# 15.4 km/h on a paddle yak



## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

I've been given a Kaskazi Dorado to test and review. This week I've had it on the water for about 20 hours in total. It has seen everything from complete glass offs with no swell to 25 knot onshores in ultra sloppy seas. I've also given it three surf tests in both clean and sloppy faces up to 2 foot and taken it 6km seaward to feel the effects of open water current. I've also performed every kind of open water stability, paddle and fishing test I can think of. Although I haven't landed a fish on it yet, today I dropped 2 x Spanish and a Bronzie on it so managed to experience at least part of a fight.

Although a full review will be submitted at a later date, here are some GPS readings to ponder: (I couldn't imagine getting these numbers on the BFS or even the Scupper Pro)

14.2 km/h hard sprint against a tiny swell and into a 5 knot breeze
14.8 km/h hard sprint going with the same wind and swell a few days ago
15.4 km/h sprint and glide on a deep water, 3 foot swell runner in a 10 knot crosswind today
Maintains a 7km/h ultra easy paddle with a 2 full stroke pause every 5 full paddle strokes

(Added later) The paddle used was my standard flat blade fiberglass Diego.

I'm certainly not an athlete paddler, in fact I'd be just on average in terms of bluewater, fishing yak paddle fitness but I gotta say this off the shelf fishing yak is an absolute speed demon of the paddle yak world.

The Dorado also has its downsides, especially in the surf but you'll find out about them soon enough.

I'm not affiliated with Kazkasi but have been provided a loan boat for a balanced (warts and all) review that will be submitted to a fishing publication.


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## Nativeman (Sep 6, 2005)

Get a red one and you might a click or two more out of it :shock:

Cheers


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## garyp (May 30, 2008)

your average makes my good look crud! 

Do you have a photo of this yakporsche?


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

Here's a pic,

I fitted the netting over the rear tankwell so my liveys wouldn't jump out. Normally there's a criss cross of bungy cords there. Apart from that, its straight off the showroom floor.


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

she's a nice looking beast Dan, love the OK style rudder it would give a lot of flexablilty of shallow water fishing that the stealths miss out on.

Cheers Dave


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Sir Dan , thats absolutely flying, and it also looks great , no wonder Varp is still in love with his , those figures are really sensational , and are comparable to a TK1 in flat water , are you doing a test to be published in Fishing World because thats one i dont want to miss , i have a lot of questions but will wait for your review, i hope its soon , and that IS good paddling mate so dont sell yourself short


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## swivels (Oct 28, 2008)

That's it, I'm adding another Mirage Drive to my outback, hand-powered :twisted:


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

Baz, 
These figures were based on my GPS speed setting so I guess there's some offset due to the sattelite to water distance to factor in as well as some other techno variables. The GPS also has a water speed setting but I didn't use this because I don't know what it does or how it translates.

On the 14.8 km/h day I measured my mate John on his Prowler 13. He's a very infrequent paddler and his hardest sprint reached 8.9 km/h. To translate this better, to maintain his speed I needed to stop paddling every so often.


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## theclick (Jun 25, 2007)

Thats nuts. Fastest i've reached on my swing was 11km/h and that was with alot of things on my side.


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## Swamp (Nov 20, 2007)

That's no good! how do you slow troll?


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## YakN00b (Jun 9, 2008)

i have high's of between 13 and 15km/h according to the Nokia Sportstracker software I have on my N95 8gb its a pity my X Factor will only reach that down a mine shaft.

Not saying your readings are crap just that you cant always believe peak speed readings on a GPS.


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Dan , i would say you would be on the mark mate as the speeds my mate and i have clocked in the TK1s were taken on a magellan GPS , so much the same as yours, so i would think yours would be close to genuine , mind you folks the speeds at the high end cant be maintained for very long , this fat old body wouldnt do it now , well maybe in 7 or 8 months time if all goes well .


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

OK! Just got home, it's late and I've had a couple.

The NSW disty gave the OK to keep this yak for another week so I'll do what a member suggested by PM.
On a feeling fit day with bugger all wind, swell and current (If I get one - not 2morro) I'll take it on a downhill sprint then an uphill sprint, split the diff and post a GPS speed average. Because its rated as an open water yak, I'd prefer to do the test in open water. Sorta makes more sense to match the hatch.

Anyway, I can guarantee my BFS gets a GPS reading of 11.5 km/h max on a super hard but very short sprint and that even plugging out a consistent 7 km/h takes a heeluva lot more effort.

Also certain that water level laser timer will give most accurate speed reading if conducted by a Swiss watch maker.


