What's New For 2023

Kabeyun is investing in our waterfront and paddling program.

Camp has purchased a dozen new kayaks and leased a new motorboat for wake surfing, wake boarding, and water skiing. Both should arrive before campers in late June.

“I’m really excited about the future of our kayak program,” says counselor Gus Robinson, who researched models and pricing with Terry Dash before recommending camp purchase the Dagger Rewind in three sizes.

“The longer hull provides stability for beginner boaters learning basic river skills,” Gus explains, “plus it comes in small enough sizes for even the tiniest Lion. However, the Rewind also can comfortably run the most challenging whitewater in the Northeast.”

The Rewinds will replace an aging fleet that included different models and styles, some possibly dating back to the 1980’s, when kayaking was a new activity at camp! At times, our old collection made it difficult to match each camper with a boat that suited him. Color-coding the new boats by size will help campers and counselors quickly identify small, medium, and large kayaks, reducing confusion and giving them just a bit more time on the water.

Director Ken Robbins put a similar amount of thought into finding a motorboat that would best serve our campers’ varied ages and abilities. With guidance from Chuck Draper, camp’s experienced wake and ski instructor, and Sam Dyer and Hugo Castellanos as test-riders, Ken selected the Super Air Ski Nautique S21 in white with custom “Kabeyun blue” accents.

The new boat has a variety of cutting-edge equipment designed for wakeboarding and wakesurfing, which has become much more popular among campers. Ken explains the S21 “has exciting features that allow it to quickly adapt the shape and size of the wake for different riders -- steeper for more advanced riders, or longer and shallower for smaller or less experienced guys.”

At 21 feet, the S21 is bigger than our most recent boat, a Four Winns Tow Series 222, but new technology makes it far more maneuverable, adding to safety and ease of navigating in the cove.

Like the Four Winns, Kabeyun is leasing the S21 through Melvin Village Marina, which provides all maintenance and is on call to address any problems 24/7. Ken describes Melvin’s service over the past decade as “superb.”

“Overall, this new boat will maximize riding time and should increase the number of riders who get a chance on any given day,” he adds. “We’re pretty excited to see it arrive at our dock in June, along with the new kayaks.”