# New Stealth Toura NEW ON WATER PHOTOS



## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

I have just had some emails from Bruce Challenor with the photos of the New Stealth Toura 5 metre, and its beautiful .The photos attached are the first boat out of the mould and the guy that wanted it wouldnt even give The Challenor boys a chance to get it on the water as it was exactly what he wanted so he threw it up on his 4 wd and took off with it . This is a new boat CAD designed by Bruce with a" little" input from Barry Thomas John [bazzoo] here in Australia , and it has been designed for Australian conditions . Its designed to be fast and light and has 2 rod holders fitted behind the paddler so you can still fish and enjoy yourself , but you'll get out to the fishing grounds a lot quicker on this one . There is no big fish box , but a fish well behind the paddler for a basket so you will get the fish home fresh as it also has a dedicated basket cover . The seat has been moved further forward than on the evolutions, so weight will be more towards the bow . This will give the ski a longer waterline and thus more speed through the water and a little more glide .The first couple of boats have been coming out at around 17.5 kgs in ordinary glass so its nice and light and will be quite a nimble ski.There is a small waterproof hatch in front of the paddlers crutch for camera and keys and GPS etc . This is a ski that Bruce and i have been keen on doing for some time now and it will fill an area where a guy wants a very stable ski that will handle the surf and rough water but will glide well and be very fast without tippyness . I am really keen to get my hands on one and as soon as i do i will do a full test and put it in test section .

I make the usual disclaimer , i do not work for Stealth and have received no bullion for this , post unfortunately , but state that Bruce is a friend of mine even though hes South African and beats us at rugby , and drinks Beer like an Aussie


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## rob316 (Oct 2, 2007)

I really like that design better than the evo's bazz...ok , there is no big fish/rod hatch , but I prefer the more open cockpit and the cut nose as well ... The weight suggests to me that it will have a reduced load limit though - maybe not - but at that welter weight I'm guessing around 120-135kg ? ... reminds me of a swing , largely modified and glass of course - but still - I see a swing resemblence somewhere in it....which isn't a bad thing at all... 8)


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

OMG! Its a swing on steroids. :shock: :shock:

Nice lookin boat Bazz. I bet she would paddle very well.......and soooo light to. :shock:

Dont think I could live without the centre hatch though. I think thats one of the best things about the South African ski's


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Rob , it will carry 125 kgs easily if not i better get swimming fit soon .


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## kas (May 5, 2009)

100% right Bazz, she is a beuty!!!!!!!!!!!


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## PalmyMick (Nov 22, 2007)

I wonder who will be the first to get one, and try and modify it by cutting out the center to make a fish/rod hatch ??? :shock: :shock: ;-) 
Your finger is well on the pulse baz.
cheers mick


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

eric said:


> *MODS DELETE THIS POST BEFORE THE FANBOYS GET HERE*
> 
> That's really nice Bazz (Legend).
> 
> ...


Comrade , it has been designed from the keel up , but bears a strong resemblance to the evos as we might expect as its hard to improve on perefection , the overall stats in width are basically similar to the evos , but with the balance further forward and a few more hull mods it should perform exremly well , and Comrade , i'm not strong at all , i love the boat before its been tested


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

Looks like it'll be a brilliant Victorian snapper yak or a sleek catch and release craft that would be well suited to launches where you don't need to stow your gear. 17kg gives it heaps of, "take anywhere" appeal.

I'd love to try one of these barra fishing in the big dams next year?

An easily accessible centre hatch would be nice - Even if it was just big enough to comfortably house a tackle tray, small gaff, knife, lip grippers, donger and pliers.


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

spooled1 said:


> An easily accessible centre hatch would be nice - Even if it was just big enough to comfortably house a tackle tray, small gaff, knife, lip grippers, donger and pliers.


Dan have to agree and seems to be the only weakness in a great new design ...... can see it getting a DIY lid on the centre console to open up the below deck area like some Scupper Pro, and Swing owners have all ready done mate ;-)


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## eth93 (Dec 17, 2007)

Geez that's a sexy colour. ;-)


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Dodge said:


> spooled1 said:
> 
> 
> > An easily accessible centre hatch would be nice - Even if it was just big enough to comfortably house a tackle tray, small gaff, knife, lip grippers, donger and pliers.
> ...


