Spring is fast approaching, and the next paddling trips are being planned – Corsica, Ticino – and for that, you need a boat that's fun and performs well!
In this video, Spade Kayaks Head of Design and extreme paddler Matze Brustmann explains the specific design features of our new modern creeker, the Full House:
A stable platform, pronounced rocker, plenty of buoyancy, and a sufficiently long waterline: The Full House is our answer to what a modern creeker should look like.
Do you want your kayak to be fast, agile, dynamic on edge, yet forgiving, stable, easy to boof, and great for surfing? And, of course, super lightweight yet indestructible? Then we have to disappoint you. Because as much as we'd love to invent the "holy grail" of kayaks – building a boat involves compromises. Cartwheels in a sea kayak are just as unrealistic as multi-day trips in a playboat. But if you're looking for a whitewater kayak you can rely on in extreme conditions, or one that makes getting there easier, then the Full House is exactly what you need.
When you look at modern whitewater kayaks, one thing stands out: an increasingly extreme rocker. We also wanted to develop a boat that literally keeps you in control, instead of having to struggle through features. The problem: the greater the rocker, the slower and less stable the kayak. Because the adage "length runs" doesn't refer to the overall length of the kayak, but to its waterline. And that waterline naturally shortens when the keel line starts rising early. To achieve a balanced combination of speed, maneuverability, and rocker, we stretched the Full House to a length of 284 cm. That sounds like a lot, but it corresponds to the waterline of a significantly shorter boat with less rocker. The result is a kayak that allows you to effortlessly ride up onto curlers and waves, achieving astonishing speed in whitewater.
The Full House is a boat for heavy whitewater and offers ample reserves even under high water pressure. This requires a stable platform, meaning a certain area of the hull that lies more or less flat in the water. An extreme example of initial stability would be a shoebox with 90-degree steep sidewalls. Unfortunately, such a craft would be impossible to steer... The 70 cm width allows us to round the sidewalls of the Full House so that it is less susceptible to side wash and edges well. This way, you maintain control even in complex rapids with many consecutive moves. Pronounced edges in the hull ensure excellent tracking and stability.
Black Jack, Starfire, Queen of Hearts: In the past, we deliberately developed boats for smaller and lighter paddlers, focusing on dynamic paddling fun. Just as deliberately, the Full House pursues a different concept: With its 360 liters of volume, it floats high even with a heavy load in the biggest features, providing a great deal of security in whitewater. The idea isn't new; high-volume kayaks existed 20 years ago. But what distinguishes the Full House from the 'corks' of earlier years, which are limited by today's standards? Despite its generous dimensions, it doesn't feel oversized or sluggish. The secret lies in the volume distribution. The Full House's aforementioned overall length gave us the necessary leeway to design the stern modernly without compromise. Of course, it's not 'slicy,' but narrow enough to easily load it on edge and thus lift the bow even more effortlessly. The balanced stern rocker gives the Full House high skipability – after drops and holes, the stern doesn't get stuck but reliably pushes forward.
Undoubtedly, the Full House is a big boat and not a playboat for radical maneuvers and technical drills on easy whitewater. Nevertheless, it's not exclusively for the heaviest paddlers. The cockpit and knee area are typically Spade-designed so that they don't get in the way of smaller paddlers while paddling. Because we've long known that whitewater ambitions are not a matter of gender, age, or testosterone levels ;-)
"As the saying goes, 'If you say A, you must also say B.' With the Full House, we have given modern rocker design the platform it deserves."
Whether it's a multi-day expedition pushing the limits or a controlled progression to the next whitewater level: The Full House is your ace up your sleeve!
Colors 2025/2026 yellow, yellow/purple and aquamarine/purple
RRP €1490.00
Length: 284 cm | Width: zocm | Volume: 360 liters | Weight: 24kg | Paddler weight approx. 60 to approx. 120kg
Thanks to Jan Haller for the photos in the gallery. Paddler is Luca Zint in Chile!
