Rogue kayaks, the new boys on the market! Launched post co-vid by long time paddler Micky Mcdonald and designed by Neil Baxter. Make no bones about it this a surfski aimed at the European market. The post co vid world has meant that for European paddlers, you can either import surfskis from South Africa where the rand has bottomed out, or you have to bring the manufacturing base closer to the market, and this is what Micky has done, the Rogue is manufactured out of the Nelo factory in Portugal. Sometimes in life you have throw your chips into the ring and design something new!
The Rogue Forza is aimed at the intermediate paddler, with a width at 48 cm this is less forgiving than a beginner boat. But this is where Micky has placed the Forza. At 600cm in length it is compact enough to fit into the normal sized garage. The unique hull design is high and ridged allowing the surfski to cut into the waves. This design restricts the water wrapping onto the deck and sheers water off the nose.
The width of the bucket is wide enough give enough stability but not excessive enough to restrict the speed of the surfski. The bucket size has been designed so that a Large to medium sized person can lock into perfectly. This is not a surfski designed for the larger paddler (90 KG+), but aimed at the mid sized paddler. The foot straps are the nelo specification, with the ring twist lock. It is extremely easy to move up and down in order to get the best leg length.
The Rogue Forza comes with carbon cockpit handles, as well as front and back. This is defintely a great idea if you paddle in windy conditions and need to grab onto your surfski whilst getting too and from the water.
Paddler Opinion
It is great to see new brands on the market, to compete with the others that are on the market. The Forza is light and maouevable in the waves and also in the chop. It has a secondary stability that keeps the surfski from being twitchy. The ridged hull keeps the hull high out of the water, riding over the swell and decreasing the drag. The Rogue Forza has been developed for the intermediate sport paddler and racer, and this is exactly where it finds it self. When paddling it feels sporty, yet stable, and able to compete in any race. It is also very light and easy to carry especially for the women paddler measuring 1.73cm!
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