Hi, im interested in taking up kayaking, and was wondering what the best general purpose kayak on the market is. Somthing that can be used for exploring coastal waters and ride a little bit of surf.

Liquid Logic Remix XP10.

Looks the business, are there many on the secondhand market? What about the dagger approach and 10.5??

It's a brand new boat, like the Pyranha Fusion and Jackson Allwater. The Approach isn't as well thought out, since it has a rec boat seat, no hip pads, and the thigh braces are pieces of 1/8" cheap foam glued onto the deck. The only bad thing about the XP10 is that it doesn't have a foam bulkhead like true whitewater boats.

thanks for the info, time to trawl the internet for a bargain!

The XP10 and 9 DOES have a Foam bulkhead--I have an XP9. You could NOT go wrong with this kayak. I've had mine out in 35 know horrible squalls on the Indian and Banana Rivers (motor boats speed towards me thinking I am in distress then veer away when they see that I am having fun). It is a great rough water boat. And she is nice on the straightaways when things are calm with the skeg down. I love this boat.

Cheers!

I meant the piece of foam that your feet rest on. The XP series has foot pegs, which you will find in any half-decent recreational kayak.

Sorry dude. I am a sea kayaker by nature. I misunderstood you. You are correct. XP has foot braces (adjustable). It has a centerline foam pillar too. There is a foam bulkhead behind the seat sealing off the aft watertight area.

In my opinion, each system has its advantages. The foot pegs are easily adjustable, and you can slide past the end of them if needed (I had to lay flat to go under some logs on one river that I paddled). The only disadvantages are that in the same way, you can slide past them, possibly causing a foot entrapment (highly unlikely, but still possible), and I have had mine slip all the time. The good thing about the foam footblocks in whitewater kayaks (creekers and river runners in particular) is that you can store gear in the front without having to worry about it getting lost in a swim, and is a more solid surface for your feet. They also are normally plastic covered foam, which provides some impact protection in the event of a piton (Jackson and Dragorossi do the best for this) and they are attached by screws, so there is virtually no chance of them slipping. If the footblock is too small, it can be more dangerous than just footpegs, but if it is outfitted properly, there shouldn't be any problems.

I had foot braces slip out on my Tracer Sea Yak. I replaced them with lightweight aluminum ones made by Yakima at the time (had them slip out in a squal on the ocean--swore if I got home I would use the credit card if I had to and get the best--you need to be able to brace in dangerous conditions).

www.oneoceankayaks.com/kayakpro/footbraces.htm

THAT'LL never happen again.

I would think that it would be just as easy to try to make a foam bulkhead, and the best one to design it from would be the Jackson Uni-Shock Bulkhead System:

You wouldn't use this on a Sea Yak or a boat over 8ft in length. The hull dynamics of boat longer necessitate contact with the hull about 1/3 forward of the bow in order to brace/steer effectively. Foam footrests are about bracing only--not steering I would think.

Plus the XP's bow volume is so large I would think you would waste so much space filling it with foam vs braces. I've yet to have the foot braces on my LL XP nor my Necky Manitu slip, so clearly they are not all made equal. But those Yakimas, for a boat meant to have braces..they are the bomb.

Not quite sure what you are saying, but whitewater boats are designed for extremely quick turning. You can't use it with a rudder, but the guy that's looking to buy the boat probably won't get a boat with a rudder anyways. He may even want to check out a Wilderness Systems Ripper for shorter trips, or a Wilderness Systems Tarpon for longer trips.

I will be getting a Dagger Approach 10 as it seemed most comfortable.
The hybrids are not great on any one thing but for light white water or light touring should do you just fine.
Try before you buy though.

The guys over at PyranhaUS said the Approach is a great boat ... for 70 year old grandmas.

The Fusion looks like a great boat but I cannot find anyplace to take one out myself.

Most comfortable - maybe. All that the Approach really is is a modified rec kayak. The seat still hangs down from the coaming, it has no hip pads, terrible thigh braces, basic foot pegs. The Pyranha Fusion has a foam bulkhead, WW outfitting, and Pyranha already has pictures of people running I think 15 ft waterfalls with it. The LL Remix XP9 is similar to the Fusion, but it has foot pegs. I really want to demo a Pyranha Speeder, since it's a whitewater racing boat, and should be quick on flatwater as well.

If Liquid Logic made the XPs with a foam bulkhead, I would be much more likely to possibly purchase one. The skeg seems much better, since it acts as an extension of the hull, like it should be, and wouldn't snap as easily as Dagger, Pyranha, and I don't know about the AllWater.

you whould give a try to the pyrhana fusion