Yep Richo , this point was discussed in great depth between Bruce and i , i wanted a bigger tackle area in front of the paddler for lures etc , but Bruce is a very safety conscious man, and wanted the hatch to be waterproof , and also wanted to keep the weight down , as the fish box on the evos weighs around 6 -7 kgs . The plan was originally to design a ski for guys like myself that used to paddle SLSA long skis but who had now got a bit older and didn't want to fight to balance a ski anymore but still wanted a very fast ski that had glide that we could also fish off , and carry with ease. There has been heaps of thought gone into this little champion and many emails and discussions and phone calls , as well as a big discussion when Bruce was out here There a few ideas still floating about in our heads and i really think when the ski gets here , it will be a winner .The good thing about Stealth , is that they listen to what the market is saying and are not afraid to have a go at it .

I would like to say here that no animal was killed or hurt in this post and once again Stealth havnt come across with a handfull of bullion , and that my interest is purley to achieve a better ski for Australian conditions , and one i can carry


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## Scott (Aug 29, 2005)

This is the one I have been waiting for mate, when you told me of its existence I didn't realise it was only a few months away. Any idea of a price landed in Australia from one of the Stealth boys up north?

Scott


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Scott said:


> This is the one I have been waiting for mate, when you told me of its existence I didn't realise it was only a few months away. Any idea of a price landed in Australia from one of the Stealth boys up north?
> 
> Scott


Scott , the price that Bruce has quoted in his last email is to be around the $2200 mark , and there should be some coming into Sydney in the very near future as Kas is the NSW rep and works in conjunction with Des and Mick of Stealth Australia .I knew you would be impressed mate thats why i asked you to wait just a little , this one will be a stable race horse with very good manners , as a lot of surf experiance and racing experiance have gone into it and its been a bit of a labour of love for Bruce


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## kas (May 5, 2009)

eric said:


> I'll swap my hobies.......


It WILL be that good Eric.


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## Scott (Aug 29, 2005)

Kas, what is the wait time if I order a custom colour and do I need to pay a deposit or the whole price up front to get a custom colour?

Scott


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## kas (May 5, 2009)

PM sent Scott


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

Gday Baz, I know you have been on about this one for some time good to see it materialise for you.

If its based on the hull of the evo but they have shifted the weight forward for a better ride, why wouldn't you just build the evo like this in the first place and keep the fish locker / rod hatch ??

On this point are the evos weighted so much to the rear that they can't take much weight behind the yaker ??

Wouldn't be my sort of yak as the one thing I truly hated with the prolwer was not being able to access inside the hull right in front of me and given my disposition to sink kayaks I feel I am more safely served by having the ability to bail the bugger out while still on top of it :lol: :lol:

Cheers Dave


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

Looks pretty good, that white colour is awesome. However the fish box/centre hull storage and access is what would sell me on the ski concept, having the ability to stow your rods and fish for surf/launch return is what makes the other ones so appealing. On first glance theres not enough storage area on this one and that tiny hatch on the front seems wasted if you can't utilise the front hull.

I like the weight though - lighter is better. If you were looking for a fitness ski and something to occasionally fish from then this might be a goer.

One day I'll add a glass ski to my fleet


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Good concept I reckon, Bazz.

Targeted bang on, at the calm-to-slightly-lumpy paddler crowd. Port Phillip, Moreton, Sydney Harbour, Mallacoota, South Coast NSW ... all come to mind.

The surfers will probably go for the snub nosed craft with big hatches still, but when you want to paddle for 20 or 30k's, this looks like a pretty neat package.

Red.


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

> Bloke, I am neither calm or slightly lumpy.


So are you as fat as mud then Eric :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Leigh , you got it mate , thats their target market, however , for guys that want a fast light ski thats great fun to paddle and is stable , and if you want to fish thats no problem , i think there will be some Stealth Add ons for the dedicated fisherman that wants a fast light ski , possibly and add on tackle gear box that will velcro onto the centre console and a waterproof rod bag that will engage a shockcord at the bow of the boat and one in front of the paddler so that rods may be stored in a waterproof container that will hold them firmly on the ski through the surf , these are new ideas that i know Stealth are looking at , so given that , then we have a great fishing ski .JC the evos have the seat located aft so that when you have your gear and a few big fish in the fish l;ocker the boat wont be nose down and so be a bitch to paddle ion a following sea , but certainly not tail heavy their attitude on the water is superb


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## kas (May 5, 2009)

Lapse said:


> It's a nice looking craft.
> 
> Is there a reason that none of these hulls have been turned into plastic? Personally I prefer plastic just for its' durability (you can repair fibreglass, but do you want to?). It would be a slight sacrifice of weight and speed, but is it that much?
> A plastic boat with the shape of the evos, or BFSs would certainly catch my attention - And probably a lot of other people who do most of their fishing in areas where fibreglass is not a great option.


