Manta
The new fast agile creek boat
Extreme race pedigree
Built for the gnarliest rapids.
RRP UK £1295.00 Creek Outfitting & Race Outfitting
Extreme race pedigree
Built for the gnarliest rapids.
RRP UK £1295.00 Creek Outfitting & Race Outfitting
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Lettmann take their time when creating a new boat. They will refine it, test it, refine again, invite others to test and refine, refine and refine. As a family business they really want to get a boat stamped with the Lettmann marque to be perfect. As a consequence new whitewater boats are not released every year. A new Lettmann whitewater boat is a rare and very special event.
The Manta is designed to be a highly competitive kayak for extreme races. At 274cm it is within the allowed length limit and the most noticeable features are the aggressive bow rocker and stern spoiler . The purpose of the rocker on the bow is to lift and clear holes whilst keeping you on track & in control to move forward. The stern "spoiler" design assists in exiting holes by boosting the boat forward & out to maintain your momentum; great for speed in a race and equally useful for surviving gnarly hydraulincs.
The Manta is designed to be a highly competitive kayak for extreme races. At 274cm it is within the allowed length limit and the most noticeable features are the aggressive bow rocker and stern spoiler . The purpose of the rocker on the bow is to lift and clear holes whilst keeping you on track & in control to move forward. The stern "spoiler" design assists in exiting holes by boosting the boat forward & out to maintain your momentum; great for speed in a race and equally useful for surviving gnarly hydraulincs.
"Brace yourself for the best white water boat of 2018. The Lettmann Manta is coming (fingers crossed Mid February). The Manta is longer, Faster & Sharper than the trusty Granate and is another master class in simple efficient design. Lettmann's Philosophy when designing fast boats is to make them easy to use when in the trickiest of situations, good bow rocker lets the Manta power over even the biggest river features. Continuous rocker gives great manouverability and also fantastic speed."
Pete Scutt, Whitewater The Canoe Centre.
Pete Scutt, Whitewater The Canoe Centre.
DEMO MANTAS AVAILABLE AT THESE KAYAK SHOPS
- AS Watersports, Exeter
- Whitewater the Canoe Centre, Shepperton
- Canoe & Kayak Store, Cardiff
- Robinhood Watersports, Leeds
MANTA REVIEW
Manta Review Feb 2018
Name: Ed Cornfield
Height: 6ft 2
Weight: 88kg
Upfront, I have no allegiance to any particular kayak manufacturer and just tend to paddle whatever boat I feel is right for me. Having said this, I had been pretty excited to try out the new Manta from Lettmann ever since I’d heard rumours of a 9ft boat designed for speed. Over the last few years I’ve been a big fan of fast boats that need to be paddled dynamically.
I got the chance to demo the new Lettmann Manta (L) on the Upper Dart recently. At first glance, it looked fast and sporty, a bit ‘fatter’ than I was expecting, and the seat and outfitting were simple, no nonsense and worked. From the side it looked more ‘creeky’, with plenty of rocker up front, from above it looked more ‘river runnery’ that hinted at its slalom pedigree. Size wise it felt just right for me as I tend to be at the lower end of the biggest sizes in other boats.
First run down the Upper Dart was a fun low water level, so lowish volume, rocky and technical in places (Class 3-4). Straight out of the gate it felt fast and held its speed well. Edge to edge was very quick and stability was just enough. The nose stayed up, but not quite as much as some other boats I’ve paddled recently. It felt very agile for a large boat with this much speed, and in eddies it almost felt like it was ‘pivot turning’ just around the hips. It held its line, but when aggressively paddled you could throw it about. It wanted to be ‘driven’ aggressively. On the run out I reflected a bit and thought, you know what, that was pretty good and certainly rivals other similar boats.
Second run down, the river had come up dramatically and was in low flood. A very different kettle of fish. Big waves, big holes and some bigger moves (Class 4+). I’d added some foam to the seat and was 1-2cm or so higher in the seat. With the dramatically more powerful water, this boat instantly put a smile on my face. I freakin’ loved it. It’s not designed for passengers … backseat low bracers will not like it. Drive the boat forwards with purpose and it rocks. It’s very fast and tracks well. It doesn’t ‘auto-boof’ or ‘skip’ as much as some of the new creekers, but hold power on the blade and it will absolutley launch over things. In and out of eddies it was super nippy and wanted to be paddled like a slalom boat. I deliberately piled into some of the bigger pour-overs and it delivered.
