Sisson Kayaks - Makers of handcrafted custom kayaks including multi-sport and sea kayaks. Products

Evolution Omega

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We are almost ready with this information. Stay Tuned!

Kevlar Fabric

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In final layer of lay-up - Pepin, Eliminator, Astrolab, Esprit, & Centrix models. Makes a stronger boat that is also slightly lighter. The advantage of lighter Kevlar in these displacement (non sprint) models is purely easier portaging and handling. No increased speed is likely Select from the extras dropdown menu in quote form.

Carbon fabric

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In final layer of lay-up - Evolution & Nucleus models. Makes for a stiffer hull that retains the design shape better when the kayak is pushed hard by top paddlers. Increased speed is likely. Not of any advantage to ordinary paddlers. Sorry - not available for export orders due to carbon damaging easier than Kevlar and also being a lot more expensive to repair. Select on dropdown extras menu in quote form.

Poil rudder upgrade

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There are some paddlers who believe that they can go faster with a foil rudder blade. We are unconvinced. For those who must have this heavier rudder unit (light mass in the end of a kayak is really more important) we can fit a foil blade if this upgrade is requested. fitted at the time the kayak is built.

Drink Tube Upgrade

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The stainless steel tube is bonded into the side of the bottom of the hull below the waterline. A hull is then precisely drilled. Drinking water can then be drawn from the river. This weight saving device was pioneered by Steve Gurney for use in the Waimakariri River while he was winning the Speights Coast to Coast. Not recommended if the water being paddled on is undrinkable. Not recommended on European or North American lakes or rivers! Only in clean-green (parts) New Zealand!

Footpump fitted

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This shows the 'Stuffing Box' (tube with slots)that glues to the hull bilge, outlet unit that exits the water through the deck, foot-pulse bulb that fits with Velcro to the footrest bar, and the valve block that fits to the front of the stuffing box. As pumps go - this one is very reliable and light. The foot-pulse bulb only ever contains air. We only sell these very reliable pumps as a fitted upgrade. Sorry - very difficult to photograph fitted. Fitted at the time the kayak is built.

AMK Seat

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Composite racing type pan bolted to composite brackets glassed to the side of the hull just below the seam join. Preferred by some top racers including Andrew Martin who gave me the shape to use. Form-fitted at the time the kayak is built.

Foam Seat Upgrade

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Very light - very comfortable. Comes with webbing backstrap threaded through mould hole. Created, marketed and used by Steve Gurney

Large Stern Hatch

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Fibreglass hard-shell over the top of soft neoprene cover. The coaming rim is mm long and mm wide.

Split Sea Kayaks

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Three piece splitting capabilities for your new Sisson Kayaks sea kayak.

Footpump Kit

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Made in New Zealand by Rapidflow, these pumps are lightweight and very reliable. Supplied with full fitting instructions.

Snap Shackle (pair)

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For attaching rudder cords to Quadrants.

Camlok Buckles (pair)

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For adjusting steering cable length

Replacement Rudder Cord - Spectraspeed

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The Rolls Royce of non-stretch cord. Even better rudder control. 8 metre kit fits all Multisport kayaks from Sisson Kayaks.

Replacement Rudder Cord, Polyester

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Cords should be replaced every two years or before any major race. This 8 metre kit fits all Multisport kayaks from Sisson Kayaks.

OZO Footrest

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Flat mounting face rail standard. Angle mounting rail on request. For front of Southern Light, Voyager or white-water kayaks Complete with fastenings.

OZO Footrest with Footflaps

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Complete with fastenings. Angle mounting face rail standard. Flat mounting rail on request. An option on many of our kayaks. Standard on the Voyager. Full description of this footrest advantages / disadvantages are listed on previous page.

Bar-Type Footrest Fastening Stainless 5mm Pan

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Pack of 10 spare bolts and nuts.

Bar-Type Footrest Side Bars

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Bar-type footrest side bars with fastenings. Sidebars are precision drilled with nineteen 5mm holes to allow footrest adjustment range. These sidebars are needed to mount SK120, SK121 and SK122 bar-type footrests to a kayak

Footflap-on-bar Footrest

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Sidebars SK125 (shown in photo) and fastenings are not included. If required - order sidebars as a separate spare part. Full description of this footrest advantages / disadvantages are listed on previous page. Specify the Sisson Kayak model so that we send you the correct length of bar.

Tillerbar Footrest

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Bulldozer Footrest

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Pan Seat fitting bolt and wingnut

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Bedded onto hull with hot glue then fibreglassed to hull. Comes with Chopped strand mat. No resin included. Secures all pan seats

AMK Hanging Seat Kit for Evolution Models

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Hanging seat kit for Evolution Classic, Edge, and Extreme. Complete with hull fittings (needs fibreglassing skills and materials), and fastenings.

High Performance Pan Seat for Evolution Models

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HIGH PERFORMANCE pan seat for Evolution Classic, Edge, and Extreme. Can be made to the colour of your choice.

Pan Seat for Nucleus and Defender Models

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Standard fitting pan seat for Nucleus and Defender models. Can be made to the colour of your choice.

Pan Seat for Evolution Models

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Pan Seat with standard fitting for Evolution Classic, Edge, and Extreme. Can be made to the colour of your choice.

Fibreglass cover for Southern Light hold

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Can be made to the colour of your choice.

Fibreglass cover for "Large Hatch Upgrade" hatches

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Standard stock colour is BLACK. Can be made to the colour of your choice.

Neoprene cover for Southern Light hold

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Made to our specifications.

'Real' moulded hatch cover

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Fits all Nordkapp, Arctic Raider, Southern Light. Voyager, models with standard hatches. Fits any Valley Canoe Products ring on hundreds of different kayak brands. Fits Quality Kayaks Sit-On-Tops and many other QK sea kayaks. Manufactured from OZONE and UV resistant rubber.

