More Thoughts About Kayaks - Wavesport Habitat 80

Years and years ago when I was but a lad,

I only had one boat, one boat was all I had,

A thing of beauty it was not, But this boat was mine,

It sank.

So I buy this Wavesport Habitat 80 with the idea that now I'll have a weapon that will carry me into the abyss and out again. Possibly giving up some maneuverability for sheer volume for which I can ride up and over every Tsunami encountered.

I take it home and immediately place it on my living room floor (isn't that where all boat work is performed?), and began the process of inserting the hip pads, adjusting the seat, adjusting the bulkhead, putting in the float bags etc. Then I lowered myself into the seat and bounced from side to side and tipped the boat over on it's side as though I was gonna roll the thing and come up under the couch.  So far, so good; fits good, looks good, floor rolls like a champ, and I didn't even take out the TV with the bow. Happy man I am. Now I go get the Habitat 74 and sit it down next to the 80. HOLY CRAP! That thing is HUGE. What have I done? How could 6 gallons of volume made that much of a difference? Where does the motor fit? There is no way I can move such a huge object with just a paddle.

It truly was surprising to me when I laid the boats side by side how much larger the 80 is than the 74. Well, get over it and on with the testing.

To repeat from last review I'm 57 years old, 6 feet tall, about 160-165 lbs depending how much of my favorite beverage I had the night before and still incredibly good looking. My boating experience is included in my review of the Habitat 74 so read that if you want to know.

Let's get started: Test River- Russell Fork, VA/KY, Caney Fork, TN

Comfort: Very nice, but the I haven't changed what I said in the Habitat 74 Review about me and back bands but this one felt much better. Still can't get these new NRS shoes in the boat. Oh well, I now have some warm water fly fishing shoes.

Rolling Ease: Again like the 74 it rolls very well and does nothing to get in the way of a successful roll. I guess it won't get in the way of a bad roll either. I was very grateful for rolling ease when I flipped at the bottom of Third Drop and we all know the feeling of freezing water on the noggin. Please don't miss this roll!!!!!!!

Carrying: Much better, but then again I carried it about 100 meters, (I added the meters to give me an International flair. I once owned a 1968 two door International Flair but that's another review). Also it is all downhill at the Russell Fork Put In, so carrying the boat is a snap,,,,,,,so far.

Test runs on the Russell Fork was three runs at around 260 cfs,  a couple at 450 cfs, and then the Caney Fork in TN at about 1.8 ft.  I like trying out a new boat on the Russell Fork because it is my home river and if I'm going to notice something subtle about a boat, I will notice it here. As far as low water vs. big, I don't really think the boat will handle that much differently with 800 or 1000 cfs cause at higher levels on this river I  seem to be aiming the boat in a general direction instead of precisely placing the boat where I want. Over a thousand cfs you often take what you get and make the best of it. Don't you think that most whitewater boating is really a practice of picking a good line then continually correcting when it don't go so as you planned?  I'm of a mind to think I could tell more about how well the boat paddled at a slower pace when I have time to really think about what going on instead of trying to think over all that screaming. Plus I tend to keep my eyes open more at low flows.

Let's get down to the nitty gritty. Once in the boat the increased size was barely detectable, noticed but nothing substantial. Felt very much like the 74.  On the water the boat is stable, turns very well and the rail or chine, (that design stuff on the sides and back). works very well for my style of padding. I really like the ability to initiate a turn by leaning the boat and letting it turn by carving as opposed to a boat that is more rounded and you have to turn the boat and paddle like crazy to go in another direction.

The 80 (and the 74), have good Primary and Secondary stability. I used to date a Psychologist who repeatedly told me I had neither. The extra volume of the boat causes it to resurface off a drop like a Trout rising to a Mayfly on a warm April day. I ran Towers, (double boof), and El Horrendo practically dry headed and that was very welcome cause the water was cold enough to freeze the balls off a pool table. Anyway it stays on the surface very well. Steve Powers and I ran the Center line of Climax and anyone who has seen this rapid at low water knows it like dropping into a cauldron with sieves and only one exit. Not the smartest rapid to run but I'm not the smartest paddler, (re-read the medical diagnosis previously stated). The next day I elected to run the slot into the Box at Climax. The boat can be negotiated in very tight places and treat the paddler right.  There is a small "V" shaped opening for which one has to get a full head of steam, put the boat on edge as you enter the drop, and using the rocker of the boat, you careen off the left rock towards the right as you go over a 5 or 6 foot drop. Simple.  I felt enough confidence in this boat to make this move or as stated earlier, "I'm not the smartest paddler". The consequences of not making this move can be a relatively un-pretty result. On the Caney Fork the boat handled very well and Devil's Kitchen went pretty smoothly.

