Half slice boats have gained prominence in recent years, with all major brands now offering a half slice river running machine. These kayaks are used for river play as much as they are for creeking, making them the most versatile designs on the market and allowing users to develop their skills and enjoy the river in many different ways. Despite similar designs and overall performance, each boat features details that make them unique. Buying the “right” half slice can therefore become a complex decision. In this overview, we will be looking at the following half slice designs:
Ripper, by Pyranha Kayaks
Winner of the 2019 Paddle Sports Product Of The Year, the Ripper has already proven itself to the paddling community. A slick and fast design, with plenty of rocker, generous bow volume, and of course a stern thatâs easy to squirt on your favourite run. This boat was inspired by the revolutionary 9R design, which was revamped and made more playful.
SPECS: Length: 274 cm/9â | Width: 62 cm/24.5″ | Weight: 20 kg/44 lb | Volume: 235 L/ 62 G | Max. Cap.: 90 kg/198 lb | Material: MZ3 (Advanced Rotomoulded Super-Linear HDPE)
The Ripper is available in 3 sizes: S, M and L. Each boat performs differently. Your choice should be based on your weight; your skill and type of whitewater you want to paddle.
More info go to the Pyranha website HERE.
Joker and Bliss, by Spade Kayaks
BLISS
This is Spade’s new down river freeride machine! Leave no rock unsplatted, no wave unsurfed, and no eddy-line unsquirted. At a length of 245 cm and itâs planing hull, it’s perfectly suited for playful whitewater and spicing up your runs with freestyle moves along the way. Enough bow rocker will allow you to keep your nose dry while charging through harder rapids. Enough space in the cockpit will enable you to sit comfortably even after long hours on the river. It features 5 handles, a solid footrest and a full sized cockpit for a safe and easy exit.
Length: 245 cm/8’0.5” | Width: 65 cm/25.6” | Weight: 20 kg/44 Ibs | Volume: 235 L/52 G
More info go to the Spade website HERE.
JOKER
The Joker is the large version of the Bliss. If you like to charge through pushy waves and across boiling eddy lines at the speed of a barracuda, the Joker is for you. With itâs 274 cm length and an optimised waterline and smooth but pronounced bow rocker this will take care of your need for speed while retaining maneuverability and precision of a slalom boat. Turning on a dime when loading the stern is a breeze and pirouetting along eddy lines might become your new normal. Itâs platform is slightly narrower compared to the Bliss to maintain speed, but if you catch the right wave â oh boy! It features 5 handles, a solid footrest and a full sized cockpit for save and easy exit.
Length: 274 cm/9’| Width: 65 cm/25.6” | Weight: 21 kg/46 Ibs | Volume: 260 L/57 G
More info go to the Spade website HERE.
Pike, by Prijon Gmbh
Playing, cruising and creeking in one boat. This kayak is a sporty river runner with an enormous fun factor. Thanks to its fast and agile shape, this boat combines the dynamics of a riverrunner with the safety of a creeker. It has enough rocker and volume to climb up over big holes, a sporty stern for a lot of fun and a planing hull for when you find an inviting river wave.
SPECS: Length: 273 cm/9′ | Width: 64 cm/25.2″ | Weight: 20 kg/44 lb | Volume: 250 L/66 G
More info go to the Prijon website HERE.
Antix 2.0, by Jackson Kayak
You may already know of the Antix 1.0, and how fun it is to paddle. Recently, Jackson Kayak have made a new and improved version, the 2.0. They completely reinvented the design, reshaping the planing hull, making the new Antix faster, stay on the surface and easy to stern squirt.
SPECS: Length: 231.14 cm/7’7” | Width: 63.4 cm/25” | Weight: 15.4 kg/34 Ibs | Colors: Lime . Red . Royale
The Antix 2.0 is available in 3 sizes: S, M and L. Each boat performs differently. Your choice should be based on your weight; your skill and type of whitewater you want to paddle.
More info go to the Jackson website HERE.
Chili, by Zet Kayaks
Simple yet tasteful, The Zet Chili has been flavoured for fun. Combing the elegance of a modern slalom boat with the playfulness of a river runner. The Zet Chili has the right amount of ingredients for all levels of paddlers to enjoy. It has a fast, agile hull and a long smooth rocker which will make surfing waves and gliding through holes a breeze. Sporty and nimble, itâs flirty, flat stern is guaranteed to spice up your eddy turns and add zest to your stern squirts and rock splats. The versatility of the ZET Chili makes it the go-to choice for paddlers seeking to unlock the fun potential in their river runs.