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Ohhhh dear Dan , this is dangerous ground for this little black duck , i have loved those Kazkazis since i first saw Varps , such a great yak , i didnt know there was a NSW distributor , or they were available in Australia ,how can i contact the distributor ,i wonder if you could tell me if when you are sitting in one is your bum lower down than your feet or on the same plain , it looks like you sit a bit downhill bum down feet higher and this does put some strain on the hammies and groin . I would love a little go of one and if it performed as i suspect it dose i would happily sell the whole Bazzoo kayak and ski fleet and just go with the Kazkazi . love em


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

bazzoo said:


> how can i contact the distributor


NSW disty is this fella - Maybe check the kaskazi website for other states.

Stephen Blanch
Wild Water Sports
Evans Head NSW
1300 729 992
wildwatersports.com.au
kaskazi.com.au


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## Cuda (Sep 18, 2006)

From what I can see on various websites, these Dorados sell for around fifteen hundred pounds which would equate to approx $4,500 aussie or maybe a little bit less. That's a lot of bucks for a fairly stock kayak (no extras etc), although admittedly they are very sleek through the water going by Dan's test. I could buy an AI for that sort of money  
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking these - if they are your cup of tea then that's great ;-)


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## Swamp (Nov 20, 2007)

Nah cuda, there's a price list on the link daftwullie posted


> Kaskazi Dorado - $3,195


Still not cheap


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## Cuda (Sep 18, 2006)

Swamp said:


> Nah cuda, there's a price list on the link daftwullie posted
> 
> 
> > Kaskazi Dorado - $3,195
> ...


Oops, I would never get a job as a currency converter  
Still a fair price, but if they can deliver 15 kph then that aint bad at all


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

That's just bullshite Dan..............................................................how can you drop 2 Spaniards. :shock: :shock: :shock: 
....some of us havent even managed that much. 

Dorado is one sleek lookin ride.

I reckon the design and the way you sit in the cock pit has a lot to do with the high speed. You can use your bum muscles, thighs and legs, even have some thing descent to push your feet against......if you know what I mean. In my sea kayak (The Dorado essentially is the hull shape of a sea kayak.....if I'm not mistaken :? ), there gets to the point where your lower body has nothing to push against, you can brace your thighs abit against the gun walls and push a bit against the foot pegs, but thats not very affective.............plus I'm even more ordinary a paddler than Dan and cant be bothered going too hard.........any way just a thought.

The cruise speed sounds the same as my sea kayak, 7km or 6km/hr trolling a couple of Rapalas. 

Bazz the Dorado would be a darn sight more easier to get in and out of than the Wasp. Maybe a good fibreglasser could customize the cockpit for you.

I think the biggest problem with them is there weight 28 kg is too heavy and the II is 30kgs :shock: . and the bath tub affect....... can you get them with scupper holes?


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## blaggon (Jan 14, 2008)

oooh that is one sexy lookin kayak.. but what is the good of it if it wont let you catch any fish :shock: 
they certainly look the goods though at that price you would expect a lot of yak too 
hmm maybe if i sold the profish & the BFS.. :twisted:


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## GoneFishn (May 17, 2007)

What I want to know WHERE is varp on this topic 2 pages and not a peep :lol:


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

ArWeTherYet said:


> That's just bullshite Dan..............................................................how can you drop 2 Spaniards. :shock: :shock: :shock:
> ....some of us havent even managed that much.


The first was on my ever reliable albright knot where the wire connected to the mono (Thanks for the great knot idea Couta1). The second (I suspect) had a following fish that nipped off the mono below the leader swivel.

Yeah Varp - Where are ya?

Jimbo is taking it out tomorrow he's got a Profish so it'll be good to see what he reckons. I'll do a time test on him, its gonna be lumpy and he's about 10kg's heavier than my weedy 70 kg. He's a super fit surfer but doesn't get out for a yak paddle as often as he should.


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Paul [ arewethereyet ] yeah mate your right on the ball with the sea wasp i have actually spoken to the guy who made my TK1 about altering the cockpit , i will have to do it its just too good a boat to sit idle because my stupid metal back and metal knee wont bend, i see your on the kayak forum Paul , think i may join you .

Occulator , those speeds Dan has achieved are quite achievable in certain circumstances , my mate and i can reach 14.6 clicks any day in our TK 1 in an out and out sprint , a little higher over a shorter distance , and Dan was quoting his speed on a "green runner " like an unbroken wave and the ski or kayak will pick them up like a surf ski and 15 clicks would be a breeze, hes also quite fit and the dorado is no slug , you need a fibreglass yak or ski to do it though as the tupperwares tend to bend and twist too much and dont hold their form as well , so they dont hang onto the wave for as long . Thats half the fun of long SLSC skis catching runners and scooting along on the front of them yeeehaaa

Varp , where are ya mate , there talking about your baby son , c'mon Varpie let us know what you think , i do notice on the official australian site the guy has used your dorado as his cover photo Varp. Ahhh i would love one of those , looks like the fleet will be up for sale soon .


