The Global Paddling Community

Interview with Malcolm Pearcy (Mega Kayaks).

This interview was originally produced for the Portuguese web site 'kayaksurf.net' and is published exclusively on Playak in english to make it available to a wider audience. The portuguese version of the interview, with larger versions of some of the photos, is available here.

Name: Malcolm Pearcey
Age: 49
Occupation: Kayak designer and manufacturer
Address: Rustington West Sussex UK

Malcolm in a C1 in the early eighties.

Malcolm started slalom kayaking at age 12. One year later he started surfing ocean waves in his kayak and at age 22 he participated in his first kayak surfing competition. Back then - in 1988 - he was one of the kayak surfing trendsetters in the UK. Today, he is proud of already having sold more than 5000 kayaks worldwide. At age 49, the owner and designer of 'MEGA Kayaks' continues to innovate as if it was his first day.

And now for the interview:

Do you think that river experience is essential to the kayak surfer?
I don't think you have to be a competent river paddler to be a good surfer but the skills I developed from being a competitive slalomist certainly helped with the change to competitive surfing.

About your early days: back in 1991, were there no good surf kayaks available on the UK market?
Coming from a slalom background I was used to paddling a lightweight composite kayak and with the advent of rotomolded PE kayaks there was very little being done on the composite front in surf kayaks.

I had been paddling a Perception Sabre for about a year, as were a lot of other surfers and I felt at the time that the basic concept could be improved upon and that I could save considerably on the weight having a composite kayak. At that stage I had no intention of making boats professionally, I just wanted a boat I felt would give me a chance to improve my placing at contests.

How about wave-skis?
Wave skis have been on a steady decline since the mid 70's, certainly in the UK. Our climate and average surf conditions are for more favorable to kayak paddling than skis. In 1996 Mega actually purchased the "Raider Wave Ski" company from Bob Twitty. We have even now probably only made around 100 skis and I would quite happily sell off all the wave ski molds if anyone is interest, there are around 15 molds I think.

Your favorite surf kayak?
We have produced around 20 models I think over the last 13 years. I think the original Jester had the biggest impact on world level surf kayaking and changed the sport considerably.

Of our current models, certainly the Jester Cyclone is a firm favorite: very easy to paddle, will handle almost any type of conditions and is a great all round surf kayak catering for a very wide range of paddler sizes and abilities.

With the High Performance models it is much more difficult to pick a favorite. All the models have slightly different characteristics and because of their much smaller size are far more paddler weight orientated. The first time I paddled the Predator was a real eye opener as the speed was incredible. The Revenge is another firm favorite although I am a wee bit heavy for it, but to see it in the hands of the likes of Darren Bason at full bore is a real buzz.

What do you think about the new surf models of WaveSport and Riot?
The Boogie was certainly a step in the right direction, opening up surf kayaking to the masses at an affordable price and widely available. I think it was still somewhat of a compromise design-wise and a bit on the slow side. The WaveSport boat is far more surf specific and appears to work quite well.

Our own new plastic Surf Kayak the X-Ray is a slightly enlarged Revenge and the performance according to the top guys that have paddled it is no different than the composite model. You only notice it when carrying it down to the beach, but at Circa 14 kgs I think it's acceptable given the performance of the kayak, the durability of plastic and much more widely available.

How many teams use your kayaks?
Of the major players in world kayak surfing every team is dominated by our kayaks, most using ours exclusively. We have shipped surf kayaks to all corners of the World and have boats in around 30 countries.

What do you think about the evolution of the sport?
I think we are always going to be a minority competitive sport due to the fickle nature of the weather, no surf, no event, but recreational surfing is still on a major increase. The current crop of WW playboats around are just not designed for serious surfing and a good number of paddlers are turning to surf specific kayaks.

What do you think about the rules of the World Championship's (differences between Hi Performance and International Classic)?
As judging is by its nature is subjective matter there will always be widely ranging opinions on what constitutes the best surfing. I think one set of judging criteria for both classes is fine but with perhaps differing levels of emphasis, i.e. radical explosive moves scoring high in HP where as style, fluidity etc would carry higher marks in International.

Your favorite spot?
I have been lucky to have some great surfing trips, ones that rate highly are Thurso, Steamer Lane, Easky, Boca Boranca. I generally prefer: Warm water, slight offshore, 5-6' , easy paddle out.

Alejo Pacheco paddling a Mega Cyclone in Costa Rica (Boranca Mouth)

Your scariest moment in the sea so far?
I had a major swim back in around 1989 on a very heavy day in Cornwall - took me about 1/2 hr to get in.

Where do you usually surf?
I don't paddle very often these days but will dust of my blades for Costa Rica next year. Other than that generally Devon/Cornwall when it's sunny and glassy.

Any suggestions for those who want to start kayak surfing?
Go along to a contest and talk with the competitors. Surfers are generally a friendly bunch and with luck you'll be able to blag a go in a true surf kayak. Feel the buzz that you get from a true surf specific kayak.

Any concluding words for our readers?
After 13 years of running Mega and 5000+ surf kayaks I think we have had a small but significant contribution to the kayaking world. I get the great pleasure from turning up to a beach, seeing a Mega surf kayak on the water and the paddler having a great time. Making kayaks is as much a passion for me as it is a job and for all those customers over the years and hopefully many more to come I thank you all for making my life FUN.

Text - Luis Peter Abreu
Photos - Malcolm Pearcey + Vince Shay + www.surfkayaks.com