DIRECTOR REVIEWS
Sven Perschmann - ZET Canada Team Paddler
Weight: 175lbs / 80kg
Years paddling: 16
Current creek boat(s): ZET Toro + Director
General impression: Prior to the Toro, the Director was my boat of choice as I don't want to sacrifice forgiveness and confidence for scary stuff. It'd be great to have a slightly smaller version of this boat that can still keep me calm but make average rivers more fun. Regardless, the Director is a surprisingly easy boat to paddle that inspires confidence. The huge amount of rocker and the massive stern make boofing almost obsolete, this boat just wants to keep its nose up and cruise over everything with speed! And at the same time I can still spin it on a dime when necessary and get those last second boofs - though it definitely prefers to be driven. I like how the edges engage, feels like a very predictable but fun boat. The amount of storage makes multi day trips a breeze. Love how surprisingly strong the plastic is. I took some mean hits in this boat and could've sworn it would break but didn't. Outfitting is comfortable and strong, with very few holes in the hull thus keeping the boat dry. I prefer a basic outfitting that works better than over-engineered systems that often break - Well done! Lots of attachment points for throw-bags and gear. Easy enough to adjust. Light weight.
Ben Hawthorne - ZET Canada Team Paddler
Weight: 175lbs / 80kg
Years paddling: 25, though I did get some time off for good behavior.
Current creek boat(s): ZET Toro + Raptor
General impression: The Director is the biggest of ZET’s first 3 designs and in common with the Raptor and Veloc, it’s a really great creek boat. For such a large boat, it is very nimble with hard rails and high rocker, which also gives great lift for boofs and powering through holes. There’s a ton of room for gear of course, and it really shines on multi day missions. Of course you also get ZET’s bomber plastic and outfitting too. I’ve paddled the Director on a variety of rivers, from big water to technical steeps and it handles everything well. It’s certainly not a small kayak, and smaller paddlers might feel lost in it, but for bigger paddlers and those seeking a fast, stable, solid platform for their kayaking, they will love the Director.
Bryce Shaw - ZET Canada Team Paddler
Weight: 175lbs / 80kg
Years paddling: 12
Current creek boat(s): ZET Toro
General impression: The Director is a boat that inspires a lot of confidence. It’s a big boat and good for staying on line and charging through all sorts of stuff, and surprisingly easy to handle given how big it is. Definitely a good boat for firing up any big scary stuff.
Stephan Paetsch
Weight: 165lbs / 75kg
Years paddling: 21
Current boat: Pyranha Shiva M
General impression: Great boat. Wish it was a little bit smaller (I must be too light for it). It’s fast, turns well, and is predictable.
Daniel Schneider
Weight: 220lbs / 100kg
Years paddling: 22
Current creek boat(s): Director. Previously a Pyranah M3-243.
General impression: Good comfortable outfitting and an easy fit (which is a major bonus for a 5'11'' 220lb guy like me). Stays dry inside. High secondary stability (stable on edge) with less primary stability took some getting used to but once the boat was moving, and on edge, it performed great. I appreciated the hull speed/agility of eddy turns/micro adjustments to boofs, considering the boats chubby size. I didn't feel like the boat was going to take advantage of my old school skills, and was keen to try out new school creek techniques when paddling the boat. Overall, I was happy with performance and would be comfortable jumping into new big water with little warm-up time.
Matt Daniell
Weight: 175lbs / 80kg
Years paddling: 4
Current creek boat(s): Currently looking to buy a new boat.
General impression: I was very impressed with the way the Director paddled and the hull design. A big boat that has a lot of response and ability to carve and knowing that ZET's plastic is stronger and more durable than most boats puts ZET on the top of my list of what boat to buy.
RAPTOR REVIEWS
Sven Perschmann - ZET Canada Team Paddler
Weight: 175lbs / 80kg
Years paddling: 16
Current creek boat(s): ZET Toro + Director
General impression: Fast and zippy boat, super fun to paddle. Coming from the easy to boof and rather forgiving Fluid Bazooka it took a while to get used to the front edges but that just made me way more of an aggressive paddler again. I initially found the stern to be a bit grabby in pushy water and tricky timing those last second adjustments like spontaneous boofs. When on line though it carries a huge amount of speed through anything. Words that come to mind are fast, sporty, fun, and aggressive. Love how surprisingly strong the plastic is. I took some mean hits in this boat and could've sworn it would break but didn't. Outfitting is comfortable and strong, with very few holes in the hull thus keeping the boat dry. I prefer a basic outfitting that works better than over-engineered systems that often break - Well done! Lots of attachment points for throw-bags and gear. Easy enough to adjust. Light weight.
Ben Hawthorne - ZET Canada Team Paddler
Weight: 175lbs / 80kg
Years paddling: 25, though I did get some time off for good behavior.