290mm Neoprene Hatch Cover

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to fit Large Hatch Upgrades. Upgrades may be found on Voyager, Arctic Raider, Nordkapp, Pepin and Astrolab. Made in New Zealand to our specification.

210mm Neoprene Hatch Cover

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to fit 1970's Nordkapps, all current Pepins and Astrolabs. Made in New Zealand to our specification.

Multisport Rudder Blade

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Fits all Multisport models made since 1986 Handmade from 5251 Aluminium alloy. Comes with pivot bolt and shock cord.

Rudder Quadrant Mounting Tube

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Fits all multisport kayaks. Compatible with SK105 and SK103 Alloy tube threaded 12mm internal. Outer surface ready to bond into kayak stern

Rudder Quadrant Bolt and Lock Nut

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Sisson Spare - Rudder Quadrant Bolt and Lock Nut Fits all Multisport kayak models since 1997 - compatible with SK103 and SK106 12mm 316 Stainless bolt with machined head to reduce weight. Comes with 316 Stainless lock nut.

Rudder Quadrant (Pre 1996 Multisport)

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Sisson Spare - - Pre 1996 Multisport models inch bore in the plastic bush (bolt hole). Identification check - the bush (bolt hole) that the pivot bolt runs through is 30mm from the top surface to the bottom surface. Comes with plastic shackles and shock cord.

Ruddar Quadrant (1997+ Multisport)

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Sisson Spare - Rudder Quadrant - 1997 Multisport models onwards to current models 12mm bore in plastic bush. Identification check - the bush (bolt hole) that the pivot bolt runs through is 23mm from the top surface to the bottom surface. Comes with plastic shackles and shock cord.

Astrolab

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Our Eliminator customers demanded the Pepin. Now our Esprit customers demand the Astrolab as a go-fast, budget sea kayak that knocks the socks off (faster than) any 'Tupperware' boat of similar value. On land this kayak is light enough to carry your paddle in one hand and the kayak in the other - just try doing that with most similar priced 'plastic' sea kayaks!

Are you a Multisporters who lives near protected open water?
Are you forced into training on your own?
Do you dabble in kayak camping?
When it comes to rivers, do you mainly paddle those like the Wanganui?
Do you already own a heavy, high-drag plastic sea kayak?

If you answered "Yes" to one or more of these questions, an Astrolab could be the boat for you. Such a purchase could save you thousands of dollars. The ASTROLAB is a sea kayak version of the ESPRIT.

The hull through the mid-section is strengthened against impact by adding two extra unidirectional roving beams of 23000 fibres each.
Two bulkheads are glassed in from both sides to seal the ends into compartments. The reserve buoyancy of a tipped over and flooded Astrolab is very high. Hatches are fitted to these compartments so that camping gear can be carried.
Decklines are fitted so that solo self rescues can be undertaken with confidence.
The Overdeck rudder is the same rugged unit used on thousands of our multisport kayaks since 1986.
Refer "Pepin" page for more details on the features of the Astrolab construction and fit-out.

When compared with other manufacturers offerings in this niche, the Astrolab out-performs them all on both performance and price.

Pepin

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WE HAVE COME FULL CIRCLE AND MADE THE ELIMINATOR INTO A SEA KAYAK THAT BLOWS THE SOCKS OFF OTHER BUDGET PRICED 'SEA KAYAKS'. When you take what is arguably one of the best sea kayak hulls, and make it into a competitive multisport racing kayak, you just happen to end up with a kayak that goes well in the sea! On land this kayak is light enough to carry your paddle in one hand and the kayak in the other - just try doing that with most similar priced 'plastic' sea kayaks!

By adding bulkheads, the floodable floatation volume ends up about the same as our older (pre-1985) Nordkapps have.
The fitting of two hatches to the decks allows for the placement of camping gear inside the floatation compartments. Should a larger hatch be required for the rear compartment, the optional large hatch upgrade can easily be fitted at the time we build the kayak to your order.
The decklines are securely fastened in the same way they are on our top line sea kayaks.
The overdeck rudder is fitted with a deeper draft rudder blade than that generally fitted to the Eliminator. This provides better directional control when on bigger swells in open water.
The cockpit is a full size opening and the seat is of a design that has been proven to suit a wide range of bottoms.
The footrest is the same as that fitted to the Eliminator and the rudder is activated and controlled by pushing the tillerbar with the toes.
Pepin owners wishing to use their boats for multisport may be apprehensive about the boats ability to 'crunch' over rounded river boulders in dry rivers. The concept of a river kayak with bulkheads is like aiming an axe head at the inside of the hull! Recognising this fact, we increase the longitudinal stringers from one to THREE ! This ensures that the bottom through the bulkhead-cockpit area is very self-supporting. When a rock is run over the bottom flex is minimised and the load is concentrated longitudinally rather than laterally. This results in less 'axe head damage'.
Refer "Astrolab" page for more details on the features of the Pepin construction and fit-out.

The Pepin will be a good multisport kayak for events on the likes of the Wanganui River where in high river flows, long swims are possible. With a paddle float, deep-water self rescues are possible. The PEPIN is a versatile boat!

