Tim Dwyer and Mike Tracy shattered the doubles record in an SE2 excel in a time of 2hours and 38 minutes on a day that was tailored made for records: flat, overcast, favorable tides. The previous record was 2:46. These guys I know well and are excellent paddlers and made sure they got the boat set up properly and trained in it. To be successful in a double you have to be in synch with each other in balance,stroke, and mentality. Both are incredible rough water padders and are in the top 7 of almost every race they do here in the Northeast. The SE2 is a wonderful double with the combination of speed, lightness, low gunwales, and stability that almost any paddler can benefit from, certainly two skilled paddlers like Mike and Tim.
Of the top 10 finishers, 4 boats were Stellars including the SES and SE. Not bad for Stellar only being out for 18 months. Also if you look further down in the standings 2 SR's were finishers also. Because I know all these paddlers well, I know what they have in common and why the Stellar boats worked for them. Francisco and Chris both big guys who have only been paddling a few short years so the combination of fit and stability of the SE allowed them to make transition to surfskis more easily than some other brands. Chris Sherwood was able to transition from a sea kayak to the ultra stable SR in just a 2 months because of the same reason, stability. The stability runs throughout the line of the Stellar Brand. Barend Spies a top paddler in any boat confirmed what we have known for a year now, that the SES has great speed with stability for the shorter, lighter paddler. So within the Stellar brand there is a ski for all sizes and skill level. The only model not represented was the SEL(low volume SE).
