By: Tez Plavenieks

Tez Plavenieks — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 15:47:24 +0000

The Islander Calypso is the magic boat in the brand’s range. Featuring oodles of stability, great tracking and a comfortable paddling position, the Calypso is great for a variety of weights, shapes and paddling abilities.

I managed to try it out in some small wavelets and onshore chop and found it to be super fun. Even though there wasn’t really an significant size to the chop, the Calypso still managed to get involved and slide sideways.

The Calypso is one of those boats that will put smiles on faces of all but the hard nosed advanced kayaker, in which case look elsewhere. For every day paddling shenanigans though you’ll be hard pressed to find a more versatile boat. The Calypso looks funky as well.

By: Tim Elliott

Tim Elliott — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:31:24 +0000

I managed to test out the Calypso against a couple of other comparable kayaks (the Ocean Kayak Mysto and the Perception Scooter) and would say this was probably my favourite.
It seemed to me the most versatile of the bunch: fun and maneuverable in the waves, good in a straight line and surprisingly comfortable.
Though maybe not quite as maneuverable or stable as the two others, I didn’t think there was much in it and I’d also say it tracks the best.
I was quite taken aback by the Calypso’s comfort considering it’s not a huge craft and could see myself being at home on longer journeys as well as messing around in waves. They’ve judged the seating position just right and greater leg room means I (at 6′ 5″) was quite happy spending a while on this kayak.

Along with the above and the Calypso’s solid build quality I’d highly recommend at least trying out this kayak if you’re looking for an all-rounder.

Comments on: Islander Calypso

By: Tez Plavenieks

By: Tim Elliott