There's anyone able to talk about Riot Boogie and also about the plastic version of Mega Neutron??? Can i compare them?
Help me, please...

i dont know anything about performance in either boat. Howeever, the neutron was designed much more recently by a surf kayak specific company, whereas the boogie was dsigned a while back by a general baoting company. Based on that the neutron would probably be better, but who knows?

spot on the neutron is a nicer, faster surf kayak and has more volume in the tail so it will behave its self more the tail doesnt get sucked into the face of the wave and its comfier and lighter but the outfitting is simpler but works well and doesnt rust like all the lovely shiny ratchets in the boogie

robmeister wrote:

i dont know anything about performance in either boat. Howeever, the neutron was designed much more recently by a surf kayak specific company, whereas the boogie was designed a while back by a general baoting company. Based on that the neutron would probably be better, but who knows?

The Boogie was designed by Preston Holmes, designer of the Gecko and 88 (in production by Murky Waters) surfkayaks (see also: www.ptone.com/boatbuilding2002/ for the building of the prototype of the 88 and www.ptone.com/Kayak/surfboat/ for the building of the Gecko, the first HP surfkayak and way ahead of other surfkayaks at that time).

As it is the Boogie was a mix between the hull of a waveski designed by Preston and the deck of the Riot Glide. Granted, Corran had something to do with the overall result but in the end most f the design work was done by Preston AFAIK.

The Boogie was designed a while ago and since then surfkayak design has made huge leaps forward. The Neutron is performance wise a better boat but the Boogie is more beginner-friendly (due to the playboat-like seating position etc.). From what I've heard the plastic Neutron is a very good boat and it does perform very well (even compared to the composite version) so if it is performance you are after: go for the Neutron.

If you can grab yourself a Boogie for cheaps and you're not very confident about getting into a true HP surfkayak it would make a great first start. I wish I had done that instead of leaping into the X-Ray when it came out. Even with loads of experience in wobbly polokayaks the learning curve was pretty steep.

just my 2 cents,

Michiel

woops, never mind about the design thing then.

I agree with pretty much everything that has been said so far in this thread but thought I should add that the plastic version of the Neutron is actually slightly more friendly than the composite design due to the tail being just under an inch wider to make it a bit less tippy (there is no real loss in performance due to this). What I would do in your situation would be to try and get a go in a plastic Neutron and if you find it impossible to get on with then go for something easier like the boogie. If however you just find it a little odd / tricky but start to get to grips with it after an hour or so then I would say go with the Neutron.

Denzil

P.S. I surf a composite Neutron and love it.

just out of curiosity, how does one buy a surf kayak? Ive never seen one in a store, dou you just buy them off the internet and then have them shipped? How much do they cost usually?

Generally speaking surf boats are brought directly form the manufacturer or importer, some shops will have a surf boat in and some can get surf boats in but most do not bother.

Prices also vary depending on the construction you choose and any other optional extras you might want but generally start at about £400 for a basic plastic boat and can go all the way up to £1600 or more for a fully specced out top of the line boat with all mod cons.

Denzil

P.S. I think I have the murkey waters and Mega price lists around somewhere, I shall try to dig them out and post them up.

OK I have found some prices

From Murky Waters:
Basic Lay up (Glass, Polyester and Kevlar Laminate) £1250
Standard Lay up (Carbon, Carbon/Kevlar Laminate) £1495

From Mega:
Standard Lay up (Carbon/Kev reinforced hull, Glass deck) £825
Superlite Lay up (Carbon/Kev reinforced hull and deck) £945
X-Tech Lay up (Super light, super stiff)£1295

Hope that helps,
Denzil

thanks, preciate the info