Raven - Thermoform Kayak Models - Eddyline Kayaks & Swift Paddles

MSRP $2,799 / Find out where to buy the Raven

In the late 1980′s Eddyline introduced a new kayak called the Raven, chosen for the playful nature of this bird. This boat was a departure from typical sea kayak design at the time as Tom Derrer, from his whitewater roots, wanted a more responsive, maneuverable and fun open water kayak. The Raven received kudos from his customers and numerous reviews.

Outside Magazine 1995 & 96 “The Raven is kayakdom’s equivalent to the best German sports sedan… it’s the most responsive boat around.”

Sea Kayaker Magazine 1993 “Raven receives high marks for maneuverability, responsiveness and play in rough water and surf.”

The Raven was the best selling kayak at Eddyline until our transition to thermoforming brought about the release of all new models.

Today we are pleased to announce the re-birth of the Raven kayak in an all new configuration suited to today’s technology and the desires of performance paddlers.

The “new” Raven features a raking bow and stern, hard chines mid-ship, and is very well balanced. This provides a “neutral” trim, creating a boat that is very quick and crisp handling in all conditions. All hull surfaces are fair, avoiding unnecessary turbulent flow and allowing the boat to be highly maneuverable without loss of forward speed. The harder chines mid-ship provide great tracking while on a wave and the raked bow and stern actually increase the waterline length when the boat is loaded. The Raven can accommodate multi-day touring as well as day tripping and ocean play.

Cockpit depth forward: 12.5 inches inside Cockpit depth aft: 8.5 inches outside.

Photo Gallery

Testimonials

Sea Kayaker Magazine February 2013 – Raven Review

“The Raven is a sweet kayak. Experienced paddlers will really enjoy themselves in rough water. I think it could quickly achieve a loyal following of hard-core paddlers. I’ll be adding one to my short list” (JK). “The Raven’s lively feel and quick responsiveness should make it a top choice for aggressive paddlers looking for fun, surf and rough-water play, as well as a kayak to serve as a multiday coast explorer that will handle well in wind” (GL). “The Raven is a good looking all-around performer. Its stability may take a novice a little while to get used to but after that, the Raven would please active paddlers looking for performance in a wide range of conditions and make rough-water play good fun” (TE). – Sea Kayaker Magazine February 2013 (read the full review here).

“I just finished paddling the “new” Raven in the surf at Hobuck Beach, Neah Bay, Wa. This boat is the most controllable sea kayak I have ever paddled. On a green face this boat can change direction with a just a lift of a knee. It surfed backward as well as forward. I found it very easy to get out of a broach and window shade rolls were easy. I think a lot of people are going to really like this boat.” - Chris Mitchell, ACA L-5 Coastal Kayak Instructor

“I took the Raven out on the 14th to Deception Pass with 20 knot winds. This kayak blows square to the wind, it doesn’t spin in the wind, it doesn’t weathercock or leacock. This kayak will track well and has good speed but it isn’t stiff so it does bounce around on waves. It turns on a dime when you kick it up on edge to do a flat water turn or outside edge turn. I was able to do a forward finish hand roll with this kayak better than my greenland kayaks. The back deck is a little high but you can layback just fine.” – Warren Williamson

“I give the Raven two thumbs up! I paddled it all day in comfort, its speed was more than adequate. Its handling characteristics were impressive. For a price point below fiberglass sea kayaks, I predict the Raven will capture many buyers in 2013.” – Rod Richards staff at Alder Creek Kayak, Portland, OR (read the full review here)

“All in all the Eddyline Raven is a playful, highly responsive touring boat that gets from A to B fast and if you are into playing and exploring the coastline along the way, even better. If you like wind, waves, rough water and conditions too, you might as well stop looking, because the Raven is one sea kayak that does it all. ” - Thomas Schuebel, ACA Coastal Kayak Instructor (read the full review here)

Once put on edge the kayak will hold an edge. When using a bow rudder the Raven makes an extremely tight turn as it does when utilizing both the high and low brace turns. When capsized I could roll the Raven upright smoothly and without effort, it seems to want to recover. When performing the high brace I waited until both my head and shoulder touched the water’s surface before attempting a recovery and the Raven responded beautiful, bring me back to an upright position each time. Both the paddle float and scrambled self-rescue techniques were easily performed with the Raven.

Having the option to move the seat forward and rearward by simply turning two knobs has tremendous benefits. The first and obvious benefit in the ability to move the seat is the kayak can be trimmed for the individual paddler. In most kayaks my knees rest uncomfortably under the thighs braces giving me little support and the possibility of injuring my knees, this is not the case with the Raven; I can easily adjust the seat position so my thighs are under the thigh braces where they belong. Additionally for me there is an added benefit in the ability of being able to move the seat, I like to store me paddle float, pump and other assorted items behind the seat and the Raven has plenty of storage room between the rear of the seat and the bulkhead for that purpose.

Overall Eddyline’s Raven is an excellent kayak. It will have no problems in fulfilling all my kayaking needs. It is durable enough to withstand the rigors of being used when conducting kayaking instruction and it has the maneuverability to move between students when the need arises. With the Raven’s smooth and effortless paddling performance I will be able to extend the distance I normally paddle. There is sufficient storage room within the forward and rear compartments that all my equipment for an extended kayak camping trips will fit inside of the Raven and nothing will need to be placed on the decks.I will have no hesitation in taking the Raven out into open water after experiencing how it wants to prevent and recover from a capsize. Colin Mullen, ACA Coastal Kayaking Instructor

Video and comments from West Coast Rep Ethan Ebersold

http://happypaddlin.blogspot.com/2012/09/eddyline-raven.html

Got my hands on the new Eddyline Raven last week. When you drive around the country with a quiver of kayaks you tend to use the right boat for each conditions. The Samba for a quick tour, the Fathoms for distance and gear hauling, the Caribbean for sport/fish/swim and the Skylark/Sky 10 for a quick recreational dip. However, in my travels and sales, the reality is that most people are looking for just one boat to do open coast, touring, day-play, social, workout, suntan, etc. The Raven is it. It is the Queen on the chess board. Loose and dry on a wave and yet easy to control direction in a wind.

There are a multitude of brit styled boats on the market and as many opinions on what is best to match. The Raven doesn’t just join the pack, it stands alone as the first US made, fully featured, heavy duty thermo-formed rough water design on the market. Slick on the water like a composite boat with the bounce-ability of a plastic kayak. Homerun. And believe me, I was a skeptic when this project began.

Did I need to fill the trailer with another long boat? Shorter boats are selling these days and the rough water paddlers are gravitating to transitional WW and surf play boats. If I was going to add a boat to the trailer I wanted it to appeal to everyone and sell in every shop. Another long boat?! And then I paddled it. The boyish fun of playfulness took over. Been a long time since that has happened for me and I paddle ‘em all. I’ve also met so many paddlers that started with and love Eddyline but needed a boat to match their skills and open-water aspirations. Raven–Check. They would tell me they needed a lower back deck that for the arsenal of rolls they had learned. Raven-Check. Surf? Raven-Check. Light and strong? Raven-Check (they use a thicker lay-up for this model but still easy to shoulder).

With all the performance packed into this boat you really can tackle any conditions from lake to coast. It excels where other models might not: open water paddling, skills training, surf, current. Smaller hatches will have to be packed with small packets of gear (trend these days). The forward day hatch makes this boat convenient for those who need a camera/gps/phone in quick reach.