In summary, for a dynamic performance orientated paddler, this hits the spot in a big way. Very fast, super quick edge to edge, not overly stable (in a positive way), and more than capable in the hard stuff.
Manta Review Feb 2018
Name: Ed Cornfield
Height: 6ft 2
Weight: 88kg
Upfront, I have no allegiance to any particular kayak manufacturer and just tend to paddle whatever boat I feel is right for me. Having said this, I had been pretty excited to try out the new Manta from Lettmann ever since I’d heard rumours of a 9ft boat designed for speed. Over the last few years I’ve been a big fan of fast boats that need to be paddled dynamically.
I got the chance to demo the new Lettmann Manta (L) on the Upper Dart recently. At first glance, it looked fast and sporty, a bit ‘fatter’ than I was expecting, and the seat and outfitting were simple, no nonsense and worked. From the side it looked more ‘creeky’, with plenty of rocker up front, from above it looked more ‘river runnery’ that hinted at its slalom pedigree. Size wise it felt just right for me as I tend to be at the lower end of the biggest sizes in other boats.
First run down the Upper Dart was a fun low water level, so lowish volume, rocky and technical in places (Class 3-4). Straight out of the gate it felt fast and held its speed well. Edge to edge was very quick and stability was just enough. The nose stayed up, but not quite as much as some other boats I’ve paddled recently. It felt very agile for a large boat with this much speed, and in eddies it almost felt like it was ‘pivot turning’ just around the hips. It held its line, but when aggressively paddled you could throw it about. It wanted to be ‘driven’ aggressively. On the run out I reflected a bit and thought, you know what, that was pretty good and certainly rivals other similar boats.
Second run down, the river had come up dramatically and was in low flood. A very different kettle of fish. Big waves, big holes and some bigger moves (Class 4+). I’d added some foam to the seat and was 1-2cm or so higher in the seat. With the dramatically more powerful water, this boat instantly put a smile on my face. I freakin’ loved it. It’s not designed for passengers … backseat low bracers will not like it. Drive the boat forwards with purpose and it rocks. It’s very fast and tracks well. It doesn’t ‘auto-boof’ or ‘skip’ as much as some of the new creekers, but hold power on the blade and it will absolutley launch over things. In and out of eddies it was super nippy and wanted to be paddled like a slalom boat. I deliberately piled into some of the bigger pour-overs and it delivered.
In summary, for a dynamic performance orientated paddler, this hits the spot in a big way. Very fast, super quick edge to edge, not overly stable (in a positive way), and more than capable in the hard stuff.
Creek & Race Spec
Sport seat 20mm track adjustment
Full plate adjustable footrest with step out.
Padded adjustable thigh braces
Foam seat padding
Ratchet adjustable back rest
Central stiffener & foam pillars
Five deck anchor points
Drain plug
Sport seat 20mm track adjustment
Full plate adjustable footrest with step out.
Padded adjustable thigh braces
Foam seat padding
Ratchet adjustable back rest
Central stiffener & foam pillars
Five deck anchor points
Drain plug
Manta
Size Volume L Length cm Weight Kg
Large Creek 320 274 21.5
Large Race 320 274 19
Large Creek 320 274 21.5
Large Race 320 274 19
Available Colours
Lime Green
Orange
Deep Blue
Sky Blue
Yellow
Black
Red
Rasberry Glitter
Multicolour - aswell as the above there are extra colours in multicolours & special graphics (bear paws, smiley faces, footprints) made to order - see images on the Granate page for examples.
Lime Green
Orange
Deep Blue
Sky Blue
Yellow
Black
Red
Rasberry Glitter
Multicolour - aswell as the above there are extra colours in multicolours & special graphics (bear paws, smiley faces, footprints) made to order - see images on the Granate page for examples.