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Soul Waterman Booty Call And Gonzo – Review

Andreas Kasprzok gives us the lowdown, a review of sorts of the Soul Waterman Booty Call (in yellow) and Gonzo (in orange).

The Soul range of kayaks are available with two different weights of plastic. The yellow is the light layup, and orange “normal” strength. The Booty Call has been all over the SE by now and, while somewhat beat up, still hasn’t cracked. It seems like the light layup is fine for most everyone except Green Narrows regulars, Cali slides, etc.

Outfitting in the Soul kayaks is very minimal. The seat is a big contoured minicell piece covered with fabric and sits on a track that runs along the length of the boat. The boats are both lighter than their counterparts from other manufacturers, which seems to be mostly due to the minimal outfitting.

With The Booty Call you can see that continuous rocker profile like in the Pyranha Machno or Waka Tuna. The boat is very zippy and precise in the way it handles. Definitely not a floater, needs to be driven. It tracks very well for a displacement hull.

The Gonzo could be compared to an Axiom, I suppose. It’s incredibly flat on the bottom, more reminiscent of a surfboard. The tail is peaked compared to the Axiom and doesn’t get me into unwanted trouble, which both Axiom and Party Braaap have done to me on class 4/5. However it still squirts well when I want it to.

The Gozo is definitely more agile, it turns much quicker than the other two kayaks I have mentioned, but it is shorter length and this will have something to do with that. The ridges you see in the middle of the bottom of the hull help the boat get up to speed on a wave. It does surf super well, and I can’t wait to take it to the Gauley.

This thing is honestly what I wanted the Party Braaap to be.

As far as sizing, at 5’11” 210lbs and liking “sporty” boats, the Axiom 8.5 was too small and the 9.0 way too big. The Gonzo however is very comfortable, and actually has more foot room than in the Party Braaap, though that’s hard to see in the pics.

Words and Pictures: Andreas Kasprzok

1 Comment

  1. Darren Thompson

    I’ve paddled the Gonzo for a few laps on a creek and loved the way it handled. Front sufing and carving in and out of eddies was effortless and fun. The cockpit was indeed roomy and the outfitting comfy yet minimal. The boat was yellow and yes, quite light – great for the hike back up but the thigh braces flexed more than I liked. Overall a super fun boat design and would love to try it again on a number of different runs to see how much play I could get out of it.

    Cheers!

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