First Glimpse - Think Uno

Think Uno

"A superfast ski... stable for accomplished paddlers."  That's how Think CEO Daryl Remmler describes the new kid on the Think Kayaks block - the Think Uno.

Top of the Range

Think Kayaks make two other skis: the Evo, touted as an intermediate boat ("nobody wants a beginner's ski!") and the Legend - distinguished by its chined hull and sold as an advanced ski. 

"The Uno is the result of feedback from elite paddlers," said Daryl, "including Jean Rillard, Peter Scott, Patrick and DeAnne Hemmens, and others.  Simply put, the Legend could sacrifice some stability in search of a more slippery hull shape.

"The result is a super fast ski, that maintains the benefits of a chined hull, and is stable for accomplished open water paddlers. The Legend remains our advanced ski for those who need a little more forgiving ride in difficult conditions."

I asked Daryl what the advantages of the chined hull were.  "Improved secondary stability," he replied. "Improved ‘push' when in a following sea and faster water release when on the wave."

French Test Pilot

French paddler Jean Rillard is in Canada for a period, studying at the University of British Colombia. He has been paddling in a Legend for the winter, and now in the Uno. Daryl is trying to get him home in time for the Eurochallenge (2 May in Spain) to race in the Uno.

Hull Development

As can be seen in the photos, the ski's plug was shaped by hand. "We started with a base shape of the Legend," explained Daryl, "and then, using new profiles based on the changes we wanted, shaped the hull.

"All of our boats have foam stringers throughout the boat, and as you may have noticed in the photos, we have added handles. Crazy, I know!"

 These shots, taken over several months, start with the development of the hull shape and end with Jean Rillard taking the first production boat out for a spin.

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 Layups

Construction will be available in Think's three standards:

• Performance (fiberglass/coremat, 15 kg)
• Elite (Kevlar/honeycomb, 12 kg)
• Ultimate (carbon/honeycomb, 10.5 kg)

When are we likely to see one?

"Right now production is limited," said Daryl. "I am producing for dealers in small numbers, and also for athletes (one on the way to Erik Borgnes now). I'm not doing a big launch. I'll let the ski prove itself."

Review coming up...

Erik Borgnes has promised to write a review of the ski for us - but has to wait a) for the ski to arrive and b) for the ice to melt! 

Think Kayaks

The Think Kayaks website is at http://www.thinkkayaks.com/