Valid point lapse but the issue of the two materials not flexing in the same manner would not create a boat that would last. The seam from the deck & hull would break & no one wants that.
I think there seems to be a bit of a misconseption in regards to the resilience of glass.... I have dropped my ski from the truck & no damage apart from a couple of scuff marks & I know that my oppinion may seem biased, but i have had my boat in the lane cove back waters with no sandy launches, sticks & all manner of things hanging out & so far all is good. Sure you need to be a little more carefull, but thats the price you pay for a fast craft.


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## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

if only they made one that was rock monster proof.

love the idea and weight but tackle in front of me and rod storage are key.
I'm sure something could be made to stand the rods upright behind the paddler to keep them a bit drier and out of the way.
(4 rods that is)


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## kas (May 5, 2009)

hey Keza, now I know why you have 2300 odd posts, :lol: 
rod storage will be sorted, have a gander at bazz's post above.


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## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

hmmm, not sure what happened there, must be the twitchy finger hitting the submit button twice.

I saw the bit about the rods, which sounds good.
There must be a way to have better access to the centre without compromising the water seal. Maybe a rectangular hatch with 2 locks.
I only have a smallish hatch in front of me on the scupper pro but i have a long thin plastic tub which slides along on 2 cut pool noodles.

I love the idea of a lighter yak and have always liked glass but i guess i would have to get good at patching it up if i was to use it at Clovelly regularly.


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

The stealth range is certainly growing. Here are my thoughts on how to select between them:

* if you want speed, then toura, evolution them supalite/bfs in that order, the longer the better
* if you want light weight then toura, followed by evolution or supalite/bfs, the shorter the better
* can also have them made in carbon/kevlar at a price if you really want to go light
* if you have need for internal storage then forget the toura
* if you a regularly going through surf the supalite/bfs followed by evolution, forget the toura

While not winning any of the above categories, the evolution is the best allrounder. A carbon/kevlar evolution 495 would be my choice. Pity the missus disagrees


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## kas (May 5, 2009)

keza said:


> There must be a way to have better access to the centre without compromising the water seal. Maybe a rectangular hatch with 2 locks.


In the process of designing a removable pod/bag which can be placed where the other Stealth models have the hatch lid. Would be a comparable amount of storage to that of most other kayaks.

Pretty much on the money there Dave.


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

Barry will they be making them in shorter models? A kayak under 20kg is appealing, but I dont like fishing out of anything over 4.5mtrs.


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Paul , i doubt it as the boats wont have the waterline to have the glide and run that we want and theres a 430 evolution already thats about 21kgs and in carbon that would come down to about 16 kgs .


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Well , hot off the press , these photos have just been emailed to me by Bruce Challenor , his son Brett is seen testing the ski and is very pleased with the results and says its faster than the evo 465 and much more responsive , the ski is 4.70m , beam is 658 and weight is around 17 kg and the carbon fibre version weight is 13kgs , the previous description is pretty much as it is , and there will be a longer version approx 5.2m . but thats a fair way off yet as Bruce has just asked some opinions on it so mits not even at drawing stage . The Toura [ splash , south african name ]looks the goods and has come fully up to expectation by the looks of the photos and from Bretts comments.


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

I have just looked at my post , and sorry about the quality of the above photos , but the south africans have a strange file that makes posting them difficult so i had to scan them and then post them that way


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## blueyak (Jan 20, 2009)

These look great. I'd love to try one.


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

Holy Sh!t Barry its shrunk. :shock: ;-)

Actually I reckon at 470, it will be more usable for fishing and judging by the size of the rudder on the white one it should be pretty maneuverable.


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## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

So this has me intrigued. Baz, way to go buddy...

I'm being daft, or too nubie. Love the concept of a surf ski design modded to fishing, but I just dont see it. Go on mate, tell me what I'm missing, all the experienced guys see it, either I'm blind or just need education! :lol:

Leigh, you've pitched your observations of the design of this yak as a target to Moreton Bay/Sydney Harbour which I have a little experience (and PPB and elsewhere where I dont). Strange thing is I dont see any connection between MB and the harbour at all. The infamous Moreton chop is just not happening on the Harbour. Wind conditions are more funneled here. I paddled much further on Moreton than I have ever bothered on the harbour. I see greater connection between Sydney inshore (1 Longie trip and several to Botany Heads is the limit of my experience in shore) and Moreton. Moreton Bay will never have the swell/seas that open water can, but otherwise distance travelled can be similar, the nature of "normal" seas are similar. What am I missing? The way an afternoon blow pushes a yak is entirely different in c nasty chop compared to stomache churning swell.

