OCEAN PADDLER
THE SEA KAYAKING MAGAZINE
Kayaking and climbing in Greenland
Classic UK destination – Lundy Island
the myths and tides of the mull
Sea Survival – part one
Brian Wilson’s ‘Stern Words’
ISSUE 008
£4.99
08
9 771755 016004
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Eddyline
Fathom
Eddyline sea kayaks are now available in the UK, courtesy of importers Reed
Chillcheater. One of the two kayaks currently available in the UK, the
Eddyline Fathom (the other is the Equinox - a 14-ft sea kayak), is described
as a ‘lively and responsive fun boat for improving your skill levels’, so we
were keen, understandably, to check it out…
What Reed Say:
A lively and responsive fun boat for improving your skill levels.These kayaks have highly efficient rounded, V hulls
which effortlessly accelerate to speed. They feel safe with high initial and secondary stability and glide. The colours
available are high gloss Yellow, Red, and Pearl Blue decks over a White hull.
About Eddyline and how the kayaks are made
Eddyline, a US based manufacturer have been designing and producing quality kayaks for 33 years. Lightness, strength
and stability in design are the hallmarks of their products with outstanding build, fit and finish.
What makes Eddyline products so outstanding?
Eddyline products are constructed of Carbonite 2000, a unique, tough material that is used in the aircraft industry.
It looks and performs like fibreglass, but is infact, a thermoformed trilaminate of ABS plastics and acrylic. Carbonite
2000’s superior characteristics give dimensional stability and increased stiffness. It is of lighter weight, UV resistant
and has a hard, glossy finish with excellent abrasion and impact resistance. It is easily repairable and 100% recyclable.
Essentially, the Fathom is a hard chined, 16ft+
sea kayak, with a rounded, high volume deck,
which looks designed to accommodate large
paddlers. It’s manufactured using a material
called Carbonite 2000, which Eddyline say is
a thermoformed trilaminate of ABS plastics
and acrylic. The finish looks like a hard glossy
fibreglass, and one reviewer, having paddled
it for several hours, was surprised to hear
it wasn’t. The Fathom has a high keyhole
cockpit, and the front and rear decks rise to
meet it, giving the deck, which also features
profiled patterns, a distinctive shape. A
design, that though not to everyone’s taste,
results in a kayak that accommodates the,
ahem, larger paddler easily.
The fathom features a typical three deck
hatch arrangement, with the hatch covers
also made from Carbonite 2000 material.
The rear hatch is oval shaped to allow larger
objects to more easily enter through it, and
we had no problems with items such as
trolleys. One thing we did really like, and
which represents the attention to detail that
Eddyline have employed, is that each hatch
cover comes with a lanyard attached to it
and then inside the hatch. The design of the
toggles caught everyone’s eye; these are held
tight to the kayak by an elasticated shock
cord that pulls the toggle rope tight through
a block; another nice touch.
The front deck includes a profiled
flat recess into which a
compass can be
mounted. This lies midway between the front
edge of the cockpit and the front hatch; slightly
closer than where many other manufacturers
mount theirs; this does mean that the compass
placement on the Fathom would work better for
those paddlers who would usually struggle to read
one.
The Fathom, with its padded seat, backrest and
thigh braces is very comfortable. The footrests are
large plastic ones that are similar to those used by
P+H.
You’ll notice that your knees actually sit high
up and fairly close together in the Fathom. This
is actually a great combination as it’s comfortable
and allows good edge control. The cockpit is fairly
high; one tester commented that it felt like sitting
in a modern whitewater creek boat. Though high,
the rounded deck in no way impedes correct
paddling technique.
Afloat the Fathom feels really stable, with plenty
of initial and secondary stability for the paddler to
utilise. This came as a surprise, as the boat is hard
chined, and we were expecting less initial stability.
After a few days of paddling we realised that the
hull is probably hard chined to impart a strong
shape into the hull panel, rather than to get the full
performance that you’d expect from a kayak with
the same characteristics.
The boat manoeuvres nicely, and can be edged
easily due to the support offered by the secondary
stability and the raised knee position afforded by
the high cockpit design. The hull features, what
Eddyline describes as, ‘a healthy degree’ of rocker
which also assists with manoeuvring.
The Fathom tracks well, and despite the high
deck, doesn’t need a huge amount of effort
to keep it on a straight-
line, whether in a following, beam or head
wind. Although the Fathom comes with a
skeg, (the skeg slider box is positioned by the
left hip) which is easily adjusted and moves in
a fluid manner, very few of the reviewers felt
the need to use it, even in force 5 conditions,
or when playing in moderate surf.
The Fathom accelerates quickly and
smoothly and has a comfortable, easily
reached, cruising speed.
When paddling out through waves,
particularly short steep waves, or in areas
of clapotis, there is a tendency for the bow
to disappear into the waves. As we’ve said
before, there is a considerable amount
of volume around the cockpit and it feels
like there is quite a bit of volume in the
tail. When paddling in choppy conditions,
the stern volume tends to overcome the
bow volume, hence the bow tending to
submerge in approaching waves or when the
stern rises in choppy conditions. Although
disconcerting at first, there is no noticeable
impact on the performance or stability
of the boat, but it can lead to a wet ride
when the water hits the bow hatch cover,
spraying upwards.
When paddling in choppy conditions, you get
a real sense of how playful this kayak actually
is; as the Fathom rises up the wave it’s itching
to accelerate; like an excited pony poised to
break into a gallop. The Fathom is great fun;
exciting and energetic when in the surf or
when catching and playing on following seas.
If like me, you enjoy getting stuck into these
rougher conditions, then you’ll really enjoy
the Fathom’s playful nature.
There’s lot of storage space in
Specifications
Length: 16.6’
Width: 22”
Depth: 13.5”
Weight: 50lbs
Cockpit: 31.5”x 16.5” KEYHOLE
Volume:
Day Hatch: 1.19 cubic feet.
Bow Hatch: 2.45 cubic feet.
Stern Hatch: 2.24 cubic feet.
Price: £1,250.00
For more information see www.chillcheater.com or www.eddyline.com
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bow and the stern hatches, certainly enough
to cope with the demands of an over night
trip or even a week away.
The Carbonite 2000 material isn’t as stiff as
a fibreglass lay-up, which explains the profiled
recesses and ridges used in the deck moulding
as these help to reinforce the deck material.
However, Carbonite 2000 is incredibly light
and the Fathom can be carried and placed
onto a car’s roof rack single-handedly.
Conclusion
A lively, fun, adventurous sea kayak that
performs well. The look, build and finish
are superb. Eddyline claim the Fathom’s
lively responsive nature is great for
improving paddling skills and we’d agree,
wholeheartedly. Chillcheater have plans to
bring the low volume version to the UK and
we’re already looking forward to putting that
through its paces.
Eddyline’s response
Thanks to Ocean Paddler for the review
which gives us a chance to receive some
constructive feedback. The feedback we
have received so far has all been positive.
The original idea was to bring in a couple
of boats that would fit into the all round
touring bracket yet would be lightweight,
fairly high spec but reasonably priced.
We feel the Equinox (to be reviewed in a
later issue of Ocean Paddler) fits the bill
perfectly. However, the Fathom seems to
have exceeded all expectations. Once the
Low Volume version arrives we should have
a boat to suit all paddlers. The material
may be unusual, however anyone who uses
Reed kit should know that we do not shy
away from using new technology.
Established 2003
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