Scupper 14 vs ScupPro

Hey Hydrospyder, How is that new Scupper working out?

Its not, yet.
Ordered and paid for in mid November to allow time for rigging before 2019 trips start.
I heard from Swell and they said that there would be a delay but they would start the build just before or after the holidays. Swell contacted me again in early January and said that the boat had not been started and no time line was known......

I inquired with Swell last Friday.     Projected delivery is now 30 days out.


I had ordered another boat that I knew was going to take longer since I had requested custom colors.
(6 weeks for colors)
I have heard back from the outfitter that I am using and they are ahead of schedule and the boat is en route.    This boat will now take the rigging priority and the Swell will sit on the rack until.....

Sorry I don't have better news for you Jack.

On a positive
The new Scupper 14 was continuing to evolve and improve on some features. Those upgrades in design will be in place on my boat. 

Thanks for the update, Terry - been wondering about it, too.

Right-on Terry. Thanks. What kind is the other custom colored boat you ordered?

Finally retiring my 05 Tarpon 140. Getting the Jackson Kraken 13.5.
I really liked their old black widow coloration thats been discontinued, so I requested those colors.

If you decide to get rid of your old 140, I would like to buy it. Now that the kids are mostly grown, I am trying to add to my fleet so I can take the whole family out at the same time.

  I decided to give the old boat to a friend.  I know you've appreciated that hull for many years and if it didn't already have a person, I would give it to you.  its still a solid kayak but I really enjoy the lawn chair style seats that elevate and I don't have unlimited rack space.

YOU ? are an elevated lawnchair guy?  I would never have guessed that. Im a wet-ass low center of gravity guy myself.

I like both.  If I am fishing all day, I want to be elevated and in the chair. If I am out being a recreational paddler, I want to be on/in the boat with a low CoG.
Kraken and Coosa for fishing and Scupper for everything else.

 Got an update from Swell and they will bust the 30 day projected delivery.
Next expected date is March 15th.
They have stated that they are upgrading the boat package for me. I'm not really interested in the "upgrades", they will just be more work to remove, so I have asked them to leave some of the stuff off of the boat.
IF swell can make the March 15th delivery it will be 5 months since this boat was ordered.
It is easy to doubt at this point.
Fortunately Jackson was ahead of schedule so I am able to work on Kraken projects while my world is frozen.

duuuuuude, I just test paddled the swell scupper up in casper last weekend. I didn't like it a lot. the whole ball-valve scupper drain thing is a hassle. foot pegs need to be extended up so the ball of my foot actually contacts the peg. the lower footwell doesn't seem to lower the center of gravity noticeably. I like the original scupper pro better.

duuuuuude, I just test paddled the swell scupper up in casper last weekend. I didn't like it a lot. the whole ball-valve scupper drain thing is a hassle. foot pegs need to be extended up so the ball of my foot actually contacts the peg. the lower footwell doesn't seem to lower the center of gravity noticeably. I like the original scupper pro better.

Interesting. Did it have the second gen scuppers? With Jeff and Cate at Caspar?

duuuuuude, I just test paddled the swell scupper up in casper last weekend. I didn't like it a lot. the whole ball-valve scupper drain thing is a hassle. foot pegs need to be extended up so the ball of my foot actually contacts the peg. the lower footwell doesn't seem to lower the center of gravity noticeably. I like the original scupper pro better.

Interesting. Did it have the second gen scuppers? With Jeff and Cate at Caspar?

It was mine. First gen scuppers.

It’s the newest model kayak. The first kayak I got was one of the original 20 and had a removable bucket in the center hatch. I paddled it and it took on a significant amount of water. I messaged Swell and ripped the design. They sent all of us with the original kayaks brand new boats with an integrated center compartment. I had to swap all of the old fixtures from the fist yak to the second. I haven’t received the new scuppers yet, and to be fair the old ones are a little loose in the new hull.

duuuuuude, I just test paddled the swell scupper up in casper last weekend. I didn't like it a lot. the whole ball-valve scupper drain thing is a hassle. foot pegs need to be extended up so the ball of my foot actually contacts the peg. the lower footwell doesn't seem to lower the center of gravity noticeably. I like the original scupper pro better.

 Thanks for testing and reporting Jack.
  I really enjoyed the speed of the Scupper pro and how easy it was to roll. Success on my first try is not the norm for me on a SOT.  There were a few things that I didn't like and it looked like the first protos were addressing those issues. I wanted more bow volume and some rocker. I knew that would kill a bit of the speed but I believe I would enjoy the boat more with those changes. The new scupper protos looked like  Tim and Swell had similar ideas to improve the scupper pro.  Now that Niemier is not involved and the protos are not available, I am settling on this Scupper14 product.  I have had venturi scuppers on surf skis and I understand that they won't drain when static. Not a deal breaker for me.  As far a the stock rigging goes, It will be like other boats. Ill rip it all off and upgrade with better gear that suits my interests. They have marketed the low CoG thing, but I could really care less.  I am what makes a boat stable vs unstable.

What I am really interested in is speed.  So....?

Was it fast?

 Im also curious if the scalloped gunnel made a difference?  I like to use a bow rudder a lot and I was hoping this might help me.

duuuuuude, I just test paddled the swell scupper up in casper last weekend. I didn't like it a lot. the whole ball-valve scupper drain thing is a hassle. foot pegs need to be extended up so the ball of my foot actually contacts the peg. the lower footwell doesn't seem to lower the center of gravity noticeably. I like the original scupper pro better.

 Thanks for testing and reporting Jack.
  I really enjoyed the speed of the Scupper pro and how easy it was to roll. Success on my first try is not the norm for me on a SOT.  There were a few things that I didn't like and it looked like the first protos were addressing those issues. I wanted more bow volume and some rocker. I knew that would kill a bit of the speed but I believe I would enjoy the boat more with those changes. The new scupper protos looked like  Tim and Swell had similar ideas to improve the scupper pro.  Now that Niemier is not involved and the protos are not available, I am settling on this Scupper14 product.  I have had venturi scuppers on surf skis and I understand that they won't drain when static. Not a deal breaker for me.  As far a the stock rigging goes, It will be like other boats. Ill rip it all off and upgrade with better gear that suits my interests. They have marketed the low CoG thing, but I could really care less.  I am what makes a boat stable vs unstable.

What I am really interested in is speed.  So....?

Was it fast?

 Im also curious if the scalloped gunnel made a difference?  I like to use a bow rudder a lot and I was hoping this might help me.

You are welcome to paddle this kayak, I’m in Caspar. I’m selling it for $1k if you want it. I will send the new scuppers when they get to me at the end of March.