Nick Pearce gives us his initial thoughts on the new Zet Toro.
Earlier this week I was lucky enough for my new Toro to arrive in Voss. Now the days here are getting very short and there is a good layer of snow up high, winter is defiantly just around the corner. And It will be time for skiing. But not quite yet so yesterday we got on the Raundalselvi and I was able to put the Toro though it’s paces.
First impressions, it’s simply amazing but here is a bit of a break down on the boat.
Background:
I weight about 75kg fitting in pretty much perfectly for the weight range on the Toro. I have been boating for the last 12 years with the last 6 summers spent in Norway and trips to New Zealand, Chile and other destinations in the winter.
For the last 5 years my boat of choice has been the Zet Raptor. Enjoying the speed and the positive style the boat.
Speed: The Toro is very much like a continuation of Zet’s style. Like all their boats the Toro is very fast. It loves skipping out the bottom of drops and accelerating through a rapid. The boat reacts really well to a loaded power stroke off drops. And the tail of the boat has been made to really pop out and away from drops or punching through a hole.
This boat simply just love it when it gets steep.
Outfitting:
It come’s with the same standard Zet out fitting simple and effective with everything you need and nothing more. They also dealt with the one main issue area that people had. The thigh braces, they are a massive step forward. They have made them several centimeters deeper so the curve round you leg giving a much better grip and control.
Length: The Toro is 10 cm longer than the Raptor almost as long as the Director. When you first look at the boat it looks long but getting it on the water I was very pleasantly surprised. It doesn’t feel massive, and for a boat of this size it turns so easy.
Rocker: Rocker profile on the Toro is much more aggressive than any of the other Zet boats. This means that the boat boofs a lot better than the raptor. Also helps the boat to stay on top of the water and skip over features.
Hull:
This is probably one of the most dramatically striking differences from other Zet boats. The front half of the boat has very soft rails and a rounded hull, as this moves back and under the seat the edge sharpen up giving you the reactive and aggressive feel that we are all use to from Zet. When I first looked at the hull I was a bit unsure but as soon as you get the boat on the water you will be amazed. It has such a reactive and contended feeling but by softening up the front they have made it more forgiving and easier to make corrections.
All in all this boat is a amazing package and one I can’t wait to get back on the water in. I can already tell that next season this boat is going to give me more confidence on the water and help me push my paddling and ability’s
Well-done Zet
Big thanks to the continuing support I get from Zet uk, System X and Silverstick.
Words and pictures: Nick Pearce
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