Southern Light EX

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In the beginning... Over a decade has passed since the 1989 release of the Southern Light double sea kayak. The 1989 version broke new ground in several areas of design and fit-out. Some of these are now touted as 'Industry standard features'. Back in 1989 we developed the original boat in total isolation. No other New Zealand kayak manufacturer had built a kayak of this type. Our development motivation was simple - we wanted one of these boats for our own use. Our paddling needs were in hindsight the same as many future customers. Now - to the 1996 EX version It is shorter and more compact The seats are even larger The centre hold is even bigger The rudder is mounted even stronger The response to rudder control works even better The hull is even softer riding into a head sea The bow paddler gets an even dryer ride The Kevlar construction option makes for an even lighter easier handled boat The standard 4 lifting handles and two toggles makes onshore handling even easier The 'Industry standard, footrest system is even more comfortable and easy to adjust The above list was compiled from customer feedback. The above list was also our mission statement. Our customers say we got it right! The Southern Light EX is a whole lot more boat than other industry imitators. Who knows - it may even be a more affordable option! Over many years the 1989 Southern Light has proven to be a very safe boat. There has not been even one reported instance of the Southern Light 'tipping over' on open water. There has been no reported instance of the Southern Light 'blowing over' on open water. In all respects the Southern Light EX is an even better boat. The concept as envisaged has proven to be a fact! Paddlers of limited kayaking ability with uneven strength have completed many trips in total safety. The cargo hold concentrates the mass of both paddlers equipment where any ships captain worth his salt would put it... in the MIDDLE! It you are confused about the comparative safety of different double sea kayaks, do this. Demand an on-water demonstration of the kayaks you most fancy. Load the cargo spaces with weight comparable to your camping/personal gear, roll the boat over on the water and execute a self rescue. In the Southern Light it's as easy as rolling it over upright and climbing in and paddling. That's right! The small amount of water in the cockpits is water ballast. Other doubles fair worse!!!! Some may leave you in deep trouble. The manufacturers of some of the above suspect kayaks have recently adopted our idea of the centre hold. BEWARE! The Southern Light is the only double sea kayak designed from the outset as a centre hold boat. Some others reportedly "blow over" in strong cross winds. The Southern Light was always designed to have a centre hold. It's proven!!

Arctic Raider

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We wanted to create a more stable, user friendly boat that offered our customers all of the advantages of the NORDKAPP. It turned out to be faster and more stable. In the beginning there was the Nordkapp. It was the first European attempt to commercially market a modern kayak along the lines of the 'West Greenland' models used by the local Inuit people. Of all the Inuit, the West Greenlanders had to hunt in the roughest, most wind exposed open waters. These sea conditions are really quite similar to those found in New Zealand. Therefore any kayak design which served the West Greenlanders well, will also be expected to serve New Zealanders well. The success of our customers, in meeting their paddling goals over the past 20 years, confirms this observation as fact. The Arctic Raider was designed to maximise the West Greenland design type in such a way that the maximum spread of paddlers will enjoy their paddling experience no matter how bad the weather turns. So what is a West Greenland style kayak? The hull has three distinctly separate sections.

The central load carrying (displacement) section is profiled to provide good stability and low water resistance drag.
The bow hull section is of a triangular configuration with the two sides providing a dynamic parting (cleaving plus some lift) of quite high waves.
The stern hull section dissimilar to the bow but more styled to allow a longer waterline length (speed).

Couple all of this with the smooth deck layout that is totally styled to shed water and offers the very minimum of wind force against the paddlers chosen course. It also has a very low floodable cockpit area due to the original 'pod seat'. The seat forms a bulkhead which makes for three dry compartments closed off by three solid moulded 'Real' neoprene rubber hatch covers. The Arctic Raider was the kayak of choice for their 1994 East to West traverse of New Zealand. Read Richard Ackerley's book ARAHURA* and you realise how tough we build our sea kayaks. *ARAHURA is published by The Ackerley family, 35 Davis Rd, R.D. 2, Hastings NZ Phone 64 6 876 6968. Of the hundreds of Arctic Raiders that we have built, more than half of them have been sold in Japan. It is therefore fitting that we should quote a satisfied customer from that country. Japanese paddler Takehiro Shibata, when planning his solo trip around Norway from Sweden to Russia, specified a custom built Kevlar Arctic Raider that ranks as the strongest kayak yet created at Sisson Kayaks. His feedback on completion was "thank you for such a good boat". Takehiro's was custom built. In effect all Sisson Kayaks are custom built. Warning: The production of Australian manufactured Arctic Raider kayaks is in no way associated with Sisson Kayaks. The original design did derive from a mould sold to Canoe Sports, but very quickly the 'deal' unravelled. If you live in Australia - want a real Arctic Raider - deal with us! Get the original - not the glitz ("my hatches are bigger than yours") copy!

Voyager Expedition

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The Voyager is a fully blown sea kayak that comes with Humps©, Sidetanks©, Real hatches, decklines and a fully retracting rudder. In addition to the fore/aft compartments in the Voyager Multisport version, the Voyager Sea Kayak comes with a small central hold and additional compartment behind the stern cockpit. (Note:- the interim photos above do not yet show these extra two hatches). The "Greenlander" bow provides dynamic lift when the boat strikes a wave, thus providing a lifting action to keep the bow paddler drier and paddling harder. The hull design of the Voyager carries its wide load-carrying water plane over a greater area to enhance the response to changing water surface conditions. The Humps© allow the stern paddler to keep the feet in the normal straight-up orientation allowing a much stronger paddling position. The deckline tubes and Sidetanks© add strength and stiffness to the Voyager so that it rams "shudderless" through large waves. The Real hatches keep the pressure tested compartments dry at all times. The Voyager is the first kayak in the world to come fitted standard with Steve Gurney's great Bumfortible foam seats. The Voyager is a real boat made the real way. Our boats are built tough. Instead of making the Voyager super light we specify a construction that is strong enough to do the job. Why race a 26kg boat when the race rules say that the boast must weigh 50kg?????!!!

Our customers 30-35kg Voyagers clearly worked just fine.

