I am 29 years old and have paddled for the past 10 years, I am a class V creekboater and aspiring playboater. I have paddled many different playboats in the constant search of one that will not cause my lower extremities to loose all feeling. I have owned two other liquid logic playboats the pop, and the big wheel both because they fit well (except for the feet in the big wheel) and they play well.

After becoming tired of shoehorning myself into the big wheel I looked for the vision to be just as great a playboat but with a little extra room. After months of waiting I finally got it out on the Lower Yough in Ohiopyle Pa at two completely different levels.

Squirrely is how I would describe my first impression of this boat in the water. It wants to spin and spin alot. I stepped out quickly and adjusted my seat to attain a balanced position with a quick turn of a screwdriver. It is super easy to adjust the seat and thigh braces you only need turn the screwdriver you no longer have to cram your hand behind the seat post to hold on to the nut. It's a great feature.

2'6 on the gauge is a standard level for the yough creating a couple nice surfing holes on Entrance Rapid Nemo's and Little Nemo's. Nemo's is a nice wave hole about 4 feet deep in the trough with a nice foam pile on top. I was quick to kick off the rust of a five month absence from playboating nailing big blunts both left and right. The rails made it easy to gain speed as you drive to the shoulder to throw the bow down. The spin disc helps hold the boat nicely on the wave as the big wheel had a tendency to get blown off after throwing aggressive manuevers. I'm not that proficient at looping but the boat got around real well. I should only get better at it though with this boat. Ends also come easy to the Vision and are way more controlled and balanced than the big wheel allowing for my first good clean cartwheels.

8'0 on the gauge is a high water level with about 12,000 cfs. At first I felt like a cork in a toilet bowl, as the vision tried to spin as I ferried out across large wavetrains, however after some time I became quite comfortable in the raging brown torent. The water needs to be a little lower for the epic big water waves to be prime, but the surfs That Dan Sullivan and I did grab were sweet. That edge really holds well even on the dynamic surging waves we were attempting to ride. We both got the biggest aerial bounces and blunts of our lives and were stoked on how fun the Vision is. After an hour and a half in sub 30 temps we called it a day.......

Overall the vision 56 is the best playboat I have yet to paddle. It performs all the old school cartwheel type tricks with ease and is definately capable of introducing many playboaters to the aerial realm. Out fitting is solid and easy to adjust and for this year they even raised the seat giving the boater greater leverage for throwing down. Mine came with the airbag but I still prefer a foam block. To each his own. The Vision 56 Design combines the best attributes of the space cadet series with the Bigwheel, and added the rails to really make it hold an edge and accelerat across the wave face. Great boat Shane.