SPECS: Length: 274 cm/9′ | Width: 63 cm/24.5″ | Weight: 18.5 kg/40.5 lb | Volume: 233 L/62 G
More info go to the Zet website HERE.
Goat and Steeze, by Waka Kayaks
The GOAT is the Steezeâs little brother and this kayak is aimed at smaller paddlers that want a stern that they can squirt and be able to run serious whitewater. The GOAT has a wide weight range to allow for 80kg + paddlers that want a super playful stern but not so much aiming to run the Stikine. It uses the same basic hull design as the OG and Steeze which allows for easy change of direction at speed, untouchable skip over holes and drops, wave surfing and flat spins, plus wicked carving!
SPECS: Length: 8.7’/268 cm | Width: 25.6″/65 cm | Weight: 44 Ibs/20 kg | Volume: 67 G/254 L
More info go to the Waka website HERE.
The Steeze has a creek boat nose with lots of rocker to keep you moving forward whilst cutting the volume off the tail to enable you to whippy and pivot turn. It also comes with a pod for extra volume if needed.
SPECS: Length: 9’/274 cm | Width: 26.6″/67.5 cm | Weight: 47.4 Ibs/21.5 kg | Volume: 79 G/300 L
More info go to the Waka website HERE.
Plan B, by Lettmann Gmbh
A kayaker’s happiness is not just tied to classic whitewater but to surfing, splatting, wheeling and squirting. In order to revive this good old trend of playful paddling, Lettmann constructed a new model. The recipe for the “Plan B” includes: a flat bottom, sharp edges, slim tails connected with a lot of foot space and a spacious cockpit. The final product is the “Plan B” a spicy seasoned river runner.
SPECS (M): Length: 235 cm/7’8 | Width: 64 cm/25″ | Weight: 16 kg/35,3 lb | Volume: 195 L/51,5 G | Max. Cap.: 85 kg/ 187 lb | Material: HD-PE
The Plan B is available in 2 sizes: M and L. Each boat performs differently. Your choice should be based on your weight; your skill and type of whitewater you want to paddle.
More info go to the Lettmann website HERE.
Note: A new project is being developped by Lettmann in the coming months, we are very excited to see how this new half slice will turn out! Only a couple of photos have been leaked so far by Lettmann themselves. Keep your eyes peeled!
Braaap 69 and Party Braaap, by Liquidlogic Kayaks
The Braaap’s hull is derived from modern slalom boat design which gives crisp feedback to paddlers zipping in and out of eddies and while changing direction mid-current. The responsive hull, the ease of rolling and the Braaap’s light weight create an excellent learning platform for novice paddlers while the speed and agility of the Braaap provide experienced boaters with downriver tactical controls. The Braaap has enough volume for all but your most challenging runs, yet it is small enough to control in the air, pivot turn, and surf like a dream.
SPECS: Length: 8’11″/271.8 cm | Width: 24.5″/62.2 cm | Weight: 44 Ibs/20 kg | Volume: 67 G/253.6 L | Material: Rotomolded Plastic
More info go to the Liquidlogic website HERE.
The one thing that some paddlers asked for in the Braaap 69, was a more playful stern that engages the water dynamically. The Party Braaap has the exact same hull and bow design as the Braaap. The difference is that 2.5 gallons of volume were sucked out of the stern deck making it concave. That significant drop in volume makes the PB a stern squirting, wall splatting, surfing machine while still being a pinpoint accurate river runner.
SPECS: Length: 8’11″/271.8 cm | Width: 24.5″/62.2 cm | Weight: 44 Ibs/20 kg | Volume: 69 G/261 L | Material: Rotomolded Plastic
More info go to the Liquidlogic website HERE.
Rewind, by Dagger Kayaks
The Rewind out delivers on what boaters need from a modern One-Boat kayak â piercing river running capabilities, speed and an excellent play platform â bringing new tricks to any run. Including Daggers coveted Contour Ergo outfitting, roto step out wall and volume adjustable bulkhead to create a fully secure and customizable rider set-up.
SPECS (M): Length: (MD) 267 cm/8â9 | Width: (MD) 65 cm/25.5â | Volume: (MD) 249 L/66 G | Max. Cap.: (MD) 100 kg/220 lb | Sizes: SM . MD . LG | Material: Super-Linear High-Density Polyethylene
The Rewind is available in 3 sizes: S, M and L. Each boat performs differently. Your choice should be based on your weight; your skill and type of whitewater you want to paddle.
More info go to the Dagger website HERE.
