smile on a kid's face the first time he or she gets their first roll, surfs their first wave, or runs their first class III rapid.

Last year I started coaching some local kids in Columbia, SC. These guys and girls are really taking it to the next level, progressing quickly and learing a respect for the river, the environment, and themselves. They are already tearing up the competition scene, winning several medals at surf kayaking events this spring, and poised to try out for the US Surf Kayak team this fall. Its been great to see them do so well (although it irritates me when I teach them a trick and they can immediately do it....and usually do it better than I can!) You can see some of my kids in Enter the Donkey.

The camp I work at in the summer has had a long history of using Riot kayaks in their instructional fleet, and this year we picked up 4 Turbo 47's. Finding boats that fit smaller kids has long been a problem, albeit one that is getting better now that companies are realizing the need for boats that fit smaller paddlers. We had great success with these little Turbos this summer, and the kids loved paddling them. They fit a small paddler very well, and the outfitting is easy to adjust for specific needs. Our kids this summer had a blast in the Turbos, enjoying the fact that they can control these smaller kayaks easily. The Turbo series is known for it's surfing prowess, and these kids were grinning ear to ear as they surfed their first waves this summer. So if you are working with an instructional program, I'd highly suggest looking at the Turbo 47 as an option for smaller paddlers. They can be a bit edgy, but I've found the lighter paddlers have no problem keeping the boat upright.

Here's one of my advanced students, enjoying the Turbo 47

The Orbit 47 is also an excellent boat for a bit larger kids, and its tapered side walls make for a very stable and friendly ride. I often paddle the Orbit 47 myself, though admittedly I am at the top end of the weight range. It is a very predictable kayak that can also do any trick in the book.

One of our head instructors Brice teaching a student in an Orbit 47

Riot has such variety in their line, that there is a boat for every instructional need. This summer, my assistant instructors and myself taught out of Sniper's, Magnum's, and the new Thunder. The great thing about teaching out of Riot boats, is that the backband easily pops out to allow excellent access to the rear of the kayak, making packing and using all the first aid kits, rescue equipment, and logistical supplies that every instructor must carry a snap

Here's one of my assistant instructors, Taylor, and myself, on the Pigeon River.

Not every kayaker is cut out to be a kayaking instructor, but I recommend that if you love to kayak, at some point in your paddling life......try teaching someone else. Theres nothing like the feeling of passing on a love for our sport to someone else. Many cities have charity programs that introduce kids (often at-risk kids) to the sport of kayaking. If you have one of these programs in your city, consider contacting them to see if you can help. I guarantee you that seeing one smile on one kid's face with make any time you donate worth every second.

DA SKOOK

hello all
These photos pretty much speak for themselves: What an amazing wave Skookumchuck is and what incredibly fUN boats Riot makes. Thanks RIOT!! Thanks SKOOK!!

Emily making the down river moves!

Druman hitting the big righties! (above)
Dru loving the boogie on the green wave, 'sept its black&white! (below)

Emily enjoying the Flair (green boat) and the Air (yellow boat)

Big aerial panam sequence by Mr. Dru Lyall - boooh-ya!!

Dru

Emily going right

Big waves rock- the bigger the better, its time to search the world for the best!

Good Clean Fun!!

Headcam from new river in Voss (Norway)

Here is a film clip from one of the rivers we recently discovered in the area around Voss. The river is not very long or difficult, but the continues combination of nice clean drops and smooth slides makes a great trip whenever heavy rain falls over the mountains.
Here you can follow Eirik Ovreeide down the river.
More pictures and videos at vosskajakkklubb.com.

AUGUST Team Trials 2006

August 2006

After months of non-stop, self inflicted, 12-hour work shifts I was quite overjoyed to be on my way to the Ottawa River for five straight days of paddling the Garberator!! A quick stop in Montreal to get set up at the Riot Factory with a shinny new Flair and it was back to the bus station. Big thank yous to Max for the power seat installation, Vincent for all the running around, taxi calling etc, and of course to Jeff and the rest of the riot team!!

After catching up with the Small Town Boys at Wilderness Tours I hit the river. The first session I spent alone in the eddy at Garb – astonishing! Oh and believe me it did not happen again!! The place was packed with Canadians gearing up for team trials and World-Cup-yahoos hard on the training schedule. We even had some sick night sessions with the feel of movie stars under main stage lighting. It was quite the week on the Ottawa! Competition day came quick. I pleased myself by making it to the finals but finishing Fifth did not quite put me on the Canadian Team. Congrats to all and a job well done to the organizers, any more ahead of schedule and paddlers would have to be there the day before to make their heat!

Just a few pics of the Flair; I must admit this boat proved a little challenging on Garb compared to its performance on a huge green wave (watch for my next blog) I guess I had mini-bus on mind! Till next time….

emily lussin

MLE backstabing the Flair

Looping Astro

Astro is one of the best loopingboats around. Let the photos do the talking:











Actually, I just wanted everybody to see the first big one =)

Later,
Mikael Lantto