Source: Liquidlogickayaks.com
The Grand from put-in to takeout is 226 miles and we decided to do an 11-day self-support kayak trip (actually 9.5 days of paddling as the put in day starts at noon and the takeout day ends at 9 in the morning) so that means we needed to average 23 miles a day.
That doesn’t sound too bad but considering the gear alone weighed in the neighborhood of 100 lbs + each, 23 miles started to sound like a very long way to paddle each day. The Grand Canyon is famous for its big volume rapids like Crystal, Granite and of course Lava.
…but what most people don’t realize is that 92% of the Canyon is flat-water with these crazy boils, swirly currents and weird whirlpools that seem to show up out of no where. Boat of choice for this mission was the Remix XP 10 and we could not have been happier. The XP 10 was comfortable, packed easily (the back hatch was key), stable even loaded with gear
but the most remarkable thing about the XP 10 was the retractable skeg. When paddling the crazy flat-water sections the skeg allowed us to cut through the funky currents and would track like an arrow
(Woody paddling the flats…. skeg down)
but when we got to the top of a rapid a quick flick of the lever and the boat would loosen up and give us what we wanted maneuverability. This trip to me solidified what the XP series was designed as…The first and only “true” crossover/go anywhere kayak, a kayak that answers the question of having one boat that does it all….. more stuff on the Grand Canyon to come later.
Woody
