Testing the new Waka Kayaks Steeze in Augsburg

Many of you may have noticed that the completion of the Waka Kayaks Steeze has been slightly delayed. We received the first test boats just before Christmas and were able to put them through their paces immediately – thanks to the warm temperatures and good water levels – in whitewater and on the canal. The first version was extremely fun to paddle, but very difficult to nip. The problem was quickly identified: the boat had too much tail rocker and too much volume behind the cockpit for river running. Many other boat companies would probably have said in this situation: "Shit happens" or "We just built a boat for heavier people." Not so with Waka Kayaks...

After hearing about our test reports, which corroborated their own tests on the Steeze they had taken to New Zealand, Kenny and Sam modified the boat by heating the stern and shaping it as best they could. And lo and behold: the Steeze was suddenly much easier to cut under, felt faster, and, to their great surprise, had lost none of its excellent whitewater performance.

At the end of January, the changes were then incorporated into the boat's shape for series production. Compared to the first test version, the finished Steeze now has 50mm less stern rocker and is approximately 30mm lower across the entire transom.

Admittedly, the weather yesterday wasn't exactly inviting for testing a river runner's squirt capabilities. However, after digging our car out of the snow and finally getting our boats on the roof, the worst was over fairly quickly, and we headed towards the ice channel. We deliberately chose Augsburg because the current and water pressure there aren't very strong, which are helpful for squirting, and we had already tested the first version there.

Waka Kayaks Steeze
length	273cm
Width	68cm
volume	300 liters without pod, 360 liters with pod
paddler weight	60 - 110kg
Weight	21kg without pod, 23.8kg with pod
Hatch size	Big Hole

Bernie Steidl
length	173cm
body weight	73kg

Right from the first time I put the boat into the eddy, I noticed that the Steeze now sits lower in the water, resulting in significantly more contact between the stern and the water. This means you can now easily cut through the water with sweeping strokes – without much effort. This is crucial, as otherwise you have to shift your weight drastically before each squirt, negatively impacting the squirt action. But before I get too carried away with playboating, I need to briefly mention the most important handling characteristics.

Of all the river runners I've paddled so far—which is pretty much every noteworthy boat from 1995 onwards—the Steeze is by far the driest in whitewater. Unlike other comparable boats, it doesn't nose-dive through waves and sink on landings, but instead keeps its bow consistently above the waterline. Those familiar with Waka's current whitewater kayaks will recognize this characteristic as similar to the Waka OG or Waka Stout . This is achieved through the strong and progressive front rocker and the wide, flat bow.

A long waterline ensures high top speed.

The Steeze's long waterline and flat tail rocker make it extremely fast. In a direct comparison, I would argue that the Steeze with a pod is significantly faster in whitewater than the Waka Gangsta . And this was clearly the approach taken when designing the Steeze. With a pod, the Steeze was intended to be a fast, if not the fastest, whitewater creek boat. Since I've mostly paddled the Steeze without a pod so far—because it can easily be paddled as a "river runner" even in deep backwaters at a water level of 95cm—the described handling characteristics refer to the boat without a pod. On the few occasions I've paddled the boat with a pod, I haven't noticed any negative differences compared to the "river runner" version.

agile and maneuverable

Despite its considerable length of 273cm, the Steeze is very maneuverable and responds quickly to steering strokes. I particularly like how you can "grip" the pronounced edges of the hull by shifting your weight, or easily release them from the water again. This allows you to easily influence and control the boat's torque, which is a crucial requirement for modern paddling styles – for me personally, even the most important one – for a whitewater kayak.

To get straight to the point: the Steeze makes it harder to undercut than other river runners like the Pyranha Ripper or the EXO Rexy , at least for paddlers under 85 kg. With a little practice and proper technique, however, you can get the hang of it fairly quickly. Once the stern is submerged, it cuts through the water very stably and with little resistance. When the Steeze is fully upright, I can already stabilize it quite well on its stern with my height and weight (173 cm, 73 kg). This is sometimes difficult with other boats because my upper body doesn't make contact with the water's surface early enough, causing the boat to capsize backward. The accompanying photo clearly shows that there's an angle of approximately 90° between my upper body and the boat, indicating good contact with the water's surface. If this angle is greater, stabilizing the kayak on its stern becomes extremely difficult.

Surfing / Carving

The Steeze's surfing characteristics are – as expected – very good. Here, similar to challenging whitewater, you benefit from the pronounced rocker shape of the bow. Instead of constantly having to prevent the boat from digging in, especially in small and short waves, you can relax and carve through the wave with the Steeze and enjoy those long surfs! The Steeze reacts lightning-fast to steering inputs and edge changes, ensuring tons of surfing fun!

Waka uses a harder foam for the center keels and seat pad of the Steeze, giving the boat greater stiffness and preventing the formation of a "seat bulge." The front center keel has a cutout that serves as a carrying handle. However, the most significant update compared to the Waka OG and Stout is the thigh braces. Thanks to the additional ribs, these are not only considerably stiffer but also extend further down. This means that, unlike with the Waka OG and Stout, you don't have to "cut off" the thigh braces to ensure safe exit.

With the Steeze, Waka Kayaks has impressively achieved the difficult balancing act between river runner and creekker. Comparing the requirements for a river runner and a creekker, one quickly realizes that it's impossible to simply add extra volume to the stern (pod) of the "perfect" river runner to create the "ideal" creekker. Such a design will always involve compromises. In the case of the Steeze, this compromise primarily affects paddlers weighing under 80 kg who paddle up to Class III rapids and are looking for a boat that cuts under rapids. For them, I would still recommend the EXO Rexy or Pyranha Ripper .

However, if you are looking for a river runner for use up to WW V, which you can convert into a creek boat in an emergency (which I think you will rarely do), and you weigh more than 65kg, there is probably no way around a test run with the Waka Steeze .

In my estimation, good paddlers weighing between 65kg and 85kg will rarely use the Pod, as the Steeze can be paddled almost like a creek boat in whitewater.