If you started paddling as a kid in the UK and in the mid to late 80’s like I did then you probably looked at Shaun Baker paddling his Eskimo Topo and thought wow. The Topo or Spud as it was known was light years away from the 4m long boats we were paddling at the time.
The Topo or Topolino is a kayaking classic. The original Topo was designed more than 30 years ago by Holger Machatschek, founder of the Alpine Kayak Club (AKC) and Edi Schnappinger, the owner of Eskimo kayaks.
The Spud was piloted by Shaun Baker down many rocky ditches, huge waterfalls and podium places. Simple outfitting and bombproof plastic made the Topo a wise purchase. You can still see many of the original plastic boats out on the water.
Check out Shaun and friends taking on som crazy falls in the Topo.
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