“Super safe, mega dynamic, the creek boat that will take you down any whitewater.”
Among the highlights of last year’s Paddle Sports Show was the 2026 Product of the Year Awards, organized in partnership with KS Publishing and the Paddler’s Guide. Each year, the contest spotlights the best new paddlesports gear for the upcoming season. This year, Lettmann took home the prize in whitewater for the Dude, their latest creek boat. We asked the team a few questions on their award-winning design and the process behind building such a weapon.
Hey! Congrats on winning 2026 Product of the Year for the Dude at the Paddle Sports Show. So, what’s the hype about?
You want to rock? Skip like the devil and still turn in a controlled manner? Are you looking for a loyal friend that you can fully rely on in every difficulty range? Here you are!
“All in all, this makes the Dude even easier to boof, and direction changes are also child’s play.”
The Dude skips you out of every backwash and lands butter-softly after steps and drops. The ingenious lower hull, with its innovative edges, makes it possible; it gives the Dude high stability in any water position, yet it is easier to edge than other kayaks of similar width. This makes the Dude super safe and mega dynamic. We have given the bow of the Dude the perfect rocker. This means that it runs extremely dry through heavy whitewater, and you can easily lift it onto waves, rollers, and curls. Thanks to its width and cleverly placed volume, its tail offers enough reserves, even for massive steps and drops, yet the gently rounded edges are easy to sink. All in all, this makes the Dude even easier to boof, and direction changes are also child’s play. The Dude is not even remotely sensitive to side water.
What a description! How much time and effort went into bringing this product to life?
It took us over one year to make the Dude one of the best creek boats out there.
Does it build on ideas or designs from previous products you have created?
No, we designed it from scratch to fit all the ideas we had into the boat without any preloads from previous kayaks.
Was there a moment during development when you realized this product was special?
Yes, when we had the 4th out of five test boats, we could feel how easy the boat is to paddle and how forgiving the kayak is. The last test boat was then built to incorporate all the little details a kayak needs today.
What feature or innovation are you most proud of in this product?
The Dude is the most forgiving creek boat out there. This helps the beginner to paddle a class higher and the professional to paddle the hardest whitewater safely and easily.
How was the design process?
“It took us five prototypes to get the boat we were all looking for.”
First of all, we had the idea of making the best and easiest-to-paddle creek boat out there. With all the brainstorming we did during this process, we had a rough design in mind, which we then built into our first prototype to take out on the water. Usually, the first boat is not the best, but we were pretty close to the final result. It took us five prototypes to get the boat we were all looking for.
How many people were involved in this process?
The Dude was made with many of our team paddlers. During the design process, we had probably over 20 paddlers in that kayak, which gave us perfect feedback on all the different test boats we had.
How did you decide on a size that fits most? Will you decline this boat in other sizes?
There is no kayak on the market that fits most. There is too big a range of paddler sizes and weights, so you will need at least two sizes to get most paddlers happy. At the beginning, we made the Dude 95, the larger one, which fits paddlers from 75 kg to 120 kg. The Dude 75 is just out in January 2026, and this size is good for paddlers from 50 kg to 90 kg.
To learn more about Lettmann, visit their website.
Find and learn more about the Dude on the Paddler Guide website.