River Moldau (Vltava) is the longest river in the Czech Republic and so is mostly dammed, but on its top part right under the Lipno  dam is an amazing stretch of  Class 4-5 whitewater called the Devils Streams. Most of the year this amazing part of the river is dry and has enough water to wash your hands. The last weekend of August, it’s all different story, boaters all over the Czech end Central Europe come under the Lipno dam to enjoy the annual release of warm water.

Devils streams were also a site of the 4^th annual Devil’s extreme race. This year we have seen many competitors from and also other countries than Czech Republic. Friday was reserved for training, registrations and also catching up with old friends over a jug of great czech beer. 

There was a ZET kayaks stand ready for the whole weekend for anyone wishing to test the new Raptor for free. Most of the Raptors were on the water the whole weekend and sometimes there was even a line to demo this kayak. Raptor is surely turning heads. 

The competition started on Saturday with individual slaloms. Spectacular ramp and quite a big hole at the gates 3 and 4 did not leave the crowd quiet and everyone got cheered at. Combination in the gates 3 and 4 also shook with the expected results as some of the favorite paddlers did not make it and ended low on the time sheet. 

The slalom was followed by a sprint. Sprint was started also from the ramp, but went on through some of the greater rapids downstream, as well as the famous “window dam”

chute. After the race most of the competitors enjoyed  the rest of the river running through rapids like Bloody fingers or Stairs and experiencing easy shuttle option by the local train. Simple and easy. After the water was switched off, we all met in the camping ground to celebrate and party hard.

The most expected boater cross took a place on Sunday with the first half of the competitors going into the battle. After a few rounds Viktor Legat took the first place, closely followed by Palo Andrassy, both on their Raptors showing off the speed of the Raptor design. 

After we all regrouped and got ready, the competitors lined up for the great team race, paddling the Devil’s streams top to bottom through all the rapids including the infamous Bloody fingers rapid which had seen a lot of carnage, broken paddles and peeled off skin. The winning team was of Honza Lasko, Palo Andrassy and Tomo Andrassy, all on ZET Raptors, closely followed by team of Viktor Legat (ZET), Honza Kolar and Jakub Sedivy (ZET). 

After the race, there was a prize ceremony at the campground and with promises about the next event most of the competitors got on their way home. It was great to see so many Raptors at once on the river. Not only amongst the competitors, but also amongst many of those who just went to paddle and enjoy this festival of great whitewater in Czech. Nice to see the Raptor going so strong and fast…

Cheers

Jakub

During the Devils Extreme Race on 28th-29th of August, there will be a chance to demo the new Raptor. If you are interested in trying it out-  the boats will be ready for demo on Saturday morning on the field in Loucovice and later on during the race at the parking by the start. Interested paddlers leave their ID and can demo the Raptor for a time agreed.

 Big success for ZET team on Sjoa Fest. One of the best whitewater events during the summer time in Europe is for sure Sjoa river festival and this year the water levels everywhere around Sjoa were really sweet.

Sjoa river festival 2010

There was a really cool flow at the Ula extreme race and the Sweet Rumble kayak cross had to be moved from the Amot section to the slalom course by the Sjoa Kayak Camp this year. Anyway, for me Sjoa festival starts by time trials for kayak cross, where only 32 competitors can go to the finals. There has always been a pretty tricky eddy to catch just before the finish and this year was no different. I made a mistake there and lost valuable seconds, so ended up 5th during the time trial. Tomo Andrassy on light blue Raptor came 2nd just 0.1 second behind first.

The following day, Friday, the Gene17 Ula Extreme race was on. Again, really solid water level and good show for everyone. My first run was good and I had the best time of the day in my Raptor. This set me me up to run the final from the first position. Second run was not as good, but still fastest result from any second runs in the field. I was super happy to be a 2010 Ula extreme race champion. Palo Andrassy made ZET kayaks even more happy and finished 3th overall. As I said before, this was the first extreme race I have ever seen almost ten years ago (at that time I thought, it was almost impossible to paddle Ula slides), so I was very eager to win this race.

On Saturday, the Sweet rumble 2010 continued. The fight between four kayakers for the legendary belt and some cash. I was feeling really good on Saturday and made it to the finals. Many favorites were eliminated in kayak cross. So I could choose a position on the start in the finals. Tyler Curtis was next to me all through the finals. We were pretty close all the way down and made the last eddy at almost same time. I was lucky enough to touch finish banner first and complete the double glory in the Sjoa festival. I could not believe that I won Ula extreme race and also Sweet rumble this year. After some bad lucks this season, the luck came to my side and I was more than happy for this success.

