An intermediate perspective.

Having previous paddled the Booster 55 and a brief spell in the Air 55, I was looking for a boat with the best attributes of both: speed, looseness and great carving but with good tracking ability and positive handling. Over the last 6 weeks, I haven’t been disappointed in the Turbo 52.

Hull:
The hull of the Turbo seems like a longer version of the Air and like the Air, produces a very loose boat that spins easily. It’s fast on a wave, quick to carve and quick to correct. It also releases easily which makes spins on a green wave possible even for an intermediate like myself.

Edges:
The edges on the Turbo are hard, with “stingers” (Riot speak) at the back. This leads to very positive directional control and tracking and aggressive carving ability. However, it does require a bit of playing with the seat position to get the boat balanced. Otherwise the tail and downstream edges tend to catch – a little unnerving.

Speed:
Surprisingly for a short boat, this is fast even on the flat and is comparable with the Booster. With the boat balanced, there is a tendency for the nose to bury when paddling on the flat, but this is not a problem downstream. Speed across river is again comparable with the Booster and, thus, negotiation of features and eddies is very positive. I don’t find that it punches holes quite as well as the Booster, but this is more down to a need for a different technique rather than inferior performance.
On a wave, however, this boat is FAST. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to paddle it in the surf yet, but if it’s river performance is anything to go by, it’ll be fun.

Vertical Stability:
Whilst I’m not really the ideal person to comment on this, I have been very pleasantly surprised with both how easy it is to get this boat on its nose, and how stable it is once it’s there.

Fitting:
My only complaint is that Riot didn’t stick with the D4 outfitting, but I think this is personal preference. The new back band is great – it’s supportive and moves with you due to it’s positioning on a rigid band. This seems to improve boat control, but can cause pinching when leaning back for those, like me, with additional backside padding. This pinching does seem to depend on the position of the band so is possible to avoid with a little adjustment.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get on with the thigh braces. They are very comfortable with great padding, but pushed my knees too far down and resulted in really restricted foot room. However, they are really easy to remove and the hull design provides very comfortable knee bumps.
The foot ratchet system has always been a favourite of mine in the Booster, but again, unfortunately had to be removed from the Turbo to make enough room for my feet. Whilst I don’t have big feet, I do have long legs and admit to liking my comfort, so this may be a necessary modification for other paddlers with larger feet or an equal preference for continued circulation in the leg/foot area.

Overall, this boat is high performance, easy to handle and positive to control. The appeal for me was a boat that would allow me to progress my skills in freestyle and would teach me a lot. However, a word of warning for those transitioning from a forgiving boat: The Turbo isn’t. If your edge control and body positioning are not correct, not only will the Turbo not perform, but it wipes out – rapidly. For me, this challenge was exactly what I needed and my skills have progressed quickly both in terms of playing and overall river performance. But it wouldn’t suit everyone.

Teri Taylor