Some unsolicitored quotes: Jeff Mitchell - "You have another good boat there! Quick on the flat water of Lake Coleridge which we were first across after the group started together on the second day. I was in the front of one, really nice to paddle. It felt like a racing boat as it was going so cleanly through the water. Stable, quick, appears really solid, and looks damn good. It is on my shopping list for later!" Nathan Fa'avae - "Left the JKK boats in our dust" Steve Gurney - "Three Voyagers went cruising to Ripapa Island two nights ago. A stiff Easterly blew up for our return, so I got out the kite. YEEEEEEEHHHHHHHAAAAR! Ian and I were launching off waves, skipping past the others having the time of our lives! What a blast! Nice boats thanks Giro (my nickname), they handle the rough and tumble really well. Lisa and I took it fishing to Motunau Beach. We caught 9 Blue Cod. Lisa and I are just about to out for an hour or so now. That makes it 5 days in a row in the Voyager." Jim Davidson - "We love our boats" Ian Adamson - "The boats went really well, and we did our best to destroy them! John managed to pile into a cliff doing 15 knots on the Rakaia, and only succeeded in making a 10cm crack in the nose! Mike and I went over a 1 metre drop and seesawed for a minute or so over the lip before plunging down into the river. We didn't notice the boat flex even a mm"

Nucleus 80

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An Evolution styled boat that has just the right volume for most paddlers around 80 kg. Relaxed Esprit owners will find the Nucleus 80 much faster at all levels of effort. The hull of the Nucleus 80 is derived from a carefully scaled down Evolution Classic. Early on in the planning stages it was decided to widen the hull waterplane adjacent to the cockpit area sufficiently to provide exceptional stability for the paddler making the transition to narrower boats. For it's waterline beam, the Nucleus 80 is even more stable than the Nucleus 100. This is due to the flared hull side design which widens the waterplane considerably as the boat is leaned. New Zealand Multisport Magazine rounded off their Nucleus 80 test by saying "Fast boat for mid-level folks of around 80kg. Ideal step up from the Esprit or Centrix" The waterline length of the Nucleus 80 is optimised to minimise the effects of 'wetted area' drag. Experience has shown that multisport kayaks paddled aerobically (endurance intensity) are most affected by water drag caused by wetted area. Wave making drag is more a factor with boats that are sprinted anaerobically. In order to minimise the 'wetted area' of a boat that has been made wider, the length is best made shorter. Recent speed testing reinforces that the Nucleus hull is actually fast at low power inputs. The deck styling of the Nucleus 80 is absolutely scaled off the record setting Evolution Classic. The whole concept is to maximise water shedding after wave penetration whilst presenting the lowest possible profile to wind grab. The Nucleus 80 cockpit coaming is the same as the Evolution.

Nucleus 60

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The Nucleus 60 is optimised for light paddlers. However heavier paddlers up to 100kg who like a 'tight' boat are taking the Nucleus 60 up to Evolution Classic type speeds in actual races. This is the first of a 'new generation' of go-fast boats. The normal waterplane is narrow and fast. The '20 degree-list' waterplane is wide and stable! This is not a contradiction - it is just sensible design based on years of experience. Steve Gurney reports similar moderate water performance over timed training courses as he does in his Evolution Classic. This performance was also observed by New Zealand Multisport Magazine when they quoted "-- then turning against the waves at the river mouth it not only turned quickly, but had secondary stability far superior to the Evolution (Classic). The biggest surprise though was coming back up the river when it clocked in within two seconds of the Evolution (Classic)" The whole kayak is scaled to fit a smaller paddler. The length and beam are the same as the Nucleus 80 and 100. In fact the deck on all three models, when viewed from above, shows only minor variations relating to volume. However the side view of the Nucleus 60 reveals a very sleek profile with reduced (than the 80 &100 version) rocker, lower overall profile with reduced volume around the legs and knees. The Nucleus 60 cockpit coaming is set low so that a shorter paddler's buoyancy aid will not interfere with the spraydeck. The spraydeck coaming is the same as the Evolutions. The famous secondary stability of the Nucleus 80 flair is even more accentuated on the Nucleus 60. Experienced relaxed paddlers will discover the Nucleus 60 to be very stable in all conditions. A very satisfied customer says. "I sold my Opus and raced against my Opus paddling friends who usually have 5 minutes in the hour advantage over me. Paddling my brand new Nucleus 60, I was right there with them in the race". Karen Hopkinson, another satisfied customer says "I managed 10th overall - first woman to break into the top 10 !!!" Karen won the woman's section of the (Victoria Australia) 2000 JLL Challenge and "- paddled the Nucleus 60 on Lake Eildon & beat a fair few men in some rather...(censored for reasons unstated!)..." Well done Karen! Keep it up.

Esprit

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Imagine - a 'beginners boat' that is so potentially fast - it has actually been used by strong paddlers to win real races! This is it - the Esprit! We often wondered what would happen if a strong, skilled paddler used one of our stable 'beginners boats' in a real race. Now we know. They win! Scroll down to read about Geoff Mathews' and Ron Wastneys' amazing race results. Sure - Geoff and Ron wounded a few egos by beating lots of 'top' paddlers in all sorts of 'fast' boats. Proven - these wounded 'top' paddlers were sadly using kayaks that are too 'fast' (unstable) for their true abilities. They should all have been paddling Esprits! It is an unfortunate fact that 'fast' kayaks look much better on the car roofrack than 'stable' kayaks such as the Esprit. So - if you are honestly looking for a stable kayak that can grow with your power and skill increases over time - you should consider an Esprit - the 'beginners boat' with proven race winning performance! Details of the real races won: As newcomer multisporter Geoff Mathews placed his Esprit kayak onto the beach before the 1994 Thermatech Head to Head, some competitors openly laughed ("we will mow him down") at his kayak choice. Geoff had been paddling kayaks for less than four months. He wisely chose a kayak that suited his kayak skill level. It is now historic fact that Geoff achieved a fast run and cycle which placed him first individual onto the water. He was hotly pursued by highly ranked kayakers paddling narrow potentially fast boats. Right down the harbour Geoff was in view. They gained very little ground on the 'novice' in the 'laughable' boat. Geoff won the race! Geoff gave much credit to his Esprit. At the 1997 Waimak Classic River Race, 'unknown' Evolution Classic paddler Ron Wastney chose to test an Esprit for speed on a real river in a real race. His race result time included time taken to rescue another competitor who was in difficulty. Ron and his Esprit not only beat all other competitors in his race class, he also beat all other competitors in the race class above. This higher race class included racers in Eclipses, Sprinters and Arrows! In fact, ignoring all race classes, Ron came seventh overall. In achieving this high ranked race result, Ron showed the Esprit to be capable of faster speeds than all other similar kayaks from all other brands. Ron also beat a large number of 'hotshot' racers in long 'fast' boats. Once again - the Esprit was proven to be capable of incredible performance - provided the paddler had the experience to extract it. In recent years, during many Speights Coast to Coast events, hundreds of our Esprit customers have paddled the Waimak river dry and warm, bemused by the river carnage caused by the masses of swimmers struggling for the shore towing their swamped 500 kg "lightweight" "fast" kayaks. Get wise - paddle an Esprit! Get the experience!

