Folks
I received my new “Refined” Mega reflex at the start of the week and thought some of you might be interested in how it goes:
"Disclaimer* I am not a surf kayak, board, ski designer or have any qualification in engineering, my impressions are my own and are not influenced by any factor except what I have experienced surfing this new boat".
If you have the original reflex then don’t worry, you do not need to go out and buy the new version, it is not different enough to justify spending all that extra hard earned cash. When I first got into the original reflex I immediately fell in love with the boat, it is the only surf boat I have ever got into (from any manufacturer) and felt immediately comfortable with the performance and surfing characteristics (my feet still hurt however due to the lack of space in the front and having the central foam with no cut-out for your heels!).
The new reflex in short performs as follows:
Speed: this is a fast boat, like all modern surf kayaks speed has a big influence on the design which is part of the reason areoles are becoming more common. I did feel that the new version was a touch slower than the original and may be due to the softer rails up front, however it is still a devilish quick boat. (I have herd others say different however so if I am wrong it might be due to the soft fins I have been using)
Manoverability: this is much better than the original design, with the original reflex I found I had to be really flying across the wave with super hull speed to be able to carve the top turns however the new version with softer rails up front and a more even distribution of volume makes the boat more balanced meaning you can carve your top turns at much slower speeds, this also makes the boat feel safer when surfing those walling sections at the top of the wave.
Comfort: The new version has a little more room in the front for your feet but still had a central foam pillar with no cut out for your heels; this puts your feet at an unconformable position. From a surfing perspective however the boat gives you much more confidence on the wave this is because the boat is less likely to catch the front hard rail which was sometimes a concern with the original design.
For a rider like me who lacks some of the fluid carving abilities of others (like Chris Harvey for example) the boat allows my to carve much more smoothly, maintaining speed throughout the turn. I found with the original design that it much preferred the more slashy style of surfing so well personified by Darren Bason, this does not mean it cannot be thrown around as it certainly can I just feel it has a slightly softer feel when carving.
Overall: I love this boat, I used to love my original Reflex and still would do but the subtle changes in design have helped to make the boat a little less twitchy and a little more user friendly.
See you on the water.
Steve Bowens.
Ps If you have not surfed the Original Reflex or indeed a surf kayak then this boat is very fast and manoeuvrable but not the perfect choice for the first time surf kayaker, this boat is a thoroughbred and required a reasonable ability to sit in a tipy surf kayak or on a ski to be fully appreciated.
If you want a top performing surf boat and are a surfing regularly (and are less that 80kg) then I have not surfed any other design which performs better, however you must try lots of designs to find what you like and what suits your style.