Dave (peril), I'm going to keep re-reading your take on the stable of these yaks until I understand it! :shock:

Baz, given that you said Red has it - what would you do DIFFERENT, if the target was fast, stable, surf ski concept for OFF shore? :twisted:

Oh, out of interest will this yak go through or over breaking surf?

I'm not actually being picky here, it's just there are few opportunities to test the thinking of a designer and expert reviewers. What a gorgeous machine!


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Thanks Dru , i really am glad you like the ski, i'm really pleased with it and im sure as Bruce was the master designer and builder he is also very happy , so much so hes asked for some more collaberation on a 5.2 version ./Just as a start Dru we talked about this ski as a ski for guys that had been surf clubbie ski riders and wave ski riders that no longer had the balance for a SLSA long ski anymore and didnt want to try and get used to balancing one again , but wanted a fast ski that was smooth and had run and glide through the water that would get from here to there pretty quickly . Stealth has Race skis , The Strika is a beautiful fast greyhound , but you have to be able to balance it and you cant fish off it . So we came up with a compromise between speed and stability and fishability , and thats this ski . You can fish off it very easily as it has rod holders and is stable enough , or you can just go for a training paddle on it , or put it through the surf and paddle from beach to beach on it as it will handle the rough stuff extremly well with great stability . Dru , this is basically a fast stable surf ski for offshore , and i agreed with Leigh as its also targeted at botany bay and the harbour etc as not a lot of people want to go offshore , but if i were to ask for a fast stable design for offshore this would be it , BUT if thats the ONLY area i paddled , then i would want the longer 5.2 version of this ski once we decide where to put the beam and seat etc. A longer version of this boat will be quite fast , but this version will also be quite quick and very stable , its a trade off Dru speed for stability . I hope i have been able to help , but if not send me a Pm and we'll talk some more , thanks mate


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## paulb (Nov 12, 2006)

I reckon its a great design for the target market that Bazz mentions - love the weight (or lack thereof). With a decent PFD with lots of pockets to hold a few plastics and accessories, you could have a very sleek ride, plus pull a few fish along the way.

On the bright side, the less storage, the less crap you can take with you - that makes set up and getting on / off the water a whole lot faster. I'd love one as a second yak ......(or should that be third now :? )


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

Even though the beam is quite generous at 65cm it looks more like a go fast/training kayak than a fishing kayak, so if your main priority is going fast and covering plenty of water in training paddles with a bit of fishing mixed in then this one would be a good yak. Sorry Baz/Kas, I'm against the idea of 'add ons' such as rod storage / tackle bags as that completely defeats the purpose of getting a kayak that suits your needs.

If you want one with tackle /rod storage then get the Evolution.

17kg's is very appealing - and teh carbon/kevlar 13kg model must be awesome.


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## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

redphoenix said:


> Generally though, *southern* moreton bay is vaguely similar to the harbour (except perhaps in a north-north-westerly);
> Red.


Red

I thought about exactly this after I hit the submit button. Yep, Southern MB among the islands and the Harbour are very similar, definitely a yak designed for one will be perfect for the other. The thing though that sets Moreton Bay out for me is that horrible chop. I'd imagine other bays (PPB?) might be similar.

Bazoo - thanks!


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## YakN00b (Jun 9, 2008)

bazz jou naaier ek sal jou gat nou moet skop. looks awesome Bazz just another thing to add to my want list


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Howzit Boet , good to hear from you Noobie , where ya been mate


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## ant (Aug 28, 2008)

Hell a week away from the forum and I miss all the action. Interesting Barry  .
Regards
Ant


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## mrwalker (Feb 23, 2009)

Having just paddled a 465 Evolution, which I had thought would be my dream yak, I am glad I hadn't bought one. Because then the toura would have come along and I would have been kicking myself. The Evo was wonderful to paddle, no question, nicest paddle I've had since I left my club ski in OZ, but that box in the middle, while a great feature for surf launches, just takes up too much room for my liking. Bring the toura to the UAE and I may consider trading in the Hobie. No fish along the way, even though 4 of us trolled for 12 klms, things are very quiet over here. Congrats to Stealth and Bazz on what looks like my new dream kayak, especially at 21kgs!! Cheers, Dave.


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