The Esprit is truly fast and stable in real race conditions.
The Esprit resists shallow water bottom drag. The forward volume resists 'crash-diving' down river eddy lines and stopper holes.
The Esprit has ample foot and leg room to ease the pain of stiff legs.
The Esprit is much less likely to break when piled onto the rocks. That’s because the Esprit, like all Sisson Kayaks has up to 46000 unidirectional glass fibres along its keel.
The Esprit stays on course in high winds.

Eliminator 97

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Michael Jacques, writer, once stated "The Eliminator is only just fast enough not to be laughed at" In 1991, using Steve Gurney as a 'motor' at 160 hbpm we tested many of our kayaks against a constant heartrate (equal power) and using water pressure manometer to register speed. The Evolution Classic pushed a pressure of 11 on our scale. The Eliminator pushed 9. Steve and I were staggered - it seemed too fast. The conditions were calm on Nelson harbour. Same result when we re-tested the Eliminator. This kayak goes very well with a strong motor! On Friday 14th May 2010 we retested the Eliminator using GPS and Luke Vaughan as a motor at 130 hbpm. The conditions were calm. The Rangitata Diversion Race was flowing a constant rate to the power station. The measured course was 700 metres long. The Evolution Omega runs averaged 2 minutes 49 seconds. The Eliminator was tested at just 16 seconds slower. SIXTEEN SECONDS off One hundred and sixty nine SECONDS! Barely worth working out the percentage loss if this had been a rough and shallow river course. There are also two other 'hidden' Eliminator 'real-race' gains to be had. The Eliminator has a real DRR type bow. The deck will stay drier in big water - meaning less drag. And the hull draws less draft than an Evolution - so it will still be floating when the narrow hulls are dragging stones. Maybe in real terms the difference would only be 10 seconds over 700 metres of flowing water! Michael Jacques - he quite clearly needs some paddling technique lessons. No-one likes to be laughed at. He 'fitted' people up - needlessly influenced them - for reasons best known only to himself - so that they purchased narrow 'needles' that launched them into a different sport as swimming stars. Many did not come back for a second session. They enjoy the fine art of breathing air too much. We have so many happy Eliminator customers who would know that Michael wrote his stupid article based only on personal bias. Michael - stick to running advise in future. It could be argued that Michael played a strong role in the gutting of a great sport - Multisport. Many years ago, Iron Man Geoff Mathews and yachtsman Grant Dalton had a grudge race at the Whanganui Descente race. They were both kayak beginners in Eliminators. Guess what? They cleaned out most of the field completing a 90 minute (winners time in Evolution) section only five minutes off the pace! Further proof real performance. When Nathan Fa'avae lived at Anakiwa he reported that his paddling times to Picton were almost the same in his Evolution Classic and his Arctic Raider. The Eliminator uses an Arctic Raider hull form. More proof that provided the Eliminator paddler has good and strong technique, it will perform at a high level. We have built more than 1000 and less than 2000 of these most popular boats. Pre 1996 Eliminators are not quite as well designed for wing paddle use as the Eliminators we build now. For the 97 version we retained the famous 'Fishform' hull. The deck has many slight improvements aimed at providing a better, more powerful paddling position and much improved comfort and ergonomics. There is more foot room so that running shoes can be worn. There is even more knee room so that the knees can be worked to get more power from a wing paddle. How does our new Eliminator 97 look on your roofrack? Racy!!! What's in a name? Eliminator the 'beginners' boat that wants to go faster than it should. Proven performance by non-swimmers over so many years. Currently our top selling 'beginners' model. Proof that dedicated non-swimmers are getting into multisport.

