[img]images/boats/air45-side-thumb.gif[/img]Boats Database: Riot Air 45

You can’t ignore how this boat is named – it’s about getting air . . . and so much more. We’ve created a 'spud' that is faster, looser, and, of course, easier to air than any other. We've taken the famed ease of paddling of the Disco, and improved upon that too. Air is designed to get super-sized air AND cartwheel; anywhere, anytime. Within a few sessions you'll be taking your paddling to dizzying heights. Never have so many, gone so big, with so much ease.

hey has any1 got a air 45?? if so have u found any problems with them??

ive been paddling the air for a bout two years now and love it. Lots of people complain about it being an aesome wave boat and a suck hole boat, but i havent really found this to be true. Grnted im not the best playbaoter but it throws ends nicely( if a bit unevenly due to volume distribution) and loops like a pro. The looping is really easy becasue it basically doesnt have tail, so nothing gets in the way of coming full circle. However, since it doesnt have a tail, the backsurf does kind of suck, oh well. i spins amazingly and hops out of the water for more dynamic moves super easy. I cant do any of them, but i feel he boat wanting to blunt . Great carver, the edges on this thing are super crazy. Its fat two, especially for a spud boat. This boat, at leat in my opinion, gets and stay on waves better than the zg 48, which is a verry fast adn good boat as well. I love the oufitting, althought teh thigh and backstrap screw have come out at bad moments, so i would sudgest check the screws before getting on the water. Really good baot, and great for the price( i got mine new with paddle for($450) hope this helps

yes mate that helps a lot!!!1 thanx

if anyone else has anything else to say about this boat please say!! thanx fellow boaters

I have paddled it in my demo fleet a few times. I find it to be one of the funnest hulls that I paddle. It feels a little slow down river but not too bad. I have liked it in both holes and on waves. My biggest beef is that I find the outfitting, specifically the back band lacking. The seat is comfortable and I like how it adjusts. That rigid back band thing just doesn't fit how I like. That is my only real beef with the boat. I have that will all Riot boats though even their touring.

i just looked over my pervious post and realised how many spelling errors there were, here is what i was trying to say.

it spins easy
fast hull
great for carving
generates huge bounce
good looping ability
somewaht imbalanced ends but still easy to cartwheel
backsurf kinda sucks
i personally love the outfitting, but not everyone does
really easy boat to roll

hope this clarifies a few things

hello mate that is grate but y does back surfing uck is it cos the back end is 2 small of is it the planing hull???

please keep saying your opinions on this boat please!!

thanx chris

the hull is excelent. Its the nonexistent tailt that creates the backsurf problem, which is really more of a problem on small waves than in holes. Again, i havent really found the whole backsurf thing to be much of a problem, you just need to spin back fast, thats all. For dynamic wave noves where you initiate backwards id imagine it might be bit a of a problem, but i really dont know not being good enough to do those. For some reference here are some other boats ive tried

WAvesport Zero GRavity 48- i actually like my air more than the zg althoguh i havent had time to try my freinds zg on a wave. The ends initate more easily in the air for me and loops are a bit easier( according)

WAvesport Project 45 - This is the only playboat that ive tried which ive liked better than the air series. They feel verry similar to me but the project feels more stable and seems to be less iffy in whitewater. the air really requires getting used to in tougher whitewater due to the pronounced edges and such. The project doesnt have this problem but on a wave( a small wave) it doesnt seem to carve as sharply as the air, but not many things due. Over all the baot
seems to handle better and smoother. ( i ahve only tried thisboat once and these are the impressions i got on calss 2 town run i did it in)

Liquidlogic Scooter- i like this baot a lot, but im not sure why. Ive always had trouble throwing it down and my stern squirts never seem to come through. On a wave this boat really rocks, its fast, but not as fast as the air, which means itll sit you in the trough, but wont make you pearl. With the air i always feel myself
rocket to the bottom of the wave really fast, which often causes me to pearl the the local holey-wave thing we have near town. This is spedd can defentiley be harnessed for epic wave and whole moves, but i cant seeem to quite get a handle on. This is a problem with me not carving fast enough, not the boat. im just saying if your not a verry proficient playbaoter thismught be a problem you would have to get used to.

Are you tjhinking about buying this boat? To be honest, i love this boat but would rather have a project. If you have a choice between the two, go for the project, unless price is a problem. I would also like to compair it to the ne ll Ronin 49, but i havent tried one of those yet.

thanx mate!! oh and yes i am thinking about buying this boat, but i wonna no how gd it is b4 i buy!! b4 i buy it i will try it down hurley i think and c how she goes!!

i paddled the boat for two years and i loved it! BUT I would never buy it again !!! the material is real shit. The hull broke when I was just paddling an easy river and just scratching above some stones. You see the mess below, and as long as I paddled this boat it nerver fell of from a car, I just used it for playspots, never swam with it and for all my paddling collegues was it a miracle how it could brake like that just while paddling (I didn t even stop). I got nothing back from RIOT when complaining (not even an answer) and because the importeur in Germany, where I bought it had changed in this time nobody felt responsible. It was really disappointing, nerving and I really missed that boat, too. But because of that I would never ever buy a RIOT boat again, even if i like the performance skills best! So greetz to RIOT, they could at least have answered!!!

i wouldn't like that 2 happen down a big river!!!! thanx mate

That boat doesn't look healthy... So much for customer service

I had great service from Wave Sport when two different Big EZ's of mine cracked... new boat both times. Awesome service

I paddled an Air 45 for a season and it was a great playboat. Took it to Uganda with me and it was great on the wave. Not so good for running the big rapids. Could sometimes catch the tail on the wave and it does feel a bit unbalaced sometimes (especially doing flat water tricks).

Bad points? Well it's not really a river runner, as it has no stern you back loop a lot! The riot standard seat sucks big time, get a power seat (and get it fitted if you can coz it's a huge pain to do yourself). I'm paddling a riot turbo as it has all the good points of the air but less of the bad points.

If I was going to buy a riot at the moment I'd go for the Astro as it's a lot newer design.

ive never had a problem with the plastic on mine rather tahn dings and scratches. This may be because it is made of xytec, which is reputed to be pretty good. Before riot switched to xytec i heard theyre plastic sucked, but after the switch it was fine. i think some of the airs were produced using the old platic, and then soem of later ones were made with the new. i dont knoe any of this for sure, but its what makes sense to me. ive taken mine down class four severla times and havent ahd any problems. if yo do end up buying one, try and get one with a sticker that syas xytec, mine came with one at least.