I have paddled several years ... open water, fla****er ... seakayak stuff. I
have a good roll. If I get a whitewater boat, I will probably do river running
and go to the beach. I will likely never "play" nor do class 4-5 stuff. Could
see myself in some good surf, though. Paddled the RIP and liked it. I don't
see the RIP on the NECKY site. Do they still make it?

My local shop represents the Wavesport Super EZ. Without knowing of my
interest in the RIP they say it will suit me. The RIP is a tighter fit, but it
rolls well and I can wet exit. I guess I want some amount of speed on rivers.
The RIP seems to have less of that "flat-boat" feel.

While there is no "one boat," which seems a better fit ... for about 2 years.
Also, have I missed something else out there? I am 5-10/220.

Please respond by e-mail as well as post.

Mike Goodman
High Point, NC

Mike,

My opinion, is that if you want to surf and run rivers, the Wavesport Score
is a killer boat. They are discountinued, but there are still some around.
Sierra trading post had some.....

The Super EZ is fun, but slower. To slow for good surfing.

Geoff

KAYAKFAN wrote in message
...
I have paddled several years ... open water, fla****er ... seakayak stuff.
I
have a good roll. If I get a whitewater boat, I will probably do river
running
and go to the beach. I will likely never "play" nor do class 4-5 stuff.
Could
see myself in some good surf, though. Paddled the RIP and liked it. I
don't
see the RIP on the NECKY site. Do they still make it?

My local shop represents the Wavesport Super EZ. Without knowing of my
interest in the RIP they say it will suit me. The RIP is a tighter fit,
but it
rolls well and I can wet exit. I guess I want some amount of speed on
rivers.
The RIP seems to have less of that "flat-boat" feel.

While there is no "one boat," which seems a better fit ... for about 2
years.
Also, have I missed something else out there? I am 5-10/220.

Please respond by e-mail as well as post.

Mike Goodman
High Point, NC

(KAYAKFAN) writes:

Thanks on the comparison. I will look up the Pyranha S8 235

You've asked about something like half a dozen boats now. Have you
paddled any of them yet? A little paddling will tell you more than
a lot of Usenet. And, while it is good to do some product research
and ask around, it's also important to recognize that much of the
information you'll get is not necessarily meaningful to you, and the
fine distinctions between this boat and that boat are not that
important to you as a beginner. Nor, IMO, does it make a lot of
sense to try and choose a boat based on capabilities that you won't
be able to take advantage of for some time. If I were trying to win
the Ottawa Rodeo (ha!), the playboating capabilities of Boat A
vs. Boat B would matter to me a lot, and I'd want the hottest thing
out there...but, as a newbie who thought I might want to try some
playboating sometime, about the only thing I'd care about is that
it's got some play capability. Buying a boat that's got advanced
capabilities that you can't use now is something of a waste, and
it's likely to backfire, because when you go for advanced
capabilities in one area, you give something up somewhere else.

For a newbie, I'd recommend looking for a used Pyranha Inazone
(whatever size is appropriate), Dagger Outlaw or Honcho, or Dagger
GT or GTX. Those are the overall best newbie-pleasing designs in
the past few years, IMO. The S7/S8s are great boats, but more
recent (hence more expensive) and also more playful than you need
right now...if you get a bargain and don't mind the school of hard
knocks, they're something to consider. Necky's older boats, Rip and
Jive, are good boats, but designed a bit differently than most
contemporary boats (they're noticeably narrower). The newer ones
(Switch/Witch) are very sporty indeed and not really designed for a
beginner AFAIK. Wavesport...hard to say. The XXX/X/Y/Z series is
loved by many, but harder to find used -- people who own 'em, tend
to hang onto 'em. The newer ones are, for the most part, a little
sportier than what most newbies like and a lot sportier than what
any newbie needs. Can't speak for Riot.

--
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Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield,
Other days you're the bug.