About the reviewer Geezer Test environment Potomac River below Great Falls Review I won the 7.5-mile CCA Potomac River Race, short boat category, in 2008 and 2009, paddling this boat. Competitors were mostly in Dagger RPMs. Conclusion The Strobe holds its own against newer boats.

Test environment Chesapeake Bay, 4.5 mile swim, 7.5 mile swim. Review With 2 paddlers, there is still a center seat for a swimmer. If you paddle solo, you will need to rig a seatback for the center seat. Solo paddling in wind up to 25 mph is no problem. Conclusion A good boat. No in-boat storage. Get Scupper Pup wheels for car-to-water transport. Class II-III rapids ok.

About the reviewer Novice paddler, reliable roll Test environment Class II to III Potomac River in Mather Gorge, and Dickerson engineered whitewater slalom course. Review A good race boat for the short kayak category (if an 8'8" boat is counted as short). Good for attainments and riding long, fast waves. The boat is too long for most playboat tricks. Very comfortable. Rolls easily. A very rare boat these days. Not recommended for creeks with pinning potential. As is typical for an old plastic boat, the side decks cracked where the seat attaches. I fixed it with 1/8" thick aluminum plates and rubber gaskets made from a bicycle inner tube. Visible in the top-view picture. Conclusion An old-school museum-piece boat. Note: The posted pictures are of my boat, which is 8'8" long, not 8'3" long. The volume has to be at least 60 gallons.