Support American Whitewater! Support American Whitewater!

[please login to make this ad block disappear]

Flirt Large

 
4.8 (7)
24814   0   2   0   0  

User reviews

7 reviews

 
(6)
 
(1)
3 stars
 
(0)
2 stars
 
(0)
1 star
 
(0)
Overall rating 
 
4.8
 
4.9  (7)
 
4.9  (7)
 
4.7  (7)
 
4.7  (7)
Already have an account? or Create an account
Back to Listing
7 results - showing 1 - 5  
1 2  
Ordering 
 
(Updated: October 28, 2009)
Overall rating 
 
4.5
Design 
 
5.0
Perfomance 
 
5.0
Quality 
 
4.0
Value / Money 
 
4.0

It's the boat for me

About the reviewer

I'm not big (length and weight are estimates, the figures I entered might be a bit smaller than the real thing), other kayakkers are just really small. That being said I'm not too much of a beginning freestyler too, other people are just really good. So perhaps everything you're about to read here isn't true, have this boats is nowhere near good, all others just suck. I mostly paddle WW2 on which I'm confident and in control, and paddled some class 3 rapids too, although I have less experience with them than I'dd like to have. I'm not in anyway related to Fluid, unless being a fan counts.

Test environment

I've had this boat for about half a year now, in that time I've taken it out on small, local rivers, alpine volume runs, a couple of playspots including Hawaii sur Rhone, the biggest river wave in Europe, out to sea for a bit of surfing and into a swimming pool.

Review

I made the right decision, this boat is what I wanted. I'm only learning to feestyle, but I could double pump this boat quite soon, by now I'm wheeling, kickflipping and landing on the water wrong way down when trying to loop. Other people in the club may joke about it being a battleship, but for me it's small enough. In fact I wouldn't want it to be smaller, because I didn't get this boat for pure park and play, I wanted to take it out on some runs too, and there too it hasn't disappointed me. The boat is quite slow, as are most playboats, but it's got a good volume distribution, the extra air just behind the seat keeps the stern from going under all the time as it does in some other boats, this really helps in staying upright. The boat is quite broad and stable. It's not nearly as forgiving as more creek-inspired boats, naturally, but it's not extremely edgy either, for a playboat it's quite relaxed. Surfing this thing is great, in fact it feels a bit faster on the waves than it does otherwise. Both in riverspots and out in the sea the boat combines a playboat hull with just enough of a forgiving nature. The boat is a bit on the heavy side, but that shouldn't be a problem for anyone big enough to be interested in it (it certainly isn't for me). The plastic is no miracle of solidity, but it's good enough, it survived me so far.

Now for the downsides, as I mentioned it's a bit slow, but the main thing that troubled me is that it doesn't roll too easy, and that might be an understatement. It took me a while to get used to it. Through using it a lot I've managed to make my right hand roll more bomb proof than ever by now, but I'm still a bit in the process reinventing my left hand roll and my roll without paddle, the latter one being hindered by the extra volume behind the seat which stops me from laying down flat on the hind deck. As Fluid was just getting started when they made this boat the outfitting has its imperfections, the grips on the front and the back of the boat are not as sturdy as one might wish for, that's why I managed to get them broken already. The backrest is also vulnerable, I broke the rope that holds the backrest in place, it had been cut through where it goes into the seat, I guess being aware of this and moving the rope a few centimeters from time to time should fix this.

Conclusion

All in all the pro's of this boat far outweigh the minor issues I've had with it. There aren't many playboats in this world that fit my physical proportions, let alone my wishlist of properties, but the Flirt large is definately one of them. Thanks Fluid, it's a great boat.

Review

Affiliated
No
About Me
Location: Rivers, flat water, sea.
Age: 22
Weight: 100 kgs
Was this review helpful to you? 
(Updated: October 20, 2006)
Overall rating 
 
5.0
Design 
 
5.0
Perfomance 
 
5.0
Quality 
 
5.0
Value / Money 
 
5.0

Like a nasty fungus you picked up in a public bath house, this boat grows on you.

About myself


I started kayaking this spring, but quickly progressed to a solid class III boater. I mostly play, but like to run things when the water's up. I also enjoy going to the beach and playing in the surf.

About the test environment


Potomac River (Mather's Gorge/Great Falls area) and Ocean City, Maryland.

Review


I went from an old WaveSport Z to the Flirt, and I have to be honest, I was a little disconcerted at first. Because of its width and volume, the Flirt is super stable for a playboat, but this makes it harder to roll than most. This took a little getting used to. However, after a few sessions, I was totally comfortable and appreