The Development of the Liquidlogic Kayaks Mullet

The design of the Mullet grew out of our desire to bring back some old skool moves missing from the mainstream scene for a long time and  package it in a high-performance hull comfortable for all paddlers. The Mullet will not only make your local run fresh and new again but it will help you find new ways to enjoy the river.

A small contingency of folks has vigilantly maintained the art of Slice paddling classic designs, and recently, interest has grown, especially around our home river, the Green. Pat’s antics in squirty boats over the last 5+ years have been a big part of that resurgence. Woody and I have also craved seeing the stern squirt, blast, splat, and just plain fun and stylish river-running back in the mainstream of paddling for a long time. Those techniques made up “playboating” back in the day, but those who just started paddling in the last ten years haven’t had access to the knowledge of how to use the slicey stern. The low volume tail isn’t just for freestyle: it delivers a completely different way to paddle the river. The ability to slice, squirt, and use that wing under the water opens up a completely new palette of techniques and skills, and the desire to open those up in combination with newer techniques gave rise to the Mullet.

Shane Squirting the Sabre 80s Style

When Pat and I first started working on the Mullet and Braaap, we were excited to bring together elements from many different boats including the the RPM, Sleek, Freeride, and, interestingly enough, a slalom boat that had a very pronounced kick rocker and “hips” behind the seat.  That rocker profile and “hips” in the hull shape snapped the boat into carving turns and actually helped initiate pivots and stern squirts. That kick rocker became the starting point that unites the design of the Mullet and the Braaap.  From that point, the two boats went their separate ways.

By starting with a solid direction for the design of the hull of the Mullet we were able to really hone in on what we wanted on the first prototype and dialed it in with small adjustments to volume along the way. We did a lot of testing on the Green of course, as it is our backyard.  We also had the benefit of the entire season of 2015 to paddle it in the Grand Canyon, out in California, Oregon, and Idaho, on the Gauley, New River, and all over the Southeast. The Green definitely inspired this boat because that river makes a solid river runner imperative. My trip up to the Cheat River also heavily influenced this design because it is one of the places where squirting, blasting, and splatting were first introduced to the paddling world.  The entire river is full of nice eddy lines, blastable holes, giant splat rocks and a handful of fun waves to surf. It shouted for a boat just like the Mullet. The protos here at the factory were out most days with the folks who work here at the factory, and at many of our events we shared the Mullet love. The reviews were incredible. There were a couple changes that people hoped we would make, but for the most part everyone has asked if they could buy the prototypes on the spot. The few requests for changes we did receive were to lower the volume in the stern a little more to make it more squirtable. The other was to decrease the volume around the front part of the cockpit. We didn’t want to take too much out of the bow so that we could still boost big enders but we didn’t want it to get in the way of paddle strokes. We were also careful to only take out enough volume to make the moves come more easily but not give up too much in the way of river running performance.

The physical design process began with the Freeride model so that we had a good centered cockpit and smooth center-hull rocker transition. From there we added tons of foam to the bow and enough foam to the stern to extend it to 9′ in length. This is by no means the modern way of doing it but it was a quick way to get started. We took measurements from the different boats that we referenced and blended them together, adding foam where needed, and taking it away in the Party zones. Here is a cool photo sequence of the different stages of shaping the model into what became the Mullet.

From bow to stern we paid a lot of attention to every detail. The first quality most people notice is the square ends. Those reference to the first playboats we made at Liquidlogic called the Session and Session+. The square ends maximize surface area near the ends of the boat.  In the Session, it was all about planing surface area of the hull. In the Mullet, the squareness maximizes the surface area on the deck that water can push down on for enders, another oldskool awesome move. The square tip leads to a flattish deck that aids in water loading for enders and creates more space in the boat so anyone, no matter how big their feet are, will be able to paddle this boat. That volume comes up to a comfortably high knee position that also promotes big, booming enders.

Following the boat through the cockpit area you will notice that we recessed the cockpit rim as much as possible so that you are more likely to hit the boat during strokes than your spray skirt. As you go towards the back of the cockpit the boat starts dropping volume quickly and at the hips, the entire boat is below the cockpit rim. We widened the seat recess area so that your hands will fit comfortably getting in and out of the boat. Just behind the cockpit, the deck becomes slightly concave to take away just enough volume to help initiate stern squirts. That concavity carries through the rest of the stern deck and finishes at the square stern. The extremely round hull, highly-rockered at the bow end like a creek boat means you can still boof and use rocks without worrying about catching edges or pitoning. As you move along the hull it begins to flatten out.  Just under the seat, a large flat section adds stability and maneuverability on the surface of the water. Just behind the seat, the “kick” rocker transitions to a long straight rocker profile to the stern tip of the boat. After that kick, the hull starts to round again so it will slide off of rocks well and slice through the water smoothly ending at the tip where the boat is just thick enough for a drain plug. The stern is also wide and squared off like the bow. That wider surface gives the boat more stability both while sitting flat and while standing the boat vertically on the stern. The width provides a more stable wing under the water, and it looks cool.

We received the mold just after the New Year and began working on getting it into production shape.  Getting it ready takes lots of steps. Polishing the mold to a mirror finish. Mounting it on a framework that will be bolted to spindles that will spin the mold in the oven. Perfecting the cook cycle so that we milk the best possible performance out of the plastic, and monitor the thicknesses that we need for the best weight and durability. Marking where all the logos go for production. Adjusting the cooling fixtures so that they preserve the shape of the boat when it comes out the mold at nearly 200 degrees. Adjusting the outfitting for the best fit in the Mullet including dialing in the foam wall templates to support the deck and hull. The big fun begins when the boats roll into regular production. and we get to head out on the water to make sure the design is dialed in.

It’s pretty simple: if you are looking to have more fun and learn new things while paddling the river, The Mullet is the boat for you.

Check out all the specs and features on the Mullet page.