There are quite a few river running playboats, has anyone got any recommendations?

Alex

Are you looking for a boat weighted more for playing or for river running?

For more play but good river running I'd go:

Jackson Fun Series
Dagger G-Ride
Liquidlogic CR

More river running less play:
Dagger Mamba
Liquidlogic Hoss
Prijon Cross


Just a few, but these are what I can think of as some good boats in each catagory off the top of my head.

Do you know whether the Necky Mission is any good? Or the Pirhana Recoil?

Sorry, don't know much about either boat but I am sure some people do.

Necky Mission is a great surfing boat. It is a bit harder to cartwheel because of the volume balance. Also if you drill a new seat hole and move the seat forward 4mm then the boat performs amazingly. There is a very old post talking about that. Look at the EZG series and the Perscription (Rx) as well.

I've paddled the Mission a bit. It's not a bad boat. Quite a grabby tail though. I'd say it would be better to be at the lower end of the weight spectrum for the Mission.

Got myself a Wave Sport EZG60 the other day. I'm loving it. So easy to paddle. Lots of volume for me to add a few extras for a full days paddle now. Not as playful as my ZG 54 but a much better river runner. Loads of space and super comfortable.

There are a lot of other excellent river runners out there. I'm sure a few other people will put forward their suggestions too.

ive heard the necky chronic is the perfect combination between a do all playbaot( ive seen it flat water loopd) and good riverunner. Ive never paddled one but ove met several people who will swear by them.If your thinking about a necky, the chronic would probably be a better split between riverrunning and playbaoting. Iv egot a a feind who loves his ezg 50, but finds it hard to flatewater. The cr looks cool but i reall dont know much about it, teh dagger rx to me looks like and old school playboat with some riverrunnign capabilites. i wouldnt get is beause it seems mor focused for hole play than wave play( when its not running rivers) and i personally enjoy waves more and find riverrunning playbaots easier in a wave than in a hole

I'd say demo if possible, personally I think the Chronic has a bit much edge to be a friendly river running playboat, but obviously some don't. I think the new Fun series would be my personal pick.

Like robmeister said, the chronic is a good cross, but is surprisingly large. If you're not that big, (i'm 5'7\", 149) and for me it was more of a river runner. If you're looking to be geared more towards river running, try an EZG, CR, or a fun series. If you are leaning more towards a playboat, see if you can demo a ZG. I love mine, it is a great playboat, but still has a super-stable platform and is fast, which also makes it a great downriver boat.

robmeister wrote:

Iv egot a a feind who loves his ezg 50, but finds it hard to flatewater.

Mine is the EZG60 and I can flatwater cartwheel and also flatwater split wheel it no problem. Very balanced boat.

I would agree with adrian the ezg are very easy to throwround on flat! maybe you friend hasnt dialled the right technique yet? Im paddling a CR125 and find it a very comfortable boat great down grade 4-5 (but have been paddling a very long time) and good on waves and in holes but flat water stuff takes a bit more effort and good technique but it will do it!

If your after just one boat to do it all i would reccommend the cr as a good allronder with more of a bias towards river running that will still spin blunt cartwheel etc on a play wave.

In my first season I have been able to flatwater cartwhell the EZG and have almost got a loop. It can be done you just have to spend time doing it. I have been told by friends that have been paddling for many years that the EZG is an awesome play boat. It has been my only boat for up to class 4.

As I have said in other posts. It seems that it comes down to personal preference between the Rx and EZG. My friend borrowed mine (EZG) this weekend, he owns an Rx 6.7 and found the position inside a bit different but a very similar boat.

Dagger Prescription RX is pretty damn good on both fronts, depending on weight etc.
A guy at my local club owns one and took it down the River Dart, Exe and Barle with no problems, it's really good for carving on waves due to it's fat rails, and a good playboat aswell.

Has any one paddles a pyranha recoil?

I would most definatly if i were you go and try paddling a ZG54 and see how you get on with this. apart from river play its also nice for flatwater play.

the bliss stick rad is a great boat for what you are looking for as well paddled it down runs ranging from big water runs on the james in richmond va, the upper gaulley, uper yough, and big water runs on the snake out in jh as well with no problems, and it is a great play boat to top it off surfs great loops huge cartwheels what ever you want this boat does

crafty_chris wrote:

I would most definatly if i were you go and try paddling a ZG54 and see how you get on with this. apart from river play its also nice for flatwater play.

This all depends on how heavy you are. I weigh about 84kg. But then add on a spraydeck, helmet, pfd, shoes, maybe some more clothing and wet it too and you've got a good couple of kilo's more. Plus a throw bag and what not. Splits? Water/food. For me, on flatwater it is the easiest boat to throw around. Run some pushy class 4 and it gets a little edgy. The stern is also short and very low in the water making it a problem as well. My point to all this rambling on is that I reckon it would be better to be at the lower end of the weight range for the ZG, or indeed any playboat, if your intention is to run some rivers that challenge you. Thats important. Not what class the river/rapid is. Thats just my humble opinion anyway. Awesome boat but I wouldn't say if falls under the category of a river runner.

