Review

I am an intermediate paddler who enjoys everything from Class II - Class IV whitewater. Although I have been kayaking for over 10 years, I spend most of my summers guiding rafts, and until last summer, never gave hardshell kayaking enough time to become really competent. In the past, I have paddled a Dancer, Perception Overflow (overSlow), RPM, Vortex, and I also own (and currently paddle) a Pyranah InaZone 232. I enjoy running Class V - V+ in rafts, but I'm not there yet in a hardshell kayak. I bought the EZG to have a shorter boat that I could use to steepen my learning curve, and to have more fun in the Class II - III runs that are running in Southern Oregon / Northern California during the late summer months.

In a nutshell, I love this boat. From the simple (but VERY comfortable) outfitting to the forgiving yet "playable" design, it certainly seems as if the folks at WaveSport have gotten just about everything right on this one.

I've only been paddling the boat for 2 weeks, but I already love it. Took it out in the surf (Southern California) today, and I was amazed that for such a short boat, it is relatively fast (QUICK little bugger), and allowed me to carve turns on waves with ease, while still feeling very stable and not prone to pearling (though with bad technique, anything's possible!)...

Took it out on the Rogue River last week, and although I DID swim once (dumb maneuver on my part), I was very impressed with the boat. I found that due to the relatively short waterline, it boofs well, spins on a dime, surfs easily, and re-emerges quite quickly after taking an abrupt drop / small waterfalls. For me (150 lbs), the boat feels plenty roomy and has more than enough volume, but I can see how larger paddlers (170lbs plus) might want to opt for the EZG 60 instead. For me, I sat in both boats, and the 60 felt a bit like a bathtub.

The boat seems to have a near-perfect balance of good primary stability and excellent secondary stability. Never before have I felt as comfortable on edge, and it was quite a liberating feeling!

If you're reading this, you should go out and get the boat. The Dagger Rx is similar (VERY SIMILAR), so I would recommend sitting in / paddling both boats first, and see which one is more comfortable. As far as performance, I think you will find both designs as similar as any two boats you could compare side-by-side. The only negative I have heard so far is that the WaveSport plastic is suspect (SOFT), but I haven't been able to confirm this yet. Personally, I doubt that the plastic is really much different from any other polyethelene boat, but time might tell a different story. It certainly scratches easily, but DON'T ALL KAYAKS? This is my first "new" boat, and it does look weird when you pull all the plastic and bubble-wrap off the boat and underneath it is all smooth and silky, but we all know it ain't gonna last! I had scratched it up pretty good before my sprayskirt was all the way on -- kinda like buying a new car -- it's gonna get scratched sooner than later, right???

Enjoy -- happy paddling!

•Erik

About myself

I have been paddling for a number of years with a recent break of about 2 years. Started paddling lots again this year. Skecthy start but it came back quick. Solid Class III paddler. Learning to play more.

About the test environment

Chilliwack river on Class III and II. It is lower water levels now so lots of Boofing. Many waves to surf and plenty of eddies to squirt and stall with.

Review

I paddled this and the Rx 6.7 with a friend switching it up during the run. Although both boats are in a similiar category the feel quite different.

I found the EZG 50 to be a very stable platform for me to remember my paddling cofidence at the beginning of the season. It is a responsive (some say squirrley) surfer. I like the responsiveness of the boat. Fairly easy to get your ends down for me to learn to stall and eventually get a proper cartwheel in. My friend cartwheels it with ease.

I personally don't like the ratcheting back band. I will switch it out for a North Water back band that allows you to throw a lever to really crank the band tight once you are in the boat. (Think similar to the Dagger outfitting). I absolutely love the rest of the outfitting though. The thigh braces are the best I have ever been in and the seat is all day comfortable. I do find that my 9.5 EEE width feet are slightly cramped at the toes, which is not the case in the Rx 6.7.

Conclusion

I really love this boat. It is an easy roller with plenty of volume to run rivers but enough of a playful profile to be really fun. Not an arial boat but can do most stuff up to that. With a minor outfitting change I wouldn't really have any complaints about the fit of the boat.