Review by Mark Scotch (motoscotch)
As my first kayak race approached (Adventure Duluth, in Duluth) I knew I wanted a new kayak. After comparing and contrasting several different models I settled on a 14’5” Prijon Calabria. I chose this boat because of the price and how it compared in performance to other similar kayaks. As I trained in my Calabria I also gathered additional information on kayaks and I realized that even though the race was going to be on a smooth lake, the majority of my time in a kayak was going to be spent on rivers. Like many of the outdoor activities we all enjoy, I’ve found that having the gear designed specifically for its purpose enables you to not only enjoy the product more, but you also get the highest level of performance out of your equipment. I discovered I needed a more all around product. The Calabria went up for sale.
Although I trained with the Calabria, I ended up racing with a borrowed Prijon Kodiak for its added length of 17’ (speed) and rudder capabilities. With a rudder, one can get full power in each paddle stroke and not worry about steering with the paddle. A nice plus was the cockpits of both kayaks were the same size. So after the race and after more reading I decided that although the Kodiak was a great flat water kayak, for river touring it was not the best choice.
Enter the Prijon Yukon Expedition. With a number of local river trips coming up I wanted something that could handle bigger water and tougher rapids. I settled on the Yukon. It is a wider kayak from the tip to cockpit and stern to the cockpit, although the max width of 25” was the same as the Calabria. This gave it more overall stability. The Yukon also has a bow as well as a stern hatch compartment (The Calabria only has a stern hatch) and of course more area due to it being wider in those areas. We had a Canadian trip on the horizon and the storage space of the Yukon was much needed.
But let me back up a bit and offer some insight as to why I chose a Prijon plastic kayak in the first place. Even though a fiberglass kayak is typically faster than a plastic boat for a number of reasons including friction and flexing, I knew I wanted a plastic kayak as I knew I’d be taking the boat in rivers after the race and from my canoe days I know what lurks in rivers – ROCKS! Fiberglass and rocks means scratches and damages. The Prijon line of kayaks is more rigid than any other plastic boats so that is another reason I chose it, to be a little faster if I couldn’t have a fiberglass boat. Like pedaling a full-suspension bike, some energy is wasted in flex. The Prijon also uses a tri-hedral hull design that gives it more control as you lean the kayak to turn. In effect, it goes on edge when leaned and is on a flat surface versus a rounded (side) surface.
Prijon also claims to have the toughest kayaks, due to the material used. High performance thermoplastic, or HTP, also known as ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. A good friend of mine in the plastics business told me that this material is used on the bottom edge of snowplows as a wear device. That’s all I needed to hear about its toughness. Toughness can be huge when taking it down a river and getting it pinned between rocks. Less tough plastic or aluminum canoes or kayaks can get caught and bent beyond repair. Sometimes they maybe be reformed back into shape, but they never seem to come back to their original shape. The Prijon can take a lot more stress and keep its form. Repairing a Prijon that has gotten punctured by a rock is as simple as melting a type of plastic, p-tax in the hole.
Kayaks designed for flat water (the Calabria and the Kodiak) and speed have a flat bottom and float in the water from stern to bow. This helps it track better and also keeps it from getting blown sideways in a crosswind. The Yukon by comparison has a more rounded bottom, called rocker. This gives up a little speed and crosswind stability, but adding a rudder can compensate for the crosswind issue and speed in a non-racing situation was not critical. The difference in speed was not that great. The Calabria did not have a rudder option which was also a drawback. Rocker really gives one much more maneuverability in the rapids, as it allows the kayaker to pivot much easier. Without rocker, you’re trying to move the whole boat sideways from bow to stern on a hard turn or pivot, compared to pivoting with rocker as the bow and stern are out of the water. Basically just think of the motion of a banana and how it pivots on the curved bottom.
The Yukon Expedition is a combination of many rugged features. If you compared it to a car you would have the legendary touring aspects of a Land Rover, the built in toughness and safety features of a Volvo and the reliability of a Toyota. You just slide the boat into the river and go with zero worries that your boat will not perform when called upon. It is a full-volume touring kayak capable of functioning on flat water as well as your basic river environment. The hatches are flush-to-the-deck and these eliminate snags along shorelines and in rivers as well as offering a more streamlined quality which becomes important as you slice your way through a windy afternoon. The fixed internal foam bulkheads provide extra stability as well. The stern and bow hatches are made of neoprene and the hard plastic, quick-release webbing straps are perfect for stowing those essentials.