Have fun

Honza Lasko ZET Team

foto: Evina Fillova a Tomas Mahring

Kaiserklamm trophy 2010

Traditional Kaiserklamm trophy  kayakcross was held the first weekend on one of the most popular  austrian whitewater rivers, the Brandenberger Ache. This was the first race of the season, where participated most of the extreme kayakers from the whole Europe. Kaiserklamm trophy was also the first time the new kayak Raptor was introduced on the whitewater. Raptor was paddled by two of the main authors/ designers and also the czech team members- Honza Lasko and Viki Legat.

On the contrary to to pleasant spring weather, there happened to be low water levels on the Brandenberger Ache this spring. For the qualification the organizers had chosen approximately 700m long technical section, where keeping your line and concentrating on the exact position between the rocks was mandatory. The best czech riders on new Raptor boats Honza Lasko and Viktor Legat finished 2nd and 3rd respectively, close behind the slalom world champion Fabian Dorfler from Germany. Other czech paddlers Matej Sottner and Matej Holub finished 19th, resp. 20Th, which means pretty solid effort in such a concurrence of sixty paddlers. Among the women, we had a representation in Betka Brabcova, who finished 6th.

Second day of race was held on a very attractive course of Kaiserklamm canyon and even on contrary to relatively low water level, the runs were promising an interesting show. There were many places with possibility for error, which got obvious already with the first runs. All our paddlers were lucky in the initial starting place lottery and all made it in the best 32.

Matej Sottner was eliminated in the second round and Matej Holub ended his race in the third round. On the other hand, the rest of the team did well  and after winning their rides, they were going to the finals. The finals was pretty dramatic- Viki Legat was leading right after the start, but fell back to the fourth position after a mistake in the first harder rapid. Zajic took over the lead of the race, but after a mistake in the last big rapid he was passed by the whole field and fell back to the last position. Jacobos Stenglein from Germany became a winner of this year’s Kaiserklamm trophy. In the women category, Betka Brabcova also got into the finals where she was 4th. Good effort everyone.

RAPTOR – first rewiev
Honza asked me, if I would be willing to write review of Raptor. I wanted to, but also did not want to write anything close to PR. Dear PR opposers and haters, I am with you, believe me , but the article is over for you, sorry. From now on I will be serious, subjective and realistic about my first impressions of paddling the Raptor.

Serious So, I have to seriously admit, that even being very picky about boats and being able to discuss their shapes for ages, it is easier for me to sort them according to the ones I like and the ones I do not. It is important for me to think the boat suits me, I like it and I am happy with it.

The issue of a color has been solved on this webpage before…no comment.

Subjective

The matter of size – I was expecting an impression of a “bigger beast” according to the given parameters (255cm/68cm/303l). Now I feel like it has to be smaller than the big Magnum (254cm, 67cm/303l).

On the flatwater – stable, simply no piece of wood – flat bottom, easy to maneuver and steer.

Experiencing the feeling of speed, repeatingly crossing the river above the Troja head dam… there is something about this boat ( or is it just me paddling fast today?).

Troja wave- I am trying the surfing abilities. The bow is little low and tends to pearl faster than in my Magnum. Eddies- easy and predictable. According to the shape, the behavior of Raptor feels fluent and without sudden changes and catching. Think if I like it. I think so.

V hole- very easy feature to boof, so doesn’t say much, but the getting back upstream was easy and smooth

I was also trying to improve the height of the bow by moving the seat back- pros and cons. Now I may have the bow higher above surface, before it was maybe better handling.

( I am curious by myself how am I gonna see it later on.)

Realistically Tried and proved- fits in Ford Mondeo and also in Focus.

Design- forget the Spunt (Zelezny’s previous design). It has not been forgotten here, that for example the grabloops do not kayak, but need to be nice and practical. It looks like, with a new brand, there is also a new standard of design from this manufacturer.

Interior (the details had not been finalized in this test version)- new seat (hybrid plastic/foam is ok, but I would prefer deeper seat with more raised front), new back band (similar to Bliss Stick), the ratchets are, where we are used to find them (Spunt) and new trick with hull reinforcement and foam pillar attachments. Everything with minimal weight and maximal effectivity in mind.

So how is it?