Current creek boat(s): ZET Toro + Raptor (see my IN DEPTH REVIEW)
General impression: I’ve been using a Raptor for a few years now and I love it. The boat does everything I want a creeker to and does it well. ZET’s bomber plastic, and simple, equally bomber and easy to use outfitting are huge pluses. But the bottom line is performance and the Raptor is simply a great performance creek boat. The hull shape is great with just the right amount of edge. It’s fast for its length, super manoeuvrable and easy to boof. It does need to be driven around and will let you know if you’re not paddling well but equally rewards you with a great ride when you stay on top of it.
Bryce Shaw - ZET Canada Team Paddler
Weight: 175lbs / 80kg
Years paddling: 12
Current creek boat(s): ZET Toro
General impression: The Raptor is a boat that makes stuff fun. You can control it very well with edging and finesse and it's super quick and nimble. Compared to the Director, it is easier to control with subtle movements, which makes it way more of a fun boat to paddle, but at the same time it's a little less forgiving.
Stephan Paetsch
Weight: 165lbs / 75kg
Years paddling: 21
Current boat: Pyranha Shiva M
General impression: For me it's an awesome boat on big water. On technical whitewater, lazy paddlers may find the stern a bit grabby. But at least it's a fast boat and turns really well.
Dennis Lynch
Weight: 165lbs / 75kg
Years paddling: 13
Current creek boat(s): Fluid Bazooka M
General impression: The Raptor is the most responsive creek boat I've ever paddled. It's fast, edgy, and fun. The only con was having to give the demo back at the end of the day.
Erik Shore
Weight: 185lbs / 84kg
Years paddling: 12
Current creek boat(s): Toro. Previously a Dagger Nomad 8.5, in addition to demoing:
Liquid Logic - Stomper 90, Flying Squirrel 85, and Remix 79
Pyranha - Burn L, and Shiva L
Wave Sport - Recon 93, Habitat 70 & 80, and Diesel 80
Dagger - Nomad 8.5, Mamba 8.1 & 8.6
Bliss Stic - Tuna
Waka - Tutea
Jackson - Zen L, and Karma M
General impression: Really fun boat, super-fast and accelerates really nicely with great edging but you need to paddle the boat. You can't be lazy like you can in a Nomad.
Zac Ruttiman
Weight: 175lbs / 80kg
Years paddling: 7
Current creek boat(s): Waka Tuna
General impression: Thought the Raptor was a great boat, real slick and edgy, but it required some figuring out when it comes to boofing. Makes trying eddy moves super fun. Ran some bigger slide drops and it handled real well. Easy to keep it on line. It's fast, tracks well, and how about that ZET plastic!
VELOC REVIEWS
Ben Hawthorne - ZET Canada Team Paddler
Weight: 175lbs / 80kg
Years paddling: 25, though I did get some time off for good behavior.
Current creek boat(s): ZET Toro + Raptor
General impression: The Veloc was the 2nd design from ZET’s stable and is much more than simply a scaled down Raptor. Designed from the ground up as a stand-alone shape, the Veloc delivers for the smaller boater with a show of performance. A nimble, fast, performance creek boat that delivers on the river. It holds speed well through holes and boofs beautifully being really easy to skim out over boils and backwash. It has just enough rocker to boof well, but not so much that the bow gets pushed around. As a result, the Veloc tracks really well for a boat of its length but it needs to be driven around the river.
Jana Mrskočová
Weight: 119lbs / 54kg
Years paddling: 5
Current creek boat(s): Dagger Nomad 8.1, ZET Veloc
General impression: Such a fast boat, two strokes and you are across the river. Good for racing and improving your technique. Good for surfing, nice edges for carving into the eddies. The Veloc requires a very different style of paddling especially on big volume rivers when compared to the Nomad which is more stable. The Veloc on the other hand requires you to be more precise. It's still a forgiving boat, but not one for leaning backwards in.
TORO REVIEWS
Kenneth McKay
Weight: 187lbs / 85kg
Years paddling: 7
Current creek boat(s): ZET Toro. Previously a Pyranha Shiva L, Remix 79, Burn L
General impression: The first thing I'll say about the Toro is that it's fast, REALLY FAST! I was fortunate to have one on the Futaleufu in Chile this winter and it's an absolute dream in big volume. Especially after switching up from the Remix 79 (submarine) I was paddling for a few days. At 85 kg, I'm right in the middle of ZET's suggested weight range and felt I was on top of everything and moving fast. Even though it has a fairly strong edge in the back, because of the tuned rocker it still turns on a dime, and after a couple strokes you'll feel that speed again. Definitely not a lazy man's boat, coming from a large Shiva (arm chair paddling), I caught a few edges at first. But if you're leaning forward and paddling you'll get along fine. I also did one overnight with the Toro. With my 85kg's, a guides tarp, sleeping bag, thermarest and some food and I could feel the weight. It definitely sunk me into the river a bit but the Toro handled it really well. If your pushing the 95kg mark you might want to consider the ZET Director, especially if you plan to do some overnights. But if you like to go fast and BOOF everything, get yourself a Toro!