Think Ion's relative stability.

Now that I have sent three emails to Think over the last month and never heard back, I thought I would ask the general community. What is the relative stability of the Ion.. Anyone out there paddle one and have a good feel of its.. Feel? Compared to the new or old V10/ Evo II/ Stellar SE-SEL/ ...etc.

Bill

Hi Bill,


Hopefully I can help with some info on the Ion.

Firstly, here is an interview with Daryl Remmler, the designer of the ski, with an outline of the intentions for this new craft, where it sits in the line up etc.

www.thinkkayak.com.au/2013/07/think-ion-the-next-step-up/


This second blog is by an Evo II paddler in Sydney, who got the chance to paddle it almost as soon as I got one into Australia.

www.thinkkayak.com.au/2013/04/the-new-ion-hits-australia/

Finally, my own write up on the ski.

www.thinkkayak.com.au/2013/05/my-first-impressions-of-the-ion/

I hope that can provide some background into the design and how it fits in our range. There are also lots of photos of the new ski on the Think Kayak Australia Facebook page (just search Think Kayak).

If you would like to ask any specific questions, please feel free to contact me directly at stewart @ thinkkayak.com.au


Cheers.

Thanks for the links Stew.. I have looked at these before and they are what has me intrested in the boat. No offence but I'm looking for a more objective review or opinion of the Ion. There is a lot of cheerleading (i expect for a good reason) and nothing critical. Stability comparisons with other boats would be very helpful.

Bill...

We had one in Seattle and several of the local guys tried it...

Hi Bill,

I am replying to you on behalf of Daryl who is having some technical issues receiving emails from some servers and thus did not see your requests for info on the ION.

Stewart has summed it up well and having paddled the 1st boat off the mould myself agree with his comments.

The final production ski has been tweaked a bit with slightly more pronounced paddle cutouts and adjustments to the hull behind the seat for a little more stability.

We may have to wait a little while for true comparisons as the 1st production models are just making their way onto the market.

Regards,
Bruce
Hong Kong Paddler(dealer Think Kayaks Hong Kong)

Newbflat wrote: Thanks for the links Stew.. I have looked at these before and they are what has me intrested in the boat. No offence but I'm looking for a more objective review or opinion of the Ion. There is a lot of cheerleading (i expect for a good reason) and nothing critical. Stability comparisons with other boats would be very helpful.

Bill...

Hi Bill,

Great to hear you have made it to my website, nice to hear from people in far flung places stumbling across it.

To be honest, there wasn't anything I could be critical of in the Ion when I paddled it, except for putting the paddle cutaways into the design, which were on the cards anyway when full production started.

I also don't paddle any other brand of ski, so unfortunately I can't give you the comparisons you are after. My daily ride is a glass Uno Max, so stability for me wasn't going to be an issue on the Ion, but what surprised me was the pace the ski held, and how it carried momentum in chop and small runs.

It's designed to be a stepping stone between the Evo II and the Uno Max, and to be it felt exactly that, both in terms of stability and speed.

The first production Ions are hitting Australia this week, so if you keep an ear to the ground, there should be lots of feed back and comparisons about to start feeding through.


Cheers,

Stew.

Thanks everyone for your help. Guess I will just need to wait..

Bill

Also, the Ion hits New Zealand next week, so there should be some new feed back filtering through from there. Hopefully some of the new Ion owners will contribute here with their feed back. I'll ask the guys who have pre-ordered Ions here in Australia to share their thoughts when we get our shipment next month.


Cheers,


Stew.

I have an Ion on order here in NZ ; currently own an Evo 2 so have a useful point of comparison.
I would be happy to post a few thoughts from the perspective of a mid packer if that would be of any use

I'm all ears jazzman..... Whenever your ready.

For all the lucky West Aussies out there, the ION lands on our shores tomorrow!!

Details of the next demo day coming soon, but keep the 17th of August free!!

What is the seat hight of the ION and is it the same as the UNO MAX ?

Hi Kemi,
The Uno Max seat height is 31 mm. The Ion is at 29 mm.
Bill, sorry about the problem with the email not getting through. This has happened to a few people, and I have not been able to figure out why. You can email me directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Best regards,
Daryl

Oops, typo above!! Now corrected.

What about the seat hight of the evo II ? I live in Denmark Copenhagen, is there anywhere near me were I can take some of the Think boats for a spin ?

Hi Kemi,
Also 29 mm for the Evo II.
Unfortunately we do not have a dealer in Copenhagen. I hope to have a dealer there for Spring 2014.
Best regards,
Daryl

Video of Sean Rice doing a downwind on the Ion. Hope you enjoy.

I'd also be very keen to hear a mid-packer's impression of the Ion relative to the Evo II.

I love my Evo II downwind; we're doing a 22km downwind this afternoon (reverse Buffels Run in a brisk NW for anyone who's paddled here in Cape Town). Just installed a new elliptical surf rudder from Orka on it - can't wait to see how it affects the handling.

What happend to the Think legend ? To me it looks like it is being replaced by the Ion.

The Ion replaces the Legend in the Think range. Personally, I find it a faster ski to paddle than its predecessor.