GULL – LEKKER Kayaks

The Gull is a true pocket rocket. At 425cm/14′ it is on the short side for a surfski, but it carries enough speed for experienced paddles to enjoy in rough conditions, while having all the stability that a beginner needs to get into surfski paddling. On top of that, it boasts hatches front and back, making it a double up as a touring kayak too.

WHAT THE GULL IS ALL ABOUT

Hull design

The rounded hull and soft edges create a smooth ride in turbulent conditions, with just enough of a keel towards the bow and stern to cut through the water and help tracking. It has a long waterline, making it fast for its length. The aggressive, high volume bow punches through waves with ease. The stern has a lot of volume right behind the seat to create stability when going through waves, while tapering towards the end for more controlled surfing of swells.

Whether you are an absolutely beginner worrying about staying upright or an experienced paddler looking for a stable craft to hone your surf zone skills, the width of the Gull combined with the voluminous rails creates an extremely stable ride.

The Gull is standard fitted with an understern rudder, while an overstern rudder is available too. It is also comes standard with a custom designed venturi self-bailer.

Deck design

Everything on the deck revolves around efficiency. The ergonomic cockpit design enables hours in the seat, great for training and long-distance touring. The large cutaway design in front of seat allows for a more efficient forward paddling stroke.

A large oval hatch on the stern deck turns the surfski into a nifty touring kayak. A smaller round hatch in front of the cockpit allows for the storage of smaller items in the bow too, which is essential for proper trimming of the hull when the stern is loaded.

The stern features some handy bungee cords for storage of easy-access items. A bottle holder, bow and stern handles as well as centre handles round off the deck.

SPECIFICATIONS

Length: 425cm / 14′

Width: 60cm / 23.5″

Height: 34cm / 13.5″

Weight: 23kg / 50 lbs

Carrying capacity: 120kg / 260 lbs for best performance (130kg / 280 lbs possible)

Bow hatch size: 8″ round

Bow hatch volume: 86L

Stern hatch size: 44x26cm oval hatch

Stern hatch volume: 108L

FROM THE DESIGNER

Every surfski paddler has to start somewhere. And not all surfski paddlers aim to win races. And not all surfski paddlers can afford high end surfskis. And some surfski paddlers want to do some light touring too, without investing in another kayak. That was my mindset when I designed the Gull.

Main priority with this design was stability. Many hours in front of the computer later, I managed to achieve that without compromising much on speed. In fact, the first time I took the production version out on the water, I was blown away by how fast it actually is. A 14′ hull doesn’t need to be a slouch!

6 years ago, I wrote the following (extract from my article “The folly of boat selection”, written for The Paddle Mag): “If a paddler can’t put 100% of their pulling power into a forward stroke because of the need to use some energy to maintain balance, the paddler is in the wrong boat. This applies to flat-water (which includes windy conditions and the mess at the start of a race), surf-skiing as well as river-racing. It is just about impossible to establish good paddling technique if a paddler is not 100% comfortable with the (in)stability of the boat.”

So while the Gull certainly won’t keep up with a 6m composite surfski in capable hands, if your skillset doesn’t allow you take full advantage of the 6m surfski’s potential because you can’t balance it, you’re probably not going to be much faster in a “faster” surfski. This is especially true on longer outings, as concentration and balance starts lagging when you get tired.

The deck features a clean design, as is normal for surfskis, but I did add a few details that make the Gull double up as a nifty sit-on-top touring kayak. Two hatches and bungee cord allow for storage of items, while the safety rope around the stern deck is a valuable contribution towards safety.

The deck naturally features paddle cutaways, to enable efficient forward strokes. One little detail I added is a properly-designed recess for the understern rudder, with a cover that blends perfectly with the back deck. I think it looks so much neater than the typical setup on most surfskis.

I trust that this design will help to grow the surfski community by lowering the barrier of entry, both from a cost and a dauntingness point of view.

Celliers Kruger