The TARAN
The Taran is the radical new addition to the Rockpool fleet, designed for the intermediate to advanced paddler. It steps away from the looks of the conventional British sea kayak to give very high performance with surprising levels of manoeuvrability and stability. The Taran can maintain 5.0 kts yet is a user friendly, practical kayak. The handling is good enough to get close in to the cliffs, stable enough for photos and confident enough for open crossings. It can be used for cruising, exploring, fitness training and racing.
The Rockpool Taran from Mark Sundin on Vimeo.
“The Taran could be the future in expedition and touring craft design, especially for those whose minds are open to a little more than the accepted ways.”
Articles from Ocean Paddler Magazine
Read a review by http://www.expeditionkayaks.com here.
Between the Lines:
The speed allows you to go further and see more in the paddling time you have available. It has quickly become a favourite within Rockpool as a solo day boat.
TARAN – In the Detail:
Hull: Length 18 feet 0 inches (549 cm) – Width: 20.5 inches (52 cm) – Volume: 383 litres.
The Taran is a fast sea kayak with easy and predictable handling in all conditions. The high volume bow gives a dry ride and maintains high speed through chop and rough conditions. The flattened U-shaped centre section ensures the fast hull is not compromised in terms of stability or manoeuvrability. The Taran is fitted with the SmartTrack rudder system as standard; this further enhances the handling, giving easy and precise heading changes. Without the rudder deployed the Taran is designed to weather cock slightly and responds well to lean steering. Though the Taran has fast, sleek lines it actually has the largest volume in the Rockpool fleet (383 litres), so there is plenty of scope to carry all that camping kit.
Hull:
The hull section begins with a deep V at the bow, blending into a tapered and flattened U-section for the centre, fading back to a buoyant V section for the stern. A combination of rocker and deadwood shaping gives good manoeuvrability and positive reaction to steering.
The buoyant bow is designed to maintain a fast and dry ride. The stern is blended smoothly to give low drag whilst maintaining plenty of volume for enhanced handling in following seas.
Deck:
The high front deck is designed to stay above the waves and to quickly shed any water that does make it over the bow. The large front compartment is accessed via a round hatch. Ahead of the cockpit is a small day hatch which allows storage for all of life’s little essentials. The rear compartment is fitted with a large oval hatch. There is a security locking point to the rear of the cockpit. All deck fittings are standard Rockpool recessed fittings.
The cockpit is a roomy and comfortable 145 litres, fitted with the SmartTrack combined footplates/steering pedals and a fixed seat. The seat is factory fitted to match the customer’s requirements.
Background:
The Taran was originally conceived to give Rockpool Kayaks a fast boat capable of breaking the record for the Circumnavigation of Anglesey. The Taran also had to earn its keep; it was to be a boat that was marketable and useable by the sea kayak community as a whole. It was not to be a boat that could only be paddled by a few elite paddlers.
To this end, though speed was important it was not paramount; user friendliness was also high on the criteria list - both fast and practical. A fast kayak is only that if it is stable enough to allow the paddler to put the power down in all conditions. (You also need to be able to take a pee mid-crossing!)
In testing the Taran prototype broke the Anglesey circumnavigation record three days after it first took to the water (Aug 2009). It also smashed the record for the 41nm crossing between Anglesey and the Isle of Man, knocking over an hour off the previous record (April 2010).
The Rockpool Taran is designed for the sea kayaker who is ready to take their paddling up to the next level– an advanced kayak that isn’t just for the advanced paddler.