After ripping my beloved Palm Classic spraydeck on a weir (on the River Ness of all places!), I was looking for a replacement. Palm had stopped producing Classics as they were soon to launch a revised version; I couldn’t wait that long!

I shopped around and, after trying out a Yak Bolt deck (which I hated as it didn’t have a good seal) and trying for a Palm Extreme Deck (which we’re out of stock everywhere), I plumped for an Elephant Mammoth deck.

The Mammoth decks is great value for money and comes out of the same factory as PlayBoater gear. It’s made from nice thick neoprene with a ¾ kevlar reinforced rim to help protect from the wear holes that appear around the cockpit rim.

It’s also rubber-lined around the inside of the cockpit edge for extra grip; but doesn’t stick to the kayak like glue, unlike some other brands. Importantly, the grab loop is robust, well-stitched and also bright yellow for those of us with poor vision!

It’s very much like the Palm Extreme Deck, but better value for money in my humble opinion…

I’ve used the deck a good few times now and am 100% happy with it…hopefully it’ll last for a good wee while and stand the test of time!