HI recently purchased a riot boggie surf kayak from a work mate but didnt have much fun in it ,i am 5.10 and 12 stone so i think that was ok ,but found rear of boat was in the water even if i moved seat foward is this normally the case? and i found it fine going out through the waves, but found it very unstable when trying to ride waves,i handled my play boat a lot better, should i persevere with the riot or is it a kayak for the experienced surfer ,i will me grateful for any advice ,mike

Surf kayaks are made to carve on the waves. Look at some surf kayak videos from Youtube or Playak.tv and you will see what I mean. If the stern wasn't in the water, it probably wouldn't carve as well. Adrian Tregoning could probably help a bit more than me.

Yeah the stern would be underwater. And because surf kayaks have very little stern rocker they are incredibly unstable unless you're on the plane. Initially it might have felt unstable on a wave but once fully planing on a proper wave you should be fine. I can't comment on your weight as I don't work in stone (neither do 98% of people ) but just keep at it. In the end, the extra balancing skills you'll get from the surf kayak with help your kayaking. Surf kayaks are not easy to paddle initially, especially if the seating position forces your legs fairly straight. Just have fun!!! (and never give up...)

thanks for your advice ,mike

thanks for your advice.mike

Howzit Guys. I was just wobbling my way around playak (yes a brand new user - please be my friend!) and came across your topic and since I've paddled the boogie a lot, thought I'd chime in.

I agree totally with the comments above. A surf kayak is like a bicycle - the faster you go the more stable. You also shouldn't be tempted to move the seat forward as these boats operate best with the seat quite far back. So yes, keep plugging away and when the swell comes in you'll soon see the benifits. I'm not a huge surf kayaker myself but recently did a trip on the transkei coast in south africa and am hooked again. (I'll throw up a story pics and vid soon (I took two swims!))

With that said, the Boogie is an old design. But it's a good first surf kayak because it's plastic (durable) and believe it or not, more stable than many modern designs. And BTW for your next weapon of choice, Riot just released the Ninja 6"8" and 7'6" in kevlar carbon and retailing for US$1149. Yeah boy!

Go for it!
Steve