About myself

I've been running rivers for many years, only watching from the eddy wishing I could have a boat that was up to cartwheeling and more, so when the opportunity came round to buy a play boat I did extensive research. I wanted a boat that played well but could also get me down a good grade 4 without being eaten alive.

About the test environment

The Turbo has been put to test on many of my local rivers, the Leven, Kent, Crake, Roeburn, Duddon, Rawthey, Sprint and Clough. Generally quite a wide selection over a 2 year period. I recon that's a reasonable test period!

Review

On first purchasing the Turbo 52 my initial thoughts were 'if it paddles anywhere near as good as it looks it'll be amazing!'. Unfortunately it didn't to begin with. This is not a boat you can just slip into and paddle like a demon. It took me a good 5 - 6 river days to get the measure of its edges and balance. River running was tough to start with but get this boat on a wave or in a hole and WOW! it's magic!

Outfitting is good with all the usual ratchets for the back support , foot rest and knee pads. I tend not to use the knee pads, favouring to push them as loose at they will go - this is a small boat and I think I must be on the height limit because it's ain't half tight on me.

Conclusion

In conclusion I love my turbo 52. Do not expect it to love you for a good few paddles though.