In my opinion, the Raptor is very good. Next to paddlers who will like it and some, who will simply adore it, it will also find some opposers indeed as any other boat out there. Raptor is definitely a choice to consider, if you are thinking of buying a new boat (or a refrigerator :). Review by KaRaS

This kayak is designed to deal with the most difficult white water conditions, suitable for multi – day trips, fit for steep creeks and also for extreme races. Due to the stability of the hull, it is ideal for beginner and intermediate levels. It will also assist them in overcoming their initial difficulties.Raptor is really fast kayak and same way easy to steer. This kayak should be for all kayakers from beginner to expert. Outfitting got totally new design and system, especially seat is from “hybrid” material.

Why is this kayak different? Raptor is lighter than other kayaks and through the use of “Zelezny Technology” is also stronger.

• 4 years warranty

• Minimum of bolts and holes in kayak

• Unique foam holder

• Light and functional seat

• Stable hull

• Original design

Standard colors:

Specifications

…

SAMBA 4.5 and SAMBA 5.2

Samba is a boat having all the features which should have a good canoe. Very easy to operate and smooth reactions to individual strokes. The boat is stable and comparing to the other models forgives riders mistakes.

Samba 4.5 is an excellent canoe with a very wide application range from romantic trips on the lake to wandering through the rivers. It is intended mainly for tourism but with a statement to ride on a lighter WW. In addition Samba can be fitted with the oars or motor and run around the water areas. Its length and the displacement is suitable for 2-3 persons who will appreciate its easy handling.

Exceptional features:

• speed and agility – with a smooth bottom with no recesses
• excellent stiffness – a highly compact combination of bottom-keel-seat-deck
• unsinkable – hollow seats and keel perform the function air chambers

Other features:

• bottom is 2x more robust than the deck
• in the peaks there is more material
• holes in the collar and the keel of the ship ready for baggage fasten
• storage – horns on the tops allows Samba to store in several layers on each other. The bottom of the ship is in parallel fully protected

Parameters:

SAMBA 5.2

Parameters:

	4 years * for shell
	2 years on other parts of the kayak

	The boat must be free from all impurities
	The complainee must present a valid warranty, a receipt (containing the production code corresponding to the code of the claimed kayak)
	Complaints can be made at the point of purchases
	The justification for the claim must be authorized by producer (seller in consultation with the manufacturer)

	Any damage due to improper, excessive or abusive use, mechanical damage with a sharp object, non-specialized interventions to the shell of the kayak and equipment of the boat (including customization, repair, etc.)
	damage during transportation and shipping
	damage to the kayak,through long exposure to direct sunlight, high heat or severe cold
	damage to the boat from the usage of a modified brace or without the reinforcing foam
	defects applied from the manufacturer (seller) without a valid warranty certificate and deficiencies made after the warranty period
	normal wear and usage

	The manufacturer or seller undertakes to change (and/ or repair) the kayak or any part thereof, subject to the warranty conditions.
	part of the guarantee does not include damage directly or indirectly inccured by a defect in the ship or its equipment.
	the company ZET kayaks is not responsible for any additional guarantees granted by the seller.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

The excellent production engineer and kayak producer Zelezny and extreme kayaker Honza Lasko and the Czech white- water slalom representative Viktor Legat,have combined to invent and produce a new white water brand of kayaks and canoes, ZET Kayaks. Which brings you good looking boats, solid quality and original outfitting.

What makes this kayak better than others is the sophisticated ”Zelezny Technology” which enables boats to be lighter and stronger than the other kayaks found in this category. Based on their 15 years experience in kayak manufacturing, ZET Advance Boats trust their technology and will offer you a four year warranty on all their boats.

The design team was helped by a number of experienced kayakers who shared their views on the design during the whole development process. A professional designer gave the Raptor model its smooth and original looks and as Viktor Legat, a representative of Zet AB, says: “Our goal is to supply the market with kayaks of excellent quality and with original design. The Raptor is our first boat and a whole range of WW kayaks will follow.”

All products are made with excellent technology from the best existing materials. We use the unique “Zelezny Technology”, where the main goal is to make crucial points on the boat thicker and stronger. The unique technology of local steer plastic helps to make boats lighter and stronger than others.

Our boats are made from linear high density polyethylene with rotational moulding. We make stronger extremely demanding spots, especially on the hull and nose. In addition to this we have managed to produce a thinner deck. This helps the boat to be lighter but stronger.

We use the best possible linear polyethylene, but we also test our material. Samples of materials and products go under pressure test up to – 40 degrees.

The process described doesn´t produce any non-organic waste.The boat material is 100% recyclable.

We try to uphold a strict environmental health and safety approach at all times.