InsideOut
By Tim Shuff

INFINITI 175 TX

The new seaward Infiniti is one of few high-performance skeg kayaks made of lightweight thermoform plastic. With a choice of both 15’ and 17’ versions, we tested the 17’. “High-performance” in this case we assume to mean a design suited for advanced skills that involved edging _ because edging is what the Infiniti does best. It may well be named for the number of angles it can be comfortably tilted to.
Unloaded the Infiniti has a low to moderate initial stability that invites the paddler to take full advantage of its edging capability. The initial stability increases with payload.
The curve of the infiniti’s shallow-arched hull is subdivided by several hard chines. Where some multi-chine hulls have very distinct “dial in points” that noticeably carve a turn when engaged, the infiniti behaves more like a soft chined boat. It edges smoothly to any degree of lean and carves only slightly, while being very easy to turn with the paddle.
Despite this easy turning on edge, the Infiniti tracks very well too. It hardly weathercocks at all in high winds even without the skeg deployed. In fact, before I figured out the counterintuitive slider - which drops the skeg when pushed forward – I spent a lot of time wondering if the skeg was up or down.
Some kayaks are designed to turn upwind with the skeg up and downwind with the skeg down. This is a tradeoff that gives more options for control in different sea conditions but makes the boat more skeg – dependent. The Infiniti doesn’t go there. The small skeg is helpful – particularly in downwind runs – but not essential.
The infiniti has a stylish raised deck (casket style, with hard lines like the NDK Greenlander) that provides ample volume in the cockpit as well as the hatches. The cockpit opening too, is large. There is space for larger paddlers with inseams up to about 34 inches. The seat pillars are spaced wide enough to give lots of hip room and smaller paddlers can pad them out. The backband, seat and thigh braces are very comfortable, though some complained the skeg control dug into their left knee.
The Infiniti will comfortably fit all but the largest and smallest bodies. Intermediate to advanced paddlers will enjoy it for its combination of edging performance, cargo capacity, good looks and numerous standard features.

FEATURES GALORE
Seaward’s bonus features include a comfortable neoprene backband with ratchet adjustments, paddle float straps with ingenious quick-release buckles (pull the red tab to eject) and a toe (or locking) bar behind the seat.

THINKING INSIDE THE BOX
The slender skegbox takes up little space in the 90-litre rear hatch. The skeg has an anti-jam design that deploys when you pull on the cable (because the cable attaches to the skeg in front of the pivot point.) Inside the Kajak-Sport hatches, total storage capacity is high – 224 litres.

THE EDGE OF INFINITI
The hull, distinctive with multiple hard chines like a folding kayak, edges smoothly to any degree of lean. The long waterline and sharp ends provide good speed and tracking when not on edge.

SEA KAYAK REVIEW – AUGUST 2008

DESIGN STATEMENT
The Infiniti 175 evolved from Seaward’s successful performance-fiberglass Quantum. It fills a consumer demand for an affordable, elegant, skeg-equipped, multi-chined thermoformed kayak. The low fore and aft decks make the Infiniti TX easy to roll, and it is quick and easy to maneuver. This kayak is designed for medium to large paddlers. It is fitted with two storage hatches plus a day hatch. Seaward reengineered the skeg control, reversed its operation and moved the pivot point of the blade, creating a unique kink-free skeg cable. The production Infiniti 175 will be joined in this year by the Infiniti 155, which has a length of 15 feet, 5 inches and a beam of 21.5 inches—ideal for the smaller aspiring kayaker. Both production models feature Seaward’s newly designed, adjustable thigh braces.
—Steve Ree and the Seaward Design Team

Best Features: Maneuverability and balance in wind
To improve: Larger skeg blade



Reviewers

JK: 5’ 6”, 140-pound male. Day paddle, winds to 10 knots, waves to 2 feet. 50 pounds of cargo.
GL: 5’ 11”, 165-pound male. Day paddle, winds to 15 knots, waves to 2 feet. 60 pounds of cargo.
TE: 6’ 1”, 200-pound male. Day trips, winds to 22 knots, waves to 2.5 feet. No cargo.

First Glance
The thermoformed Infiniti “looks as smooth, shiny and sleek as a new glass boat” (GL). It is “well made with no obvious construction flaws. The hardware on the interior has no sharp edges and will not snag gear” (JK). “The chines add stiffness, and the hull didn’t oil-can while afloat, but it can be flexed in by pushing on it with moderate force. It has great impact resistance and absorbs impacts without any indication of cracking. The weight is low to average, and it’s very well balanced on the shoulder. For a large boat, it’s easily managed” (TE). The carry handles at the ends are suitcase-type, bolted along the deck centerline and are “not well placed for swimmers or rescues” (JK).

Fit
The cockpit opening was long enough for the reviewers to get in seat first. TE “could do a cowboy scramble without difficulty.” For JK, “the foredeck seemed a little high; the drip ring on my paddle occasionally snagged deck lines.” TE had “plenty of foot room in the cockpit for size-13 booties. The back of the coaming is fairly low, and I could do a nearly complete layback, with my hips lifting only slightly as my head touched the aft deck.”
The foam-padded seat is “comfortable” (JK) and the back band is “very comfortable. I liked its swivel attachment to the coaming” (GL); “when leaning back, it flexed effortlessly out of the way and was always in place after a reentry” (JK). The thigh brace flanges are foam padded. “They provided a solid connection with the boat” (TE), although for JK, the recess for the skeg control dug into his left knee, and GL noted that the flanges “flex too much, but support is still good.” The Sea Dog foot braces are “pretty solid. I especially liked the broad surface area” (GL).
The deck fittings are “smartly laid out. The nicely thought-out paddle-float rescue setup includes adjustable straps and easily grabbed tabs to release the paddle once you’re back in place in the cockpit” (GL).
The skeg’s pivot is not at the end of the blade but is closer to the middle, and the control cable is in tension as the blade is lowered. That eliminates cable kinking but reduces the amount of blade exposed when deployed. “Usually a skeg noticeably stiffens tracking. That wasn’t the case with the Infiniti” (TE). GL agreed that “the small area reduces the skeg’s usefulness. It was only just noticeable when deployed and although it corrected mild weathercocking, it wasn’t capable of producing leecocking” to aid downwind courses.

