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Some interesting discussion.
Just to set the record straight we do STILL own Raider ,it was put on the back burner several years ago as there was a big decline in demand and it is only in the last couple of years that there seems to be a bit of a resurgence ,not so much in the competetive scene but from the large number of S-o-T paddlers, some of whom are looking to move onto something with a bit more performance but not wanting to sit INSIDE.
We are not looking to do custom ski's in the sense of shaping foam blanks and glassing over, thats a whole different manufacturing technique that we're not interested in going down, even the kayak plugs are'nt done that way, but i do think there is some scope for 2-3 moulded ski models catering for a wide weight range that offer something between the plastic ski's and the custom jobbies.
As for its 1st trip out the Merlinski was tried out by about 6 paddlers from 11st , 154lbs, 70kgs, up to 14.7st, 206 lbs, 93kgs
To be fair the conditions were far from ideal but all who tried it seemed to enjoy the experience. From what i could see a think a max practical weight limit for the average paddler would be around 185lbs, 13st, 82kgs, but the more experienced could get away with being heavier,
There was certainly more than enough positive feedback for us to develop things further, and look at a larger model or 2 aswell. Stability seemed to be pretty good compared to other ski's of similar dims,trim,seeting position seemed just about spot on, centre of seat is basically the same as the Merlin, as for speed , etc, the conditions were just to small to really get a good impression.
Overall i have to say i'm very happy with its 1st outing, no action pics yet due to to much rain to get camera out.
Malcolm
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Merlinski New 
BoaterTalk 
