The test driving of the prototype of Liquidlogic’s new DeltaV 73 has been anything but demure, and a good number of us have taken it through its paces on the river. First impression: the turboboosters work regardless of the size or the awesome pink color! More importantly, it lives up to the performance of its Delta V big brother.
One of the first to demo the small Delta V was Olivia McGinnis, who in typical Olivia form, took it on every section of the Nantahala in one day, giving it a full test drive from Class II-Class IV+. She writes a great review on her new blog https://oliviamcginnissite.wordpress.com/2017/10/11/delta-v-73-prototype-one-river-3-flavors/.
One of the points I found most interesting about Olivia’s feedback was her lack of concern about paddling a displacement hull. Having spent a lot of time in planing hulls myself, I confess my love for chimes. I had a bit of concern that those coming out of planing hulls – particularly younger paddlers who tend to start out in playboats, would be resistant to the performance of a displacement hull. But that is obviously not the case.
My first test drive of the Delta V 73 was a bit more tame , taking it through its paces on the Ocoee. I would choose the following adjectives to sum it up:
- Predictable
- Great Stability
- Fast Boofs
If you are buying a boat to help you gain confidence on new runs and/or stepping up your game to harder rivers, the Delta V is a great asset. It is predictable- and that’s a compliment. That means it does not tend to throw you any surprises performance-wise in the middle of a rapid.
On edge and carving turns, and in surfing holes, the boat is super stable. I intentionally tested some pretty hard upstream edges in holes to see how it reacted. I never caught an edge. 
Olivia was spot on regarding the recovery off boofs. You don’t lose any speed on the landings.
Boofing the Delta V
I admit that I did have to grill the boys on what exactly “turboboosters” were supposed to do. Craig talked me through what to expect and it was only after I punched through the middle of the Double Trouble waves that I got what he was talking about. They really do work resurfacing out of a sticky spot.
The size of the Delta V 73 is most welcome for smaller paddlers. It fits a smaller person better than any LL boat- including leg placement in the thigh braces (typically the biggest challenge for a smaller person in LL boats).
One of the demos has been living at Endless River Adventures…until Pat remembers where it is. So come and check it out!