“The best big wave freestyle boat on the market, hands down,” are the words that come to mind when people ask me about my Titan Genesis kayak. – Review by MEC Envoy Kalob Grady
Over the past season, I’ve been fortunate enough to paddle the Titan Genesis freestyle kayak extensively. Whether I’m heading out to Mini Bus on the Ottawa River for a big wave session, or paddling with students on some of the easier Ontario rivers, this boat continually proves it can do it all.
Titan’s an up-and-coming brand that has a grassroots, athlete-based, high performance drive, and their Genesis freestyle boat comes in three versions that vary in size and volume. The boat’s design mixes forgiving edges with rails that carve with quick release. The secondary rails in the nose and tail help with control right up until your bound. I love that its hard edges and sleek design allow me to really load up and throw as big as possible. My favourite part of the boat are the unique edges – there’s no better feeling than coming down on a big pass and having that hard edge to drop onto and throw off of.
As other boats make their designs shorter, the Genesis has stayed slightly longer, which helps keep the boat fast. When I drop onto a big wave, a sleek, fast boat gives me the best chance to properly set up for big waves and bigger airs. This boat balances the responsiveness I need for big moves with forgiveness for when I make mistakes.
I’ve been using both the carbon and plastic versions this season, and love each of them for different reasons. The carbon one is more responsive as a big air, trick boat and is what I use for big waves and deeper little waves. The plastic boat is a more versatile option that still responds to my freestyle needs out on the water. It allows me to run some shallower rivers, and has been amazing for teaching students because I can put my worries aside about hitting bottom.
The Genesis, whether it’s carbon or plastic, is my go-to boat on any river, small volume or big volume. Other than being able to drop big waterfalls, it does it all.
Check out MEC’s selection of Titan Kayaks here on mec.ca