About myself

I've been paddling for 3 years and just got into playboating. I'm working on aerial moves, but have the basics down pretty well.

About the test environment

Ocoee, Nantahala, over 100 hours flatwater teaching kayaking

Review

First off, this boat is entirely too big for me at 180lbs. It certainly made learning cartwheels a bit tougher than necessary. Bow stalls put my center of gravity too far out of the water for much control. Despite these shortcoming, there is a tradeoff- River running and big air. River running is much easier than my previous boat, the Wavesport Ace 5.1, a river running playboat. I don't have the problem of unintentional stern squirts in fast water. The SS is also not very edgy, so it takes a bit more screwing up to get window shaded surfing or flipped when floating a river. This boat is super wide with high edges, causing me to frequently bust my thumb. Even at 6'2", I have to move the seat up very far to get a good balance for play. I like to keep it a little further back for running. That is where the biggest problem arises- with the '04 outfitting. Ratchets behind the seat are a huge pain to adjust on the water, and slip a lot. The happy feet is nice, tight and warm, but again requires a lot of adjustment to get it right. Its also hard to use with full booties on. All that goes away when Im on Hells Hole. A low rocker, wide tail gives some speed on the wave while 60 gallons of volume gives great launching, even for a noob to air moves like me. The air I got, sometimes accidently, was more than enough for someone my size w/ more skills to do whatever they please. Its also not hard to roll considering its width.

Conclusion

This particular model of boat has some room for improvement, mostly outfitting. I would highly recommend it to someone around 190-210 and up to 6'4. The happy feet are a definate compromise- comfort and performance w/ a huge hassle factor. I would prefer foam. The backband just sucks. If you want to drop a few benjamins in outfitting or don't mind a little hassle, this is the boat for you- otherwise save them for the extra paid for an 07