07 All Star seen on the Potomac!

By Stephen Wright

After a great Christmas with the family, I’ve been paddling daily at Z-dam
with my shiny new toy–the 07 All Star. I didn’t know quite what to expect
with the changes in design, but I can say that I think the new All Star is
an improvement in every way over the classic design. There are so many
upgrades that it’s hard to know where to start:it’s a lot faster, slicier
and easier to cartwheel/blunt, more volume balance from bow-to-stern, loops
even bigger, backloops MUCH bigger, surfs more forgiving when backwards, and
just a pleasure to paddle in every spot I’ve tried so far. I’ll give a more
detailed review after I get it on a bigger wave, but it’s rocked the smaller
waves and holes where I’ve paddled it. I’m confident it’ll be great on a
big wave too, as that’s where a lot of the designed improvements were
focused. I think that we have an incredible all-around boat: jack of all
trades, master of all! 🙂

Anyway, I had the chance to head up to the Potomac today and paddle the
Upper Center Chute ledge with my friends James, Jamie, Brandon, and Monique
(who runs Valley Mill Boats). It was great to paddle with all of them
again, as I don’t often have this chance. I did several rides and then let
everyone else paddle the new toy–little did they know that they were the
4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th people to ever paddle one! The good news is that
they all seemed to be really impressed with the 07 All Star’s slice-a-bility
and ease of surfing. The upgrade in speed and forgiveness was apparent in
this small and flushy spot. Enjoy a few photos of them having fun in my
boat.

Live from my parent’s house in Richmond, VA
Stephen Wright