After two successful seasons of STINGRAY, Team Outrigger Connection got together in July 2003 to discuss the possibilities of improving the Stingray hull's performance. The general consent was that the hull just needs tiny changes mostly in the bow area and in the reserve buoyancy in the front of the boat. The desired numbers were negotiated and the prototype was built in August. The hull was tested several times in variety of conditions, always one paddler in the Stingray and other on the new prototype. Through out of this meticulous testing several changes were made on the prototype to improve the prototype performance. The central chine was eliminated to gain more maneuverability and front rocker was fine tuned. New ama was finished and attached to the boat about 6' more forward. The iakos exit the boat in the center and the lifting leverage was changed to make the lifting the ama way easier. The idea for new radical deep seat spearheaded the entire redesigning of the Stingray. It actually ended up as a biggest challenge for the designing team. The seat well was finished but didn't fit into the existing hull. The only solution was to raise the hull in the seat area to accommodate new seat configuration and solve the problem with the dividing seam line coming high and creating the desired well for the seat. New symmetrical deck was shaped and bungee cord storage moved in the cockpit front. The same bungee provides tension on the foot pedals avoiding the central attachment of the extra pedal string. The drain plug was integrated in the rudder anti spin bump and is located in the lowest point of the deck.
The greatest challenge ended up to find the proper name for the new product that would reflect the entire designing project. Finally, when 3 boats were already out there, paddled by the sponsored paddlers, the word FUSION was uttered.
YES, the elements were flawlessly flowing together, so the FUSION is the proper expression for our latest project.
The feedback from the sponsored paddlers is more then promising. The boat performs ideally in variety of conditions; the improvements are noticeable in critical conditions. The new seat provides more contact and control for the paddler. The control over the boat and stability improved tremendously, allowing the paddler to use more hips in the critical direction changes in the bumps. The deep seat is very gentle to the paddler's spine, with eliminating the side vibration while balancing the boat.