Stability and Maneuverability
The initial stability was rated as “pretty light” (JK) and “low to moderate” (GL and TE). Secondary stability was “low to moderate” (JK) and “moderate” (GL and TE). “I could get the coaming to the water, but I needed to have the paddle at the ready. Once the Infinti was underway, it felt fine and was easily edged” (TE).
JK thought the Infiniti was “not a strong tracker,” although for GL, the “tracking was good, with a little yaw.” “The Infiniti carved turns adequately but required extreme edging to turn more sharply” (JK). TE and GL liked the Infiniti’s maneuverability: “The Infiniti responded very well to edged turns. With a good angle on the hull, it can make nice tight turns. Even in a cross wind, the Infiniti was easily maneuvered” (TE).
The Infniti had “very good balance in the wind, with only a slight bit of weathercocking. It turned upwind and down with a bit of lean and sweep. Dropping the skeg eliminated weathercocking but didn’t aid downwind turn” (GL). TE agreed: “It was very well balanced in the wind. Even with the skeg raised, I could manage any course. Edging made it easy to adjust course” (TE).

Speed
GL noted “very good speed with moderate effort.” JK “could cruise at 3.5 to 4 knots, hold an exercise pace at 4.5 to 5 knots and sprint to about 6.5 knots.” TE recorded 4.5 knots, 5.3 knots and 6.25 knots for the same categories.
In rough conditions, TE “didn’t take a lot of water over the bow. For surfing, the Infiniti was a bit sensitive at take off with the skeg up, and I missed few waves. With the skeg deployed, there was just enough difference to get a good line on the wave face. Acceleration was good, and speed was excellent.”

Roll and Rescue
“The Infiniti rolls pretty well. The back deck is a little high for me, but the back band pivots out of the way nicely” (JK). TE found “lots of lateral movement in the seat, but otherwise rolling was fine. For a layback roll, I had good clearance for almost a full layback.”
“The cockpit does not inhibit exiting” (JK). TE “could just squeeze both knees past the thigh braces without having to lead one leg ahead of the other.” GL noted “it takes a bit of effort to clamber onto the high rear deck. With the outrigger in place, it’s easy to complete the self-rescue. The red tab to release the buckle offers an easy way to retrieve the paddle” from the deck.

Cruising
There is “plenty of stowage volume for up to a two-week trip” (GL). The KajakSport hatches are not tethered but have a molded tab to tie a tether to. The molded plastic bulkheads are glued and caulked. Leakage reported in the three compartments varied from a few drops to a half cup of water.
“With 50 pounds of cargo, the Infiniti still came up to speed pretty well. Cruising and exercise speeds remained the same, but the top speed dropped by about half a knot. The primary stability increased to moderate, and the secondary increased to moderately strong. The Infiniti maneuvered about the same with a load. Based on the differences in stability and handling, I think the Infiniti would be better for paddlers larger than I” (JK). “With 60 pounds of gear, the kayak had improved stability, felt good on edge and was not difficult to turn or hold any course” (GL).
The Bottom Line
“The Infiniti is a fine all-around kayak for medium to larger paddlers—good for day paddles while camping” (JK). GL thought the Infiniti would be well suited for “medium to large paddlers looking for a lightweight, multiday, inland-seas cruiser—a kayak that can carry a load and handle most seas with zest enough to keep it fun.” TE thought “the low to moderate stability would make the Infiniti best for intermediate paddlers and above. Its balance in the wind was great. It would make a good general-purpose boat.”

Manufacturing Data Designed: 2007 Construction: Thermoformed, vacuum-molded plastic Standard Features: Kink-free skeg system, adjustable thigh braces, sealed thermoform bulkheads, anatomically molded seat, padded adjustable backrest, retroreflective deck lines, shock cords, recessed deck fittings, quick-release rescue straps, built in tow bar, molded carry handles
Options: Aquameter compass, Immersion Research adjustable back band Weight: 52 lbs. Price: $2,475 Cdn. $2452
Availability: See website for a list of dealers Manufacturer: Seaward Kayaks, 800-595-9755 or 250-246-2223; info@seawardkayaks.com; www.seawardkayaks.com

MANUFACTURERS RESPONSE
We would like to thank Sea Kayaker for a comprehensive and very fair review.
Your paddlers have confirmed our design criteria that the infiniti 175 TX is intended for medium to large paddlers, and they have also endorsed Seaward’s use of ABS thermoformed vacuum-molded plastic as a lightweight, resilient and economical material for the paddling industry.
Sea Kayaker tested one of the first Infiniti 175 TX’s from our production line, and we have already tethered all the Kajak Sport hatches and are modifying the size of the skeg blade to improve its effectiveness. I am confident that paddlers will long enjoy the zesty performance, maneuverability and “cruisability” of the infiniti 175 TX. Thank you again for your very balanced review.