2007 Hudson Predator Sport

I have a super cool racing shell to talk about this time; a 2007 Hudson Predator Sport. What makes this single so cool?

Looks and “Cool Factor”

First off, check it out: clear-coated carbon fiber. This particular boat actually had a factory restoration a few years back, and it looks awesome. It does seem reminiscent of a FluidDesign, no? This resemblance goes more than “skin deep”; this is a single layer design, not the more typical multi-layer that Hudson uses for most of its shells. As far as I have been able to discern, the Predator Sport is a fairly rare boat, and not many were made.

Stiffness

Let’s keep chatting about that single-layer skin; this boat is physically “squishy”. If you’ve been able to touch a FluidDesign, you’ll know what I mean. The hull of the boat easily depresses were you to (gently) squeeze it. This doesn’t actually impact the rowing experience, as far as I can discern. It is a very light way to build a boat, perhaps at the cost of durability? I have no data on that last point, and I’m not sure on the pros and cons of this type of construction. In all other aspects, this thing rows like an erg. I could perceive zero flex in the hull longitudinally, nor could I feel the rigger flexing in its mount. I couldn’t really get “into the groove” with this boat until I hit around 8K or so. I finally just started rowing as if I were on an erg: roll into the catch, banging the blades in hard, and then yanking on the handles with immediate, severe acceleration. Doing this brought the boat to life in a big way. Acceleration was almost instant, and I felt like I wasn’t dragging a boat through the water (as I did when I had opted for a more cautious entry). It was a lot of fun to give power, with the rigger “singing” and the sound of bubbles streaming down its flanks.

Handling

The Hudson Predator Sport wants to go in one direction: straight. While I didn’t get to do a sprint race with it, it was immediately evident when held in comparison to other rowing shells. Making gradual turns with it took considerable effort to elicit a change in direction. Want to spin it and head back? I hope you’re patient, because it’s going to take a while. This can be seen as a positive; were I in a sprint, I would be able to focus a lot less on staying in my lane and more on just giving it my all. But, I’m not sure it’s ideal for a head race as it seems like the effort required to change direction would sap your strength after a while.

Comfort and Features

It’s a Cadillac. You feel isolated from the water and from all the little ripples and vibrations that come with with it. It’s (awkwardly put) floaty in feel. It was slightly unnerving at first, but I could get used to it by the end of the row. Maybe this has something to do with the single layer fabric design; perhaps the flexibility of the hull absorbs the smaller effects of the water and reduces vibration?

The seat was about average, the slides were nicely out of the way of my calves, and there was good storage for a water bottle, etc. This is one of those boats that comes with a handle embedded into the bulkhead in front of the deck; I’m not a huge fan of using these but having the option to accommodate other people’s preferences is always a good thing.

The foot stretcher is typical of other Hudsons of this era. It is incredibly adjustable and maybe a bit heavy. You can adjust just about anything with these foot stretchers, almost to a fault, as they can be very fiddly and complicated. Once you understand what effect a certain change has, it’s not too bad to figure out, but I can see some people being baffled by it. I will give it points for durability, however, as every one of these I’ve handled has held up supremely well over the years.

Price

My gracious friend who purchased this boat, used, got it for a steal. It is a lot of boat for the cash he paid. That said, this is the only one of this model I’ve ever seen. How do you judge the pricing of something you can’t find? I’m going to judge the value of this one based on the price he paid, instead of the general average transaction prices. I’ll say this: it’s a very rare and cool piece of history, and I’m glad my friend bought it and allowed me to row it.