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Surfski.info last reviewed the Knysna
Kayaks Robberg Express in April 2006 and at the time we had a couple of
reservations about the ski -in particular, in choppy water the cockpit filled
with water. I've spent the last few
weekends paddling the updated model and found it much improved.
Knysna Kayaks
Knysna Kayaks is based in Knysna, South
Africa and are better known for their K1s and K2s. Their reputation for high quality is such
that they are the sole licenced manufacturers of Vajda racing kayaks in South
Africa.
Robberg Express: First
Impressions
The build quality is excellent: the gelcoat
has scarcely a ripple (not surprising since they now vacuum bag all their skis)
and the paint scheme on our demo boat looks smart.
 The Robberg Express on the water (Photo: Rob Mousley)
For a larger image, click here.
The cockpit rails have been lifted in front
of the sitting position and meet a raised deck - taking away the bulbous nose
that gave the original ski a rather ugly look; although the ski still looks
distinctive, I much prefer the new shape.
The adjustable rudder pedals have a very
smooth and easy to use mechanism. The
footplate moves easily and the pedals are self adjusting. The rudder lines are made from stainless
steel cable - a section of line attaches to the cable and goes through the self
adjusting mechanism on each pedal. The
lines come with plenty of spare - enough to make a jury rig in case of
failure. (This is a good thing: last
season in the course of some 25 downwind runs we saw several rudder line
failures including both steel cables and V10 rudder lines.)
 Robberg Express footwell - wooden footplate; storage compartment
Paddling
the ski
I paddled the ski on several occasions in
different conditions:
- Downwind on our favourite
Millers Run.
- On flat calm conditions in a
race
- For a three hour training
paddle around Robben Island during which we had some small runs on the way out
and a cross-chop on the way back.
- Downwind from Fish Hoek to
Buffels Bay, the so-called "reverse Millers Run".
 Robberg Express under load (Photo: Rob Mousley; Load: Dale Lippstreu)
Comfort
The importance of getting the rudder pedal
adjustment right was driven home to me on our first paddle - the downwind
run. I set the ski up on shore but once
on the water realised that I'd set the leg length too long. I was able to change it on the water - but
inadvertently set it too short. There
were two consequences - the ski felt quite twitchy and my coccyx was rubbed
raw.
On subsequent paddles I had the adjustment
just right (calves just touching the cockpit bottom when my leg was at full
stretch) and this made a huge difference to my stability and also to the state
of my backside.
In short - this is one of the most
comfortable skis I've paddled.
Stability/Seating
Position
I find the Robberg Express very similar to
the Mako6 - in which I spend most of my paddling time. The seat position is higher than the Mako6
however; your feet are below your bum and I think this adds to the comfort of
the ski.
 Robberg Express aft deck, showing cutaway (Photo: Rob Mousley)
Adjustable
Footplate and Rudder Pedals
The footplate assembly is held in position
by two spring-loaded pins that impinge rails mounted on either side of the
single footwell. A short cable is
attached between the pins - you simply pull on the cable to move the rudder assembly. This is the same mechanism used on the Epic,
Fenn Mako6 and Honcho skis. The pedals
self adjust on the rudder lines making it extremely easy to change the set up -
even while sitting in the ski on the water.
The footplate on the demo ski is built of
marine ply - and felt extremely solid. "The
footrest is available in carbon," Albert Wasserman, Knysna Kayak's factory
manager confirmed, "but I prefer the wood."
Performance
As we all know, "it's not the hull, it's
the engine". My impressions were however
that:
- The ski catches waves very
readily. I found that it accelerated
easily onto both large and small waves.
It was very controllable and did not have an undue tendency to broach.
- I found the ski's stability
such that I could focus on keeping my rhythm even on choppy water.
- The position of the seat and
the narrowness of the hull at the catch make the stroke comfortable and
presumably efficient.
In the race that I paddled, I was beaten by
my buddy Dale Lippstreu on a V10 Ultra while I beat my other regular training
partner Damian Feuilherade who was on a glass Mako6. Of course a sample of one race doesn't make
for accurate conclusions but for me the point was that I didn't feel that the ski was
the cause of Dale beating me! I don't
think there's anything wrong with the hull speed. (The Robberg Express is about 30cm shorter
than the V10/Mako6 and one would expect perhaps that this would have a
consequence - longer hulls are, as we all know, faster.)
Why "Robberg
Express"?
I was on the beach stretching before
setting out and total stranger walked up to me and said, "That's a cheeky name
for a boat!" I asked why and she said, "It's
the name of a huge shark that lives up the coast near Knysna!"
Albert confirmed the story: "The shark is a female of over 7 meters and
is often seen off Robberg - from there its name - some tourist took a picture
of the late Daniel Conradie and his partner - I think it was Jenette Walder on
a double ski off Robberg - whilst the shark passed under them - it was larger
than the ski!!"
Build
Choices and Weights
Albert said that the normal weight of the
ski is max 17kg - and without the storage compartment around 16kg.
"We also do epoxy lay-ups," he added. "14 kg in glass and 12 in carbon."
What
I liked
- The build quality: the demo ski has an
excellent finish. I also prefer the look
of the new deck shape.
- The stability: more or less the same as a
Mako6, I'd be happy to take the ski into any kind of chop
- The seating position: with bum above heels,
it's one of the most comfortable cockpits I've ever sat in.
- Handling in waves: seemed to accelerate
easily onto small and large waves, didn't dig the nose in, manoeuvred well and
didn't broach excessively
What
I didn't like
- In spite of the ski being much drier than
the old one (I think I flooded the cockpit just once during our 20km downwind
paddle) I still felt wet because the rails at the back of the cockpit are
low. But this really is a minor issue
and probably noticeable only because of the water temperature here in Cape
Town! (And in any case if they did raise
the rails right there, it might make the ski more difficult to remount!)
Conclusion
I really like this ski and I'd be happy to
take it out (and to race it) in any weather conditions.
For
more info:
See: http://www.knysnaracingkayaks.com/
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) 
I would say that because Robberg's cockpit is lower at the rails than the Mako6, it would probably be easier to remount than a 6. (Although, having practised it quite a lot, I don't have problems with the 6 anyway.) 