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## Cuda (Sep 18, 2006)

C'mon Bazz, what's the story cobber - I thought you were drooling over the Adventure Islands and now you're ready to sell the entire fleet for a Dorado :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: 
You change your mind like you change your reg grundies or your choice of nubiles :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Haaallloooo Cuda you old sand shark Mark , how the devil are ya mate , yep your right , i have admitted myself to yakaholics anonomous and i stand up at each meeting and say "hi my name is barry and i'm a yakaholic ", :shock: :shock: i have had to can the idea of the adventure island because of the storage problem i have and the difficulty loading it now with all my bionics . The knee dosnt have full movement and neither does my back so i guess i'm just getting old , so i am looking at options seeing i cant get in and out of my TK1 or my sea kayak , my ambitions have to change with each additional surgerie . Mate when i fall off my perch they are not going to bury me , there sending me to Sims metal recylers to recover all the Titanium , :shock: :shock: glad to see your still a cheeky bugger :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Cuda (Sep 18, 2006)

Yeah I'm a cheeky bugger alright Bazz :twisted: 
I understand your dilemma with the ol body - mines starting to crack up and I'm only 50 this year  
Sounds like the mighty Dorado might be a good ride for you after all - at least you will look good out on the water in one of these beasts :lol:


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## varp (Sep 12, 2005)

Morning all.  Speaking of bods mine has been aching and moaning all week. I tells ya this landscaping biz is strictly a young pups game. Getting too frigging old and my knee has kept me awake half the friggin night. Might have to join the Mighty Bazzoo's Bionic Chapter of the AKFF real soon. :lol:

Sorry about the delay in chiming in here, but I'm busy as a dog with two dicks. Been following the thread, but my typing skills are pathetic - around the .02 k mark on a green runner so haven't found time to blather on till now.

For starters I'd say the price is worth it. Fibreglass is what most all sea going yak's should be made of. Tups are good, but they are what they are and the price reflects it. Glass is fast, stiff and responsive (unlike me :lol: ). Repairable, modifiable and looks a whole lot better. Watch those beads of briny sparkling in the sunrise on a freshly waxed and polished deck and then tell me I'm wrong!!! You pay for it, but you get more bang for the buck.

I had no idea about the speed they can get up to till Dan has run his gizmo over it. Seems awful fast, but not surprising. For me this speed translates into the ability to paddle alongside fellow yakkers while having a quang at a very leisurely clip. I've noticed I only have to dip the paddle about one and a bit times to keep up with Kelly in his Tempo who is doubling that to maintain the same speed. Mind you - in a stiff head wind he keeps up alrighty.

Speed is only relevant if you have use for it. It's the ease in getting about that is important here. That and the handling characteristics that come with a true sea kayak hull, low COG and feeling moulded into the cockpit so you can brace the crasft easily. I know Dan has plenty more to say so I'll leave it at that for the mo.


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## YakN00b (Jun 9, 2008)

My fiance has stuff in a container leaving South Africa in a short while so i can maybe organise something if you move quick, The last time I looked they were about R8000 so at R7 to the Au $ the purchase price is pretty cheap there will obviously be freight and duties on top of that..


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Ahhhh Varpie, good to hear from you sunshine , i was wondreing when you would bob up on this, mate i dunno how you do that landscaping job as you get older , great while your young , ahhh , but what the heck 50 , your still a youth , with bum knees , there not a real lot of fun are they mate , have to agree on the fibreglass , definately holds its shape much better and is faster . It was demonstrated to me when i was a keen windsurfer , there was a make of windsurfer that came out in the standard tupperware config and the special fibreglass model , same hull shape exactly , i rode both on the same day and they were like chalk and cheese ,. the fibreglass wes soooooo much faster and stiffer it wasnt a contest , now i wonder if we could discuss the terms of the loan [permanent ] of that Dorado of yours into my garage :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## blaggon (Jan 14, 2008)

YakN00b said:


> My fiance has stuff in a container leaving South Africa in a short while so i can maybe organise something if you move quick, The last time I looked they were about R8000 so at R7 to the Au $ the purchase price is pretty cheap there will obviously be freight and duties on top of that..


mate that sounds like a very nice offer  if someone doesn't jump in here id be surprised.. wish i had some money


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

Here's an on water pic from today. That's Jim on the Dorado.
I'll give him a buzz later and see if he wants to add his thoughts from a Profish perspective. Too buggered now to say anything. We both had one hell of a hard paddle today.


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## Guest (Jan 26, 2009)

Sweet ride!


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## varp (Sep 12, 2005)

Carn Dan... 

