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First Impression: Riot Sniper, and Q&A with Corran Addison

Last weekend I had the Sniper out on my standard technical creek run for this time of year. I was able to try it head-to-head against the Embudo, but I normally run this creek in my Disco. So far, seems like a great little boat.

WHAT I LIKED:

The Sniper is remarkably fast for its length and has pretty decent acceleration. It responds extremely well to rocks and does not get hung up easily. The length of the Sniper is perfect for the size of rivers that I find myself on most frequently - small, technical runs. I prefer short, nimble boats that turn easily, and the Sniper is all that. The attachment points and grab loops are outstanding - I hope to see more manufacturers following Riot's lead on these. The sealed stern bulkhead and hatch are actually quite convenient even though I didn't think it was a feature that I would use much. Once you have it, you get used to it quickly and start wishing your other boats had a hatch. This is also a very aesthetically pleasing boat - it just looks great on and off the water.

The volume distribution is extremely good. The Sniper ignores small holes, resurfaces well from drops and kicks through small piles quite well. I especially liked the feel of the stern which is almost impossible to load or catch an edge on.

Riot also learned a lot from the Big Gun about increasing the boat's rigidity with corrugated deck lines. I stepped all over this boat to see if the deck sank or compressed anywhere, but it was quite solid.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

The Sniper is at heart a displacement hull kayak. While the Big Gun had hard edges at the bow and stern ends of the boat that could be engaged by leaning fore or aft, the Sniper requires a displacement hull paddling style. The lack of hard edge plus the excellent turning had an unnerving effect of leaving me pointed in the right direction but going the wrong way when trying to cross eddylines. In other words, I expected to be able to carve or Duffek into eddies with the minimal effort of the Disco, but found myself pointed upstream being dragged downstream by the eddy/current interface rather frequently. I didn't miss any lines because of this, but I did spend a bit more effort re-attaining.

Some personal preferences - I don't like center wall pillars in my creekboats, much less thigh straps. There's not much to do about the pillar, and most people don't mind so that's more of a personal issue. I removed the straps which doesn't pose any problems or alter the performance - it takes about 2 minutes.

SUMMARY:

So far, this seems like a great boat, especially for low volume rivers and small technical runs. I wish there was a little more of the carving ability of the Big Gun, but it can be compensated for with paddling style. The overall "finish" of the boat is outstanding: it's extremely well made - maybe even a little over-engineered with those thigh straps. There are several points where I need to spend a little more time "researching". I only took the Sniper into one sticky hole to see if it would be hard to get out, and it was plenty stuck in there, but I need to throw myself into a few more before I say either way on whether or not it's "hole bait".

Q&A WITH CORRAN ADDISON:

1. What percent of the design decisions on the Sniper would you say were made by you?

80%. I basically designed the boat in its entirety, but Arnd Schaeftlein and Steve Fisher had a hell of a lot of input.

2. Does the Sniper carve as well as the Big Gun, in your opinion?

Different. The Big Gun is designed to carve and accelerate away from holes etc. This is great most of the time, but on tight technical stuff, people felt like they couldn't keep up... it accelerated away from a drop... and over the next one. The Sniper lands, moves and then stalls momentarily - time to regroup. The same thing happens when eddy carving... it crosses the line at speed and then slows and turns, rather than you having to stop the boat physically (Big Gun).

3. What are the advantages, if any, of a "displacement" hull?

Bouncing over rocks, and landing boofs. Flat hulls land hard, Also, they tend to "trip" on rocks and slides, and hang on boofs. This boat just sort of "mushes" over everything, which is what you want. The last thing you want is some edge hanging and deflecting you off a-la-CFS at crazy angles and into places you don't want. Remember, the Sniper is designed for low volume stuff... Steep big drops and minimal water.

4. How many attachment points are too many?

When you need to attach to a boat in a pin, and can't find one, then there is one too few.

5. What is the purpose of the grooves in the hull?

To compensate for the fact that its a displacement hull and most kayakers are playboaters. It give it that little playboat feel when carving. Without them it really felt like paddling a Freefall or a Topolino. This just gives it that carvy feel without loosing all the good reasons for a displacement hull.

6. What is the purpose of the planing stern hull?

Edge release. Actually, its also displacement, just has release edges. The last thing to be hanging up over a drop is the stern. You want it to pop free and release as you boof. Makes the boat boof super easy and turn super fast, but the hull itself is still rounded and soft for landings.

GALLERY:

First images article

See full product details in the Playak Buyers Guide

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