The Wizard by Grafton Paddle Sports

I first saw the Wizard at the 2000 Cradle to Coast race. There were so many kayaks around that I didn't have a good look at it until after the paddle on day 2 of the race.

Day 2's paddle leg involved paddling from below Meadowbank Dam to New Norfolk (about 40km) on the Derwent River.  Most of the river is flat but every 100m to 1km there are some grade 1/2 rapids. The rapids range between easy shingle rapids to the 'fun' waves at broken bridge and the s-bend thru the stone pylons of the railway bridge at Plenty.

I had borrowed a Penguin Fibreglass KT1 (stable kayak & 5.2m long) for this leg because it was stable and reasonably fast.  The main problem that I had with the KT1 was that the front was very flat and narrow and it submerged in the waves a lot.  It also had a big cockpit and I borrowed a nylon spray deck held a lot of water sitting in the pool over my legs.  The nylon let a lot of water through it when my legs touched it.  It was good on the flat sections though.

After using the Penguin Fibreglass KT1, I decided that I needed a boat that was still fairly stable but with a higher volume front half, like a downriver racer but also with a rudder.  I didn't know that this already existed and the bonus was that it was 5.2 metres long - compared to the 4.5 metres that a DR boat is.  It is also a bit narrower than a DR boat. This longer water line should make it a bit faster but less manoeuvrable (the rudder helps solve that problem - and there are no sharp corners in this race anyway).

My Wizard kayak made by Grafton Paddle Sports in June 2000.

Grafton Paddle Sports make this kayak in fibreglass, kevlar hull & glass top or all kevlar.  I couldn't wait to unwrap the kayak when I picked it up from the airport.  It was beautifully finished and felt light as well.  The kayaks at Grafton Paddle Sports are made by Steve Muir who was a champion paddler and can obviously make a good kayak.

I took it out for the first paddle at Cremorne (S/E Tasmania) where there is a lagoon area that flows out into a large bay.  I took it out into the rough water and it cut through the swells easily.  I paddled into some larger swells and it still felt good.  When I turned side on to the wind the high front seemed to catch the wind a bit.  When I turned to come back with the swells it caught them easily and took little effort to paddle over the wave in front of me.

I was feeling quite pleased with myself when I cruised back into the calm waters of the lagoon.

Don't quote me on this but I believe that the wizard complies with the international kayak specs. for K1's. which are something like 5.2 metres long and a minimum of 52 cm wide

The wizard isn't as fast as a K1 on flat water but it is more stable and user friendly and can handle as much rough stuff as you can throw at it.  It also has a comfortable seat and a padded lower back support for comfort and to enable better drive with your legs.  There is also a low deck version of the wizard that isn't as affected by side winds and has a long cockpit like a K1.

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