Paddling tips, tricks, news and gear reviews from an Unsponsored point of view

Old School Boats For New School Boaters

Now I have sat on this article for some time as no matter what kayaks I list I know that there are a whole load more that would suit the bill. So here it goes, popping the the lid on this virtual can of kayak worms. Let us know your thoughts on the post’s comment section on the site.

Slicey kayaks are on the way back into vogue. After years of super short and relatively high volume playboats the “old school” makes a return.

Hurley – River Thames, UK

Now old school is relative, for some of you out there it may be a blast all the way back to 2010! However for this journey back in time we are going back to the 1990s and early 2000s.

So lets say you were in the market for an old school slicey kayak to rip it up with the new crop of slicey kayaks currently being developed. Or you are silly bored with the bobby high volume short length playboats of late and just want something different. What could you go for?

Here are a few of our own suggestions.

In no particular order…..

Prijon Delirious

I owned one and loved it. Super slicey and a light weight package. Prijon’s blow moulded technology produced a light and stiff kayak.

The outfitting worked really well although foot room was at a premium.

Pyranha Inazone

The original was available in three sizes. You could get the one recommended for your size or squeeze into the smallest one you could manage.  This made for a super low profile kayak that could be thrown around with ease.

Riot Glide/Slice

The boat that literally changed the rules. Combined with the ass hugging surf seat the Glide was superb.

If you wanted one with even lower volume Riot produced a squashed version of the Glide called the Slice. There are even a couple of composite Glides/Slices kicking around the UK. 

Liquidlogic Session/Session+

Planing hull and super thin ends. The outfitting on theses things was great. IR backrest, good shaped seat and nice thigh braces. Like the Delirious the Session/Session+ has minimal foot room.

Dagger Medevil

The Dagger Medieval hit the water around 1998. This thing could cartwheel and really set the seen for the Dagger playboats that were to follow.

Perception Mr Clean

Before sit on tops were a thing Perception were at the forefront of kayak design with some of the best/first plastic kayaks.  The Mr Clean was brought out in 1999.  The outfitting in the Mr Clean and other Perception kayaks from this time was pretty good.  The backrest was a shaped solid block of foam, good seat base padding and the pleasure pod was standard.

Wavesport XXX

Another kayak from 1999. The Wavesport XXX was the 238cm of kayak that blurred the boundary between a normal kayak and a squirt boat. Only 167 litres of volume, and definitely no foot room. If you wanted something a little less extreme Wavesport also produced the X.

What have we missed?  Let us know in the comments section below.  Oh and if you have any good images of the boats listed above please send them our way for inclusion on the site.

37 Comments

  1. Chucky

    Perception Lucid, Pyranha Prozone and Sub 7. Riot Dominatrix, wavesport xxz

  2. Chris

    I was also a big fan of the Delirious, first boat I ever managed to properly splitwheel.
    Perception AMP, what a lovely thing- also the Dagger Outlaw. The Outlaw was my boat of choice for a long time for anything that wasn’t park and play- it made running rivers really good fun.

    • David Brearley

      If you can fit, the Dagger Showdown is a hilarious boat.

      • Kathy

        At my size I used the Showdown as a river runner…still have it.

  3. Graeme Barrett

    Eskimo Kendo?

    • Unsponsored

      Kendo – a good call. You could squash the rear end and make it even more low volume.

  4. Chris

    What about the Perception Pirouette Super Sport, with its concave back deck.

  5. kayaker2015

    I still have my Perception SuperSport. You can pull some massive tailstands in that thing. If only it had foot rume it might get used more.

  6. Snakey

    Whiplash an whippet, the boats i learnt to cartwheel in. Maybe theyre not slicey enough though…

  7. Mark

    Eskimo Nano

    • Unsponsored

      The Zwo would be another Eskimo kayak.

  8. Jack

    Can’t beat a squashed kendo, although having said that I’ve just squashed an old necky switch, it’s more fun than any boat I’ve paddled in the last 15years !

    • Unsponsored

      I’d like to see that Switch.

  9. Alex Atkin

    I picked up a dagger vengeance and have never looked back. In big water I feel like a torso just bobbing through the water

  10. Elliot Francis

    Been paddling a Necky Switch that I have inherited from my parents for some time on lots of different playspots… I’ve found it is fantastic for somewhere like the Bitches and Marsh weir where the length really helps to get on the wave(s). The very wide and flat surfboard-esk hull makes surfing waves a dream! (Especially in the sea).

  11. Simon

    I have a riot trickster just have to watch out for power flips!

  12. Elizabeth Imhof

    What about the Dagger RPM, still available ; the hurricane was amazing too

  13. Slice o Maddic

    A wild card unsponsored guy raced the hurricane in the first year of the North Fork Championship over in Idaho and made Jacobs Ladder look like a cakewalk. Meanwhile all the pros were in big slow modern creekers.

  14. Frank smith

    I still have and love my riot dominatrix !

  15. Per

    Savage Fury!

  16. Nick

    Another recco for RPM

  17. James

    I’m looking to get back into Kayaking after 25 or so years. I used to paddle a Perception Pirouette SS in my teens and loved it. Any recommendations for modern takes on the slicey style? Looking for plenty of front space – I’m 6’4” (80kg) and the SS was always a bit of a squeeze for my feet.

    • Unsponsored

      Pyranha Ripper would fit the bill. Long, slicy river runner.

      • James

        That looks like one hell of a boat. Thanks for the tip!

  18. Joe

    Pyranha s8 slicy as a knife

    • Wavesport Dave

      The S8 just ripped off a number of design features from Wavesport.

  19. Ben Attfield

    Perception Jib ,dagger vegence and wavesport siren so many good times in these cartwheel machines!

  20. Axel Engeldrum

    Dagger Super Ego!! it was the first slicy boat for bigger paddler.

  21. Mike

    How about the Eurokayaks Enigma?
    An early 90’s plastic squirt boat. I wish I had never sold mine, although it took me several minutes after crawling out before I could stand again.
    A brilliant boat, it made WW feel at least a grade harder than it really was.

    • Unsponsored

      That is a good recommendation. The enigma was pretty much a squirt boat.

  22. Sandy Johnston

    Prijon hurricane, then to an inazone, a burn for more volume rivers, updated to a machno for some Alps trips and now a ripper – it feels like I have gone full circle!

  23. XXX

    You need nothing more than xxx
    https://www.instagram.com/tripl_3x/

  24. Derek Burdett

    I loved my Wavesport BigEZ, even though my feet went numb within minutes, and I couldn’t stand up straight away when getting out of it.

  25. matt

    Necky mission still have one and still paddle it
    Necky switch and zip
    Riot techno
    The list could go on

  26. Mark

    Prijon Alien…. Rare but great fun. Squashed Spud, Squashed Hurricane ( black obvs).

  27. Randy Angel McKinney

    Love my wavesport siren

  28. Matt

    Robson Red Fred (not the short one called twin tip): Has both of two worlds, down river and parknplay. Slicey ends and good volume distribution in the centre producing enough pop for air time. Cartwheels like a dream and perfectly executes „old school airial moves“. I’ve been paddling it for 25 years now and it has never been boring. Hard to find, though, especially outside of Bavaria 🙂

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