Shooting Star© is a new, smaller, lower volume, baidarka
from Laughing Loon. The dimensions are 16' 6" long and 21" wide,
The finished weight is 35 pounds. The suggested weight range is from 100
to 200 pounds. It is nimble, responsive and fast.
Shooting Star is not a scaled down version of the North
Star. The volume is lower, especially in the rear deck. The hull is slightly
flattened to improve stability in such a narrow kayak. Though the Shooting
Star is only 21" wide at the widest point at the sheer line, stability
is good and secondary stability excellent. She is very responsive to paddle
strokes yet tracks very well.
Shooting Star will appeal to the paddler who wants a fast
responsive day boat. With all the great speed, tracking and handling characteristics
of the baidarka style.
Some
comments, by Ken Katz
"I have been able to paddle my SS in some different
conditions and am very pleased with the boat!"
"Paddling into the waves, the SS seemed to pitch
less than my other boats and was drier than I expected."
"The SS tracks really well when surfing down the
face of a wave.
"I didn't think it was possible to have a kayak
track this well and be able to turn this easily."
"As it sits it is an excellent boat!! It not only
looks fast and sleek, it shines.
Thanks again Rob for an awesome boat!! "
Follow this link to read Ken's full comments.
Andrew Elizaga's Shooting Star
"After getting home from work early I spend the afternoon
on the final touches to the Shooting Star. The sky is drizzling and overcast.
The wind is building. I set the kayak down by the water. I hold a bottle
of champagne in one hand, and pop the cork."I hereby name you... Moonlight
Dancer!" A generous splash on the bow and a little drink for myself.
I squeeze in and secure my tuilik. The coaming has a very low profile.
The fit is pleasantly tight around my thighs, but I have an inch or two
extra footroom. She speeds me away. I put her on edge and bow rudder --
so smooth! Then a standard Greenland roll. She rolls easily and is stable
on recovery. A few more rolls: reverse sweep, shoulder, butterfly, masikkut
aalatsineq -- simply awesome! I've reached the end. She is finished."
"Big surprise: I can do more rolls in my strip baidarka
than I can in my Greenland skin-on-frame, Misterie. Moonlight Dancer was
not built to be a rolling boat. Yes, I did recess the cockpit to make laybacks
easier, but the depth at the backrest is still 8 3/4 inches from the inside
hull to the top of the coaming. So who knows why -- the round hull, improved
"secondary stability", even deck shape might make a difference.
What design features make a good rolling kayak?"
Andrew Elizaga
The Shooting Star© is also a baidarka for the smaller paddler, with enough storage
space for extended trips. It has the forward and stern volume typical of
the baidarka style which gives the Shooting Star as much storage space
as many larger length kayaks.
If you are 100 to 200 pounds the Shooting Star will be
a good all round kayak for someone at the lower weight range or a good
day boat for someone at the the higher end of that weight range.