As far as the boat's length, the difference in the 74 and 80 is only 4 inches. I'm not good enough to tell that much difference, in fact, looking at the front (bow), I could not tell a difference. The 80 is a half inch wider but that presented no problem with my paddle stroke. I could tell the difference in the way the back acted; more stable maybe, hard to tell exactly but I noticed a difference. There is more volume back there and it is detectably wider. You know, the Habitat 80, although noticeably larger while sitting next to the 74 in my living room, did not paddle larger once we got to the big stuff in the gorge. This really surprised me as I was expecting to feel like I was in a barge. Instead I found a boat that handled lightly, turned well. spins on a nickel (used to be a dime but with the economy being what it is........), and I can't say I noticed that much of a difference between the 74 and the 80 other than the 80 was more on top of the water, (go figure). Now I admit, I tend to forget many things when I enter the RF Gorge, such as how cold it is, aches and pains, my name, domestic problems, the gorge has a way of diverting and keeping your attention.

Boofing: If you can boof, it can boof, if you can't boof, it falls over rocks very well. Nothing is free out there! Any boat that has the term "auto boof" in its description, still has someone with some skill in the cockpit.

Funny thing, I demo-ed the 80 at the RF a year or so ago and did not like it at all. Felt way too big.  That was the reason I bought the 74. After learning the 74 and how it paddles and adjusting the seat forward, (which made a big difference for my weight and paddling style), I found the 80 a treat.

Both boats do what they are designed to do, creek well. I will paddle the larger one on the Tallulah because I am thinking that staying on top of the water will be a plus on Oceania ( I have 23 runs on that rapid and staying on top is where I want to be. I wouldn't even mind skipping like a flat rock  fifty "meters" downstream). Tom's Brain Buster is the Tallulah rapid that bothers me a bit for some reason.  "I just don't like rapids named after the destruction of body parts", once said Dan Copeland and I do agree. That rapid has a lot of converging waves trying to put me on my head. Now the 74 did not let me down last year, but I saw a Mega Rocker, and a Super Duper Hero come through there and the paddlers were sitting up eating a sandwich enjoying the view. Looked very easy. Mind you those boats have about 2000 gallons of volume each and are much bigger than I can paddle, heck, I can't even lift them, but the thought of more volume took a firm grip

Speed was good but I covered that also in the last review. You are going to get only a certain amount of speed and that's it. I include a picture of the boat making an ascension of El Horrendo on the Russell Fork. Now that is boat speed!

OK, OK, so I ran it backwards.

Funny thing, I paddled on Sunday with two guys from different cities in a different state and all three of us had boats made by different companies and it was pointed out to me that they were all yellow. What do you make of that!  Some spiritual JuJu happening on the river? The new most popular color? Everyone wanting to be like Dave? Three bananas floating down the river?

I'm sure it seems like I'm saying the Habitat 74 and 80 are the end all to creek boats. I'm not. I'm just putting down some thoughts about these two boats that I personally like. I have been very happy to see, over the last few years, that boat manufactures have designed and produced many very good Creek boats. It wasn't so long ago that it was hard to find a creek boat and now there are many excellent choices. This serves to put boaters in a much safer situation when on steep creeks and on rivers in general. We have all lost too many friends to the river and anything that makes our sport safer is a great thing.

In the end it was a very interesting comparison in two similar boats with different volumes and a bit of a difference in size. Both are, in my opinion, very good boats at what they are designed to do. For me and my style of boating they are great boats. It was fun paddling both boats. When I have the next bad day on the river, i.e. wrecks, crashes, swims, and the like, I'll re-write the reviews and blame the boat. But now I have both of them in the garage and I have a choice. I may stand there all weekend, unable to make a decision, and miss boating altogether. BUT if I was pressed to only have one of these boats, only one for all rivers I paddle, I'd have to say,.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I'd  pick the Habitat and it would be a good choice.

Again, this review, (beginning to feel like a book isn't it?) is for Bernie and I hope it helps someone along the decision making path of boat buying.

Dave Allnutt

Lexington, Ky