Exo/Gui Gui Prod Helixir Plastic and the Jackson Rockstar 4.0

The opportunity to test the two latest playboats in the world right now in sunshine and on whitewater came up last autumn, thanks again to the fleet of test boats from Above and Below at Lee Valley Whitewater Centre (thanks Matt!). They are, if you are not a playboater or live in a cave – the Gui Gui Helixir – now available in plastic – and the Jackson Rockstar 4.0.

Before we go any further, you should know a bit about me: I’m 5ft 9in (1.75m) with size 9 feet and 12 stone (76kg) in weight, and I paddle a 2010 Allstar. I looped for the first time this year and I’m happy on whitewater, but the more complex moves elude me. Actually, the loop eludes me most of the time, too. I swim once a year, like it’s a religion and I really should be playing golf or something instead.

My ‘home run’ is Lee Valley. In the interests of disclosure, I have something of an allegiance to Jackson, having enjoyed the best week’s paddling of my life with founder Eric Jackson (EJ) on the Ottawa in 2016, but I’m also keen to see other kayak manufacturers challenge Jackson dominance, so I don’t feel any bias here. For this ‘first impressions’ article, I made other, better paddlers, test the boats too, then got them to tell me what to say, and wrote it down as though I thought of it myself. So now you know my MO!

First impressions

First impressions were… size! Playboats have been gaining in volume steadily over the years, while their length has stayed constant at around the six-foot mark. Both these boats (in the medium size) are a shade under six-foot and weigh in at around 13.5kg. However, that doesn’t give an indication of their volume. I thought, a few years ago, we might see a move away from pure air boats, as people started talking about the charms of the old vert moves, the cornerstone of which is the cartwheel. But no. These two are giants: the new medium Rockstar has as much volume as a small Pyranha Burn, the quintessential big-volume river runner.

Part of the reason for this is the never-ending diversification of types: Jackson, for instance, have released their slicey vert boat model the Mixmaster, which is perfect for learning cartwheels and squirts, leaving the 4.0 free to be a 100 per cent air boat.

the loop

The is another, simpler reason too. Most playboaters – particularly in Britain, but worldwide – are hole riders rather than wave surfers and the move everyone wants to nail is the loop. Modern playboats are built primarily to offer this up in the easiest package, although thankfully that shape also works well for wave-surfers.

The first thing I noted on flat water, having said that these boats are not supposed to be the easiest to initiate vert moves in, was that even I could get both boats vertical and throw a couple of ends, as easily as I can in my current boat (2010 Allstar). Plus flatwater loops (‘floops’ if you like…) ought to go aerial if you can do these. One of my co-testers got both of these boats well clear of the water even on the flat. In terms of rolling, I found the 4.0 easier, but bear in mind that I spent no time in outfitting the boat or checking the seat height (which is vital to rolling – the lower it is, the easier).

There are other reasons big might be better: more boat surface to catch the white and keep you in the feature and, here are two enormous benefits. Firstly, modern air boats like these have become as comfortable as ‘normal’ kayaks. You might not worry too much about comfort in and of itself, but it means longer in your boat, more water time, better progression. The best thing of all,

­I discovered, moving from the flat to the Olympic course at Lee Valley, is that these boats are pretty good river runners.

added manoeuvrability

That buoyancy keeps you on top of the water as you cruise down the river. The Olympic is not exactly playboat-kind: it’s a heavy, relentless course, with sticky holes and big drops, but I was not worried for a moment. In some ways, I was happier in a playboat than in a creek boat, with the added manoeuvrability making up for the speed to punch holes that you’d get in a river-running design, and the knowledge that these sticky holes tend to give a playboat a wild ride, with a high probability of spitting them out. In a creekboat, you can get truly stuck as the hull settles firmly into the slot.

In a hole, the Helixir impressed with its looseness. I was able to clean spin my way to 720 on the corner, something I’ve never done before, and I suspect the Rock Star would offer the same. Both surfed willingly onto the small thrashy wave towards the bottom of the course and both seemed to carve easily too. This wasn’t the setting – nor I the paddler – to tell you how well they release for pop for moves like blunts, but it’s obvious that these boats will surf well, making the most of even modest features like this one.

It’s long been a bugbear of mine (and I’m not alone in this), that so many paddlers progress straight to big-water river runners and creek boats too early in their careers – as soon as they hit the easy Grade 3, it seems. These boats are brilliant tools, but they are for running huge waterfalls and doing the North Fork Race in, or the Sickline! Their forgiving edges, greater length and volume will hide a lot of mistakes. And the sight of one blocking an entire stopper or whole eddy at a small whitewater course is enough to strike fear into the heart of anyone in a smaller boat!

The Yantra would be a good first boat for a paddler embarking on his/her whitewater career. But, in a strange way, given that boats, including these, are becoming more and more specialized to different types of freestyle (air vs vert namely), the 4.0 or Helixir would also make a good beginner’s boat. Running whitewater in these is perfectly feasible, and even if you never end up doing huge pan-ams or airscrews, you will learn all about boat trim and body weight and you’ll be able to enjoy every feature the river has to offer as you go from the top to the bottom.

Which was better?

Well, after a scant couple of hours, the choice for me was a narrow victory to the 4.0. But that’s very subjective. They both have distinct qualities that will emerge over time and you should try them both.