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Review Detail

 
Vision 56
Boats & Boards
(Updated: December 10, 2006)
Overall rating 
 
5.0
Design 
 
5.0
Perfomance 
 
5.0
Quality 
 
5.0
Value / Money 
 
5.0

Liquid Logic Vision 56 Kayak/Playboat Review

About Me:
I've been paddling since I was in sixth grade. I started in the Mirage followed by the Perception Dancer, Wave Sport Lazer, Dagger Vertigo, Wave Sport Transformer (T2), and now the Liquid Logic Vision 56. I like to paddle big water, waves, holes, and BIG ocean surf. The V56 is perfect for people who like river-play and ocean-play.

Where:
G-Spot on Limington Rapids, at Limington, Maine, USA. At 5000 cfs and below, a nice wave/hole forms at the park and play campsite on Route 25. At higher levels, G-Spot turns into a straight, wide, sticky hole, with no eddy service, which you must catch on the fly. As you come downriver a ledge drops about one to two feet in the center of the river, with the main current passing on both sides. Peel into the eddy behind G-Spot from river right and you can rest and observe the spot. I call this a wave/hole because there is a hole which leads into a wave that flushes out into the main current on river left. The wave has a shoulder on the far side where it joins the main current. When you flush off the wave, you must quickly peel back into the same eddy in order to avoid missing the eddy service.

The Boat:
The Liquid Logic Vision56 was fast and carved very well. It doesn't carve like a surfboat, but who in their right mind would expect this. It is so fast on the wave that I had to think 1-2 moves ahead. Due to its speed, I had to carve and/or flatspin to bring myself back to the top of the foam pile. This boat loves to drive down the wave, with lots of speed. Also, the Vision56 spins easily, it's snappy, and loves the vertical realm. This boat almost reads your mind, just lead with your head and you're there. Since it was so fast, I was able to get great bounce on edge transfers for nice blunts and backstabs. This boat really opens up the wave. I could move around the wave to use its features; like carving to the shoulder on the far side, hitting a blunt into a 180 flatspin, then immediately tear right back to the shoulder and hit it again. One more example of the boats speed and carvability: I didn't need to use the eddy service. I was able to carve back and forth all day, finally shooting back upstream and returning to the place from which I entered the wave. The vectoring capability on this boat is great! I have never seen anyone in another boat come back out where they dropped into G-Spot.

What about the rails? The Liquid Logic Vision56 is able to carve and spin easily without catching edges. The protruding rails on the sides of the boat are forgiving. I never once caught an upstream edge. The V56 is a wonderful boat, however; I would not recommend this boat to a beginner kayaker since it is fast, you really must think ahead.

Overall:
The outfitting is functional, comfrortable and simple. The Vision56 comes with footbags, but I prefer foot blocks. This is where the magic happens, there's nothing like personalizing your boat with foam. The V56 also has balanced volume for aireal moves and cartwheeling. The Liquid Logic Vision56 re-defines what is possible. I enjoy its ability to punch through holes and waves while running downriver, then spin on the spot to carve & play, engage a rail and peel back into the current. It is simple; comfort, more control, and speed.

Review

Affiliated
No
About Me
Location: USA, Limington Rapids, Limington, Maine
Age: 25
Weight: 79.4 kgs
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