...what else you got....

8)


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

varp said:


> Carn Dan...  ...what else you got....


Heaps... but still lagging bad from Sundays hell paddle. Maybe tomorrow I'll go into some detail. I think age just caught up with enthusiasm.


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## djs (Sep 10, 2008)

hey Dan,

I know your figures are spot on. I own the current model Dorado and have just completed it's 1000km service. The averages you speak of are similar to what I have been reading on the Hummingbird 383cGPS combo and have peaked out at 19kph with a following sea. I averaged 8.7kph on a recent 17km paddle with headwinds.

Look forward to your comments on the craft - I'm wrapped with mine.

cheers

Dave.


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## varp (Sep 12, 2005)

They are a love affair alrighty Dave.

Can't imagine owning anything else. Got a few big mods in mind though. Wonder if the fish box could be eliminated without compromising hull integrity. Probably need a bulkhead in the middle. Keep the hatch lid and gelcoat the inside of the hull. It would allow for one piece rods to be stowed and cut down on a stack of weight.

...and where is the one they call Dan????

The crowd grows restless my friend....

:?


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

OK here I am - Sorry about the delay, I've been too busy fishing and destroying my evil tobacco demon.

Anyway, the Dorado went home yesterday afternoon. It was a sad moment but as it turned out I didn't take it out at all on the second week. The first week nearly killed me with 5 days in a row on the yak and a few evening rock sessions as well. After the third day on week 2, I could hardly move. That was also day 1 off the smokes so I imagine any unfortunate Dorado events would have seen me break out the sledge hammer.

Here's what I reckon of the Dorado in a nutshell:

* If I never did surf launches but paddled fully open waters or travelled huge distances in big open bays, I'd get a Dorado.
* If I chased snapper or kings on softs or trolling diving lures in the above waters I'd get a Dorado.
* If I was looking for a livebaiting platform, I'd probably get something else. This is because of the multiple line tangles on the sea kayak style rudder. The rod holders sit pretty tight to the hull and could do with a few extra degrees. This isn't a problem if you have one rod out. When you have 2 set lines (a floater and a deep bait) it causes heaps of headaches. If you have one set line out back and flicked softs ahead on the drift, you'd be OK most of the time.
* I'm not a big fan of the rear hatch and tankwell layouts from a livebaiting perspective
* The foot pedals sit a bit high to make them comfortable to use
* The centre hatch doesn't fit a 6 foot rod which was really annoying but the Dorado 2 fixes this
* The waterproofing is brilliant, even when the yak is flipped and submerged
* The build quality and finish is excellent
* The Dorado is not a surf yak. It goes sideways on a dime, zero control. It doesn't matter how much speed you have, this craft will always skew sideways and will either pull you off the back of a wave or force you to brace into the wash. The rudder makes zero difference in the surf.

Is it worth $3,000? I think it is. If I had a fully protected launch and my favorite snapper launch wasn't over a shallow rocky reef, I'd trade in the Scupper and use the Dorado as my winter snapper yak. Unfortuately even on the tiniest swells, I can't justify a Dorado for my fishing or launch style. If I flicked softs at snapper in PPB or big nobby's in the Gulf of South Australia, fished the open side of Sydney heads or Jervis bay with a lure out or the open parts of Moreton Bay, I would get heaps of value from it both as a fun, super fast paddle yak and a fishing yak combined.

Aside from some of the minor deck config problems and the sea kayak style rudder and rudder pedal setup, I loved paddling this yak. Even if you just want to go out for a paddle or maybe an overnight camping trip, its so much fun and feels so much like a sea kayak but even more stable.


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## varp (Sep 12, 2005)

On ya Dan and I'm a bit pleased you found it so crap on the re-entrys. At least it's not just me.

For those interested I thought I'd add my two bobs worth to Dans worthy nutshell -



> * If I never did surf launches but paddled fully open waters or travelled huge distances in big open bays, I'd get a Dorado.
> * If I chased snapper or kings on softs or trolling diving lures in the above waters I'd get a Dorado.
> * If I was looking for a livebaiting platform, I'd probably get something else. This is because of the multiple line tangles on the sea kayak style rudder. The rod holders sit pretty tight to the hull and could do with a few extra degrees. This isn't a problem if you have one rod out. When you have 2 set lines (a floater and a deep bait) it causes heaps of headaches. If you have one set line out back and flicked softs ahead on the drift, you'd be OK most of the time.
> 
> ...


and as Dan says they behave like a true sea kayak and I find that the pleasure I have found in fluffing about on the briny in the Dorado can sometimes put the fishing aspect of the trip as a secondary concern. Should point out I am a complete and utter fishaholic since birth and have been surprised at this, but none the less delighted.


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