Voyager Adventure Racer

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The Voyager is a fully blown sea kayak that comes with Humps©, Sidetanks©, Real hatches, Decklines and a fully retracting rudder. The hull complies with the Discovery Southern Traverse Race 550mm waterline beam rule. The "Greenlander" bow provides dynamic lift when the boat strikes a wave, thus providing a lifting action to keep the bow paddler drier and paddling harder. The hull design of the Voyager carries its wide load-carrying water plane over a greater area to enhance the response to changing water surface conditions. The Humps© allow the stern paddler to keep the feet in the normal straight-up orientation allowing a much stronger paddling position. The deckline tubes and Sidetanks© add strength and stiffness to the Voyager so that it rams "shudderless" through large waves. The Real hatches keep the pressure tested compartments dry at all times. The Voyager is the first kayak in the world to come fitted standard with Steve Gurney's great Bumfortible foam seats. The Voyager is a real boat made the real way. Our boats are built tough. Instead of making the Voyager super light we specify a construction that is strong enough to do the job. Why race a 26kg boat when the race rules say that the boats must weigh 50kg?????!!! Glass or Kevlar construction? You choose. The Kevlar Voyager option is not specified to be much lighter in weight than the Glass. The Kevlar option is aimed at super strength that most people will never use. The Glass option is specified to be strong enough to do the job. Because the Kevlar lay-up is using the Kevlar for added strength (rather than lighter weight) - it is bombproof strong! At the end of the day it is your choice. The year 2000 Southern Traverse winners the Propellor Heads had a bet both ways. Nathan's boat is Glass and Steve's boat is Kevlar. During their race there was no reported difference it boat performance. But then - they have the experience to avoid tree (or rock) wraps in midstream. If you do wrap (fold) a Voyager - chances are a Kevlar one may unfold, tape up and finish the race. A wrapped Glass Voyager will come home in two pieces. Your choice! Nathan recently attempted a big surf 'breakout' off a small Banks Peninsular beach that resulted in a backwards loop onto the rocks at one end of the beach. The damage sustained to his Glass Voyager - massive gelcoat scratches and a bent rudder blade. Zero structural repairs needed. The Glass Voyagers are proven tough. Only eleven teams (56 started) finished the 2000 Discovery Southern Traverse Race. Our Voyager customers placed 1st, 3rd and 7th. The feedback from these happy customers is very strong and positive. "We like our boats" is one comment that really says it all. Subsequent feedback from our customers indicates that they are getting regular recreational pleasure from their Voyagers. Steve Gurney is at present writing a column on his findings on the sea..............It's all good! Some unsolicitored quotes:- Jeff Mitchell - "You have another good boat there! Quick on the flat water of Lake Coleridge which we were first across after the group started together on the second day. I was in the front of one, really nice to paddle. It felt like a racing boat as it was going so cleanly through the water. Stable, quick, appears really solid, and looks damn good. It is on my shopping list for later!" Nathan Fa'avae - "Left the JKK boats in our dust" Steve Gurney - "Three Voyagers went cruising to Ripapa Island two nights ago. A stiff Easterly blew up for our return, so I got out the kite. YEEEEEEEHHHHHHHAAAAR! Ian and I were launching off waves, skipping past the others having the time of our lives! What a blast! Nice boats thanks Giro (my nickname), they handle the rough and tumble really well. Lisa and I took it fishing to Motunau Beach. We caught 9 Blue Cod. Lisa and I are just about to out for an hour or so now. That makes it 5 days in a row in the Voyager." Jim Davidson - "We love our boats" Ian Adamson - "The boats went really well, and we did our best to destroy them! John managed to pile into a cliff doing 15 knots on the Rakaia, and only succeeded in making a 10cm crack in the nose! Mike and I went over a 1 metre drop and seesawed for a minute or so over the lip before plunging down into the river. We didn't notice the boat flex even a mm"

Centrix

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"At the end of the day it's the width of the footrest that indicates the stability of the boat as it plunges into a 'hole' in the river"

The Centrix bow offers a finer entry into the water and the overall beam at the widest point of the hull is 480 mm. The beam at the seat is 25 mm narrower than the Esprit whilst the overall water-plane still retains its race-proven "Fishform". The 5.075 metre overall length minimises the wetted area, frontal area, beam ratio which ensures that the Centrix is a true step up in performance from the Esprit. This performance increase has been confirmed by our customers feedback as well as comparative tests done by New Zealand Multisport Magazine. They summed up "If you're happy in an Esprit you'll definitely be happier and faster in a Centrix". That says it all!

Skevolution

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(sit on top) Take one Evolution Classic hull-deck unit and cut away the cockpit area. Add internal bracing and bond the custom designed surfski deck panel to the kayak deck. The resultant ski is no longer a kayak.

It is an Evolution Ski! A Skevolution!

Click to enlarge these photos LEFT PHOTO:- The 300mm (12") rule shown across the seat is actually 335mm (13¼") long overall because of the hanger hole extention. The ruler is in contact with the hull at each end. The roll of tape is placed to give some perspective of the seat depth below the widest point. The seat pan is 30mm above the hull keel. Note the steerer cord tubes that are fibreglassed underneath the deck = zero leaks. RIGHT PHOTO:- The footwell and footrest area allows for a wide range of leg lengths. Current production Skevolutions use improved OZO footrests. The footrest shown is an obsolete brand. The current OZO pedals off easy footrest and rudder cord adjustment. The internal structure consists of the same polystyrene foam blocks as used in the Evolution Classic. These are permanently held in position with numerous closed-cell-foam blocks. The sit-on-top pod unit is also bonded to the hull at the sides of the seat as well as the bottom of the footwell. In all respects the Skevolution is the same as the Evolution (Speights Coast to Coast Race record-holding kayak) Classic except the paddler sits on top rather than inside the cockpit. The wave deflector in front of the cockpit can be trimmed by the owner to suit local conditions. It is recommended that the owner should glue closed-cell-foam sheet into the seat and cockpit floor area to make a custom fit. Surplus volume in front of the footrest may also be filled with closed-cell-foam. A drain plug is fitted to allow the air pressure to be neutral to changing outside air pressure. Always remove this plug when the Skevolution is not in use.

Evolution EXTREME

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(Optimised waterline length for 60 kg paddlers) How did this kayak Evolve? In 1995 our factory manager Andrew Pfahlert (60kg light) needed a fast boat to use in the Portage Race. His custom built one-off boat (fabricated from bits of this kayak and that kayak) worked so well that a decision was made to made production moulds off the design. So Andrews' one-off special lives on for others to experience. Warning: The Evolution Extreme is designed primarily as an open-water go-fast boat. It may be used on wild rivers but is more prone to 'boil grab' due to the straighter keel rocker. The Evolution Extreme hull water-plane is designed around a different criteria to that used for the Evolution Classic and Evolution Edge which are primarily designed as river boats that also work very well on open water. At the waterline the Extreme has a 'diamond' water-plane form similar to, but longer than, that used by most top K1 racing kayaks. The 'diamond' water-plane results from the bow lines running directly to the widest point at the cockpit and then returning directly to the stern. This hull configuration whilst being proven to be very fast in anaerobic paddling intensity, also produces a wider cockpit area than the other Evolutions are able to offer. This wider cockpit coupled with fine ends allows the Extreme to be settled to full waterline length by paddlers as light as 60kg. As stated above, this kayak is usable by any paddler of any weight who can fit the cockpit. Note: We state above that the Evolution Extreme is optimised for 60kg paddlers. This means a 60kg paddler will press the kayak draft deep enough to obtain full waterline (speed potential) length. The Evolution Extreme can in fact be paddled by any paddler who fits the cockpit which is the widest of all the Evolution models. The Evolution Extreme has been used by many (big brute) athletes such as Olympic Gold Medalist Ian Ferguson to set many 'open water' race course records.