The Bliss-stick rad is a great river runner and a awesome play boat. you can run almost any thing in them

as far as the recoil goes... I have a seven o and this boat seems to pick up were that left off. The seven o was my first boat and I'm glad of it. When i got the boat, i wanted a boat that i would not have to replace in a year, or whenever it was that i outgrew it in skill. I shouldn't say that...
what i mean is, i was not sure of what i wanted to do with a boat, whether it be river running or playing. This boat helped me grow very fast. the learning curve has been great for me. I have taken the seven o out on habitat 67 in montreal, and taken it to the ottawa river where i surfed mini bus and garberater. The boat was a dream. I cannot give you all the techs of how it handled, as i am new and really just don't know them all enough. But what i can tell you is that the boat handled beautifully down the big water runs, then surfed like a champ on the big waves.
I was surfing waves with ease that my friends (who have more skill and have been paddling longer) had trouble staying on.
The seven o helped me progress very quickly. I am already paddling some class 4 rapids very comfortably. And like i said, this is my first season. This is because of the boat. It handles all situations very well. The boat has enough volume and length to punch through most holes. (I have never really been worked bad in a hole)
Now with the confidence this boat gave me, i feel ready to try a little creeking. I have also paddled this boat on some class 4 that would be considered a bit creeky. I was a bit nervous about it, as all of my paddling friends who have been paddling much longer than me and have much more skill were all paddling creekers, and were all joking sarcastically about taking their play boats down that run. Well in the seven o I had a bunch of compliments that I had some of the smoothest lines. I am not trying to toot my own horn here, i really felt that this was because of the boat. I was even told, Half-heartedly, that i do not need a creek boat.
I can only imagine that the recoil is going to take these qualities to the next level.

Here are a few links with reviews that I have found:
www.rivergypsies.com/recoil.html
and
www.greatoutdoorprovision.com/FUDforum2/...761f457642053ef08605

You may have to copy then past them into your window.

Liquid Logic Vision 56 Kayak/Playboat Review

About Me:
I've been paddling since I was in sixth grade. I started in the Mirage followed by the Perception Dancer, Wave Sport Lazer, Dagger Vertigo, Wave Sport Transformer (T2), and now the Liquid Logic Vision 56. I like to paddle big water, waves, holes, and BIG ocean surf. The V56 is perfect for people who like river-play and ocean-play.

Where:
G-Spot on Limington Rapids, at Limington, Maine, USA. At 5000 cfs and below, a nice wave/hole forms at the park and play campsite on Route 25. At higher levels, G-Spot turns into a straight, wide, sticky hole, with no eddy service, which you must catch on the fly. As you come downriver a ledge drops about one to two feet in the center of the river, with the main current passing on both sides. Peel into the eddy behind G-Spot from river right and you can rest and observe the spot. I call this a wave/hole because there is a hole which leads into a wave that flushes out into the main current on river left. The wave has a shoulder on the far side where it joins the main current. When you flush off the wave, you must quickly peel back into the same eddy in order to avoid missing the eddy service.

The Boat:
The Liquid Logic Vision56 was fast and carved very well. It doesn't carve like a surfboat, but who in their right mind would expect this. It is so fast on the wave that I had to think 2-3 moves ahead. Due to its speed, I had to carve and/or flatspin to bring myself back to the top of the foam pile. This boat loves to drive down the wave, with lots of speed. Also, the Vision56 spins easily, it's snappy, and loves the vertical realm. This boat almost reads your mind, just lead with your head and you're there. Since it was so fast, I was able to get great bounce on edge transfers for nice blunts and backstabs. This boat really opens up the wave. I could move around the wave to use its features; like carving to the shoulder on the far side, hitting a blunt into a 180 flatspin, then immediately tear right back to the shoulder and hit it again. One more example of the boats speed and carvability: I didn't need to use the eddy service. I was able to carve back and forth all day, finally shooting back upstream and returning to the place from which I entered the wave. The vectoring capability on this boat is insane! I have never seen anyone in another boat come back out where they dropped into G-Spot.

What about the rails? The Liquid Logic Vision56 is able to carve and spin easily without catching edges. The protruding rails on the sides of the boat are forgiving. I never once caught an upstream edge since the V56 makes it so easy to be on the downstream. The V56 is a wonderful boat, however; I would not recommend this boat to a beginner since it is fast, you really must think ahead.

Overall:
The outfitting is functional, comfrortable and simple. The Vision56 comes with footbags, but I prefer foot blocks. This is where the magic happens, there's nothing like personalizing your boat with foam. The V56 also has balanced volume for aireal moves and cartwheeling. The Liquid Logic Vision56 re-defines what is possible. I enjoy its ability to punch through holes and waves while running downriver, then spin on the spot to carve & play, engage a rail and peel back into the current. It is simple; comfort, better control and speed.

Link to the review & statistics:
playak.com/kayaks.php?op=showreview&rid=153

alex, if you are at all interested, i have a brand new pyranha recoil for sale, still in its shipping wrap. the boat is a medium and jafa and red in color with the connect 30 outfitting. the boat is selling for $850. it goes for $1099 in stores.

Thats a great offer, and its the right size boat. But I live in the UK so unless you are willing to ship it over then I would obviously have to decline your offer.

Cheers

Alex

Alex, sorry buddy, not unless you wanted to pay for the shipping, and arrange it, but then with that price, i cant see it being worth it for ya....
sorry

if i were you id get the dagger prescription Rx its awesome!! plays well and can still run the big stuff (did the upper dart in ita few days ago no probs. itcan cartwhell, flat spin and surf on theriver or in the sea. super easy to roll and really comfy. get a trial at ur nearest shop, see what i mean!!!