- Best for: day trips and rolling
- Sizing: up to 1.7m/5’8″ tall. Slim build
- Max shoe size: UK7/EU41
- Length: 507 cm
- Width: 50 cm
- Depth: 28 cm
- total volume: 254 litres
- front hatch volume: 62 litres
- cockpit volume: 120 litres
- day hatch volume: 31 litres
- rear hatch volume: 40 litres
What’s it like?
The Echo is a sleek, low sea kayak that is capable of rough water play and day excursions. It’s also an exceedingly good kayak for Greenland rolling (or any other kind of rolling come to that). It’s not just a kayak for women either – Dirk Sanders of “How We Roll” has one and reckons it’s fantastic.
You’ll find the features that have been consistently incorporated into the design of the “50.5cm wide” range of kayaks. The characteristic knee bumps just forward of the cockpit provide extra room if you’ve got longer legs. The cockpit is the same size – snug but big enough to get in and out with ease. Thigh braces are placed in exactly the right place and there is some adjustment available on the seat position in case you need to sit a little further forward to improve your connectivity.
Volume has been reduced everywhere, resulting in a very low-profile sea kayak that is largely unaffected by wind. It’s not designed to be a load carrier although it has been used by paddlers for expeditions where they were in the company of others who carried the heavy stuff.
There are two sizes of seat designed specifically to work with the reduced width of this kayak. One is small and the other is very small. To be comfortable with the smallest seat you will need to be very slender and have narrow hips. So try before you buy and remember, it’s easier to add foam than lose weight!
My opinion?
It’s maybe a little unfair of me to give an opinion as I am so much too big for this kayak. More relevant are the opinions of every paddler who has come to demo an Echo with me. Without exception, they have all bought one. The consistent feedback has been that it’s the first sea kayak that fits them really well and is simply brilliant.
How the designer describes the Echo
This kayak has been designed for the smaller paddler. For its size it’s fast and maneuverable, it has a keyhole cockpit and a low deck to minimize the effect of wind. The kayak rolls well and is fast for its length.
Price: from £3378 for standard construction. See the price list for options