Evolution EDGE

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(Optimised for paddlers up to 75kg)

How did this kayak Evolve? At the time that Steve Gurney and Grahame Sisson designed the kayak that we now know as the Evolution Classic, the rough work-of-art shape (plug) more closely resembled the kayak we now know as the Evolution Edge. Suffice to say that between the initial shape development and the creation of the first boat (Steve's) the boat became wider and more stable. The final shape was not exactly what Steve had in mind. It was a boat that Grahame (and a wider customer base) could also paddle! So, in order to restore a good friendship, we next created the boat that Steve thought he was getting in the first place. We called this boat the Evolution Edge. The first production Evolution Edge left our factory in October 1992. When the heat came on Steve at the 2001 Speights Longest Day, he sought every advantage he could find. He chose a carbon Edge and used it as a weapon on the river. Going onto the river Keith Murray (even record holder) had a commanding lead of around 10 minutes. Keith was 50 metres behind Steve at the Gorge Bridge. Steve paddled the river 6 minutes faster than any other event (including Two day teams and Individuals) competitor. Viva La Edge. Steve is delighted that the Edge really gave him an EDGE. It took a while but at last Steve has used effectively the weapon he helped design 12 years ago. The Evolution Edge has finer entry, 35mm narrower footrest, is 25mm narrower at the seat and generally lower volume. The narrower water-plane allows lighter paddlers to press the hull to deeper draught, thus achieving maximum waterline length. Over the years many paddlers have won many races using Evolution Edges. A skilled fresh paddler using an Evolution Edge is a hard competitor to beat.

Witness Steve Gurney - fastest paddle overall, 2001 Speights, by 6 minutes! Steve beat Teams kayak specialist Paul Massey by 9 minutes. Not an error - 9 MINUTES! Steve is just delighted with his new boat!
Witness Andrew Martin of Andrew Martin Kayaks. For Multisport events through the 2001 season Andrew paddled an Advantage, Sprinter, Pinnacle, Evolution Edge. These days Andrew builds Legend paddles and is free to choose the best boat.
Witness Graeme Causer taking out the fastest paddle at the 1997 Kaniere Tri.
Witness Ian Ferguson and Neil McConnell battling for 1st place on the water at the 1996 Crater to the Lake.
Witness Neil McConnell repeatedly winning paddle sections of many races.
Witness John Jacoby's many wins at the (Vic, Aust) JLL Challenge.
Witness Peter O'Sullivan who dares to beat other top paddlers by ridiculous time percentages. Peter has encouraged large numbers of Manawatu paddlers to also purchase and race Edges. Witness the 2001 Rangeitiki Kayak Race results.

Which Evolution is best for you? Sorry - that is your choice. For the Speights Coast to Coast Longest Day, Steve Gurney used to prefer the extra stability of the Evolution Classic. However for the 2001 event Steve has a brand new Edge which helped win him the race. For almost all of the races Peter O'Sullivan competes in, he uses an Evolution Edge.

Our high-skilled multisport customers have a true choice.

In July 2003 Ben Fouhy (World 1000k Sprint Champion) wrote:

"Thanks for your consideration". "In response to people saying that I would win (multisport racing) in any boat, my answer is that it is likely true, yet I can paddle any boat, having been offered an F1 in the past, having access to a UFO and an Advantage, but I have CHOSEN to paddle an Evolution Edge." "Often people ask me my opinion on the differences between the top boats, and this is my opportunity to expel the virtues of your boat design, as people have sought my opinion, this happens very regularly". "I believe that the Edge or Classic is the boat of choice because in my opinion there is a difference between maximum speed and boat run. While the Evolution, being a larger boat might not be a fast boat over a 500m race which is totally irrelevant (and debatable), in my experience it has more boat run, distance per stroke. Making it more economical to paddle over a distance race." "I genuinely believe the Evolution was well ahead of its time, having similar qualities in hull shape to the latest K1's in Europe having very even curves from front to back and the U shaped hull gives good run." The volume in the top deck and the boat in general is advantageous on rivers and sizable rapids, especially the Waimak, as I have found with lower volume boats lose speed very quickly when the water comes over the top." "I have experienced this paddling down the Waimak with lesser paddlers who I have thrashed days earlier on flatter rivers, then been frustrated as I haven't been able to pull away from them." "That is why I have chosen your boat."

Note: We state above that the Evolution Edge is optimised for 75kg paddlers. This statement means a 75kg paddler will press the kayak draft deep enough to obtain full waterline (aerobic speed potential) length. The Evolution Edge can be effectively paddled by any paddler who fits into the (in its class) roomy cockpit. The Evolution Edge is primarily designed as a riverboat for use by high-skilled paddlers. As a bonus the Evolution Edge also works very well on open water.

Evolution CLASSIC

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As used by Keith Murray to set his 1994 Speights Coast to Coast Longest Day record.

(Optimised for paddlers 75kg upwards)

How did this kayak Evolve? The Evolution Classic was developed (under extreme pressure from the visionary demands of Steve) over the Christmas close-down period of the 1988-89 summer. Steve set the requiered length and volume needs. The rest of the design was 50% / 50% Steve / Grahame with Steve arguing for the water and Grahame arguing for the wind. The whole object of the exercise was to help Steve win a BMW car by breaking the Speights Coast to Coast Longest Day record. It is a matter of record that Steve Gurney did win that BMW - by turning out an amazing paddle performance. Since those early days, using an Evolution Classic, Steve has won the Speights Coast to Coast many more times , sometimes taking out the 'FASTEST PADDLE OF THE EVENT' prize for good measure. He has also won hundreds of other races, thus cementing his position as the worlds greatest multisporter. In early 1990 the Evolution Classic started a unique New Zealand phenomenon - the 'Long Boat'. Often copied - not yet equalled! Except by our Edge! The current Speights Coast to Coast Longest Day course record of 10 hours 34 minutes was set by Keith Murray in the 1994 event. Keith used a 17kg (he wanted durable reliability!) Evolution Classic for the kayak paddle section. Durable - Keith still paddles this same robust kayak in Dec 2000 (finally written off in the Rangitata Gorge in 2001) and is emphatic that, for endurance events, ultra light kayaks are not the advantage that some would claim. Keith's record stands secure. So does his practical race winning strategy!

Defender

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Multisport, the New Zealand invention is now a rapidly developing sport overseas. In Australia the sport commenced several years ago with the advent of the Subaru Classic race series. Steve Gurney won several cars using a Sisson Kayaks Infinity. One reason Steve did not use his larger Evolution kayak was due mainly to the fact that it is very difficult to travel overseas with such a long boat. For export reasons alone, we needed to develop an Evolution type kayak that would fit inside a 20ft container. In addition, our market research has shown the need for a large kayak that is midway between the Evolution Classic and the Esprit in both performance and stability. We call this the Defender.

The Defender is the optimum kayak for the multisporter who needs a compact 'Evolution' style boat. The shorter length also allows for easier car-topping and in-garage storage.
The on-water performance of the Defender in a river will be slightly less than an Evolution Classic. On open water the performance will prove to be very similar.
The primary stability of the Defender is less than an Esprit and more than an Evolution Classic.
The Defender is styled in the same manner to the Evolutions. In all respects the Defender is similar to the Evolution Classic except it has a shorter length and a wider beam at the waterline. The available space in the cockpit is larger and more spacious at seat level. Paddlers with wider bottoms are able to use lower seating arrangements thus accentuating the already good stability.
The Defender is only available constructed in Kevlar lay-up.

Nordkapp

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The Inuit tribes lived in areas of widely differing land forms and prevailing sea conditions. In order to survive, West Greenlanders had to adapt their kayak designs to cope with the roughest sea conditions. These sea conditions are similar to those experienced in Britain and New Zealand, so it is reasonable to accept that a basic design configuration which worked so well for the West Greenlanders will also work well for serious New Zealander sea kayakers. In 1974 Frank Goodman, after close appraisal of the lines of a West Greenland kayak, modified them to fit a European paddler plus camping gear. Thus was created the Nordkapp. The Nordkapp hull has a central load carrying section that is slightly v-shaped at the keel with soft chines and flared sides terminating at a very high gunnel line. The whole of the deck is designed to minimise the effect of the wind pushing the kayak off course, whilst the profile also clears any 'shipped' water quickly. The forward section of the hull is triangular in section. The lower two sides cleave the water dynamically and effectively presents a rather higher wave cleaving surface than most other kayak bow designs. The top of the triangle is a convex flat area that presents a very low side wind profile. The aft hull section is similar to the bow but runs longer and softer. At the very stem the two lower sides of the rear triangle flow gracefully into a straight running skeg that adds much to the Nordkapps' directional stability in all water conditions. Following our disastrous 1996 factory fire we decided to update the Nordkapp design slightly. The original Nordkapp had a very accentuated stern skeg which was designed before the days of rudders. The latest Nordkapp is designed to incorporate a rudder. The general fit out of the Nordkapp follows the same pattern adopted 20 years ago when we constructed our first boat from the then brand new mould imported from the UK. Apart from making the cockpit foredeck higher (increased leg room) in 1986, and fitting pod seats plus rudders as standard in 1987, the boats are largely similar to the very first production. The focus is on simplicity. Nordkapps manufactured by Sisson Kayaks have been paddled around the coastlines of New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Alaska. During all of these trips, which were sometimes conducted in heavy weather, the kayaks suffered no structural failure. Simplicity works at sea. All Sisson Kayaks are custom built these days. You can choose the type of footrest, type of construction lay-up and all-up weight. We can advise you on what lay-up would best suit your overall needs. We built our first Kevlar kayak in 1982. It weighed 49lb all up and was used by Paul Caffyn on his Australian trip. In 1985 we went for broke and built a 30lb all up Nordkapp for Paul's Japanese trip. It is our understanding that this kayak is still in use more than a decade later. Our Kevlar experience goes back to 1977. Our early Kevlar projects involved the creation of helicopter fertiliser spreading, spraying and deer recovery equipment. Building the very best Kevlar kayaks was easy after that. Fibreglass construction is sometimes described by others as being inferior. They should stop to contemplate the fact that there are large numbers of 15-20 year old glass Nordkapps still in regular use. Sea kayak operators are often passionate about their choice of personal boat. Large numbers of these discerning paddlers own Nordkapps for their own personal use. Why?

When the sea turns nasty, the Nordkapp just gets better.

Polystyrene block patterns

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Full size paper pattern for the full set of polystyrene foam blocks in your kayak. Only available for current models in production. Do-It-Yourself upgrade of these most important foam blocks made easy!

Nucleus 100

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The hull of the Nucleus is derived from a carefully scaled down Evolution Classic. Early on in the planning stages it was decided to widen the hull waterplane adjacent to the cockpit area sufficiently to provide exceptional stability for the paddler making the transition to narrower boats. It was also planned to allow the resulting interior space to allow really Front-Row-Forward-Rugby-Player type paddlers to experience the delights of a fast boat. The waterline length of the Nucleus 100 is optimised to minimise the effects of 'wetted area' drag. Experience has shown that multisport kayaks paddled aerobically (endurance intensity) are most affected by water drag caused by wetted area. Wave making drag is more a factor with boats that are sprinted anaerobically. In order to minimise the 'wetted area' of a boat that has been made wider, the length is best made shorter. Recent speed testing reinforces the fact that the Nucleus hull is actually very fast at low power inputs. The deck styling of the Nucleus 100 is absolutely scaled off the record setting Evolution Classic. The whole concept is to maximise water shedding after wave penetration whilst presenting the lowest possible profile to wind grab. The Nucleus 100 cockpit coaming has a longer and wider sizing which means that larger paddlers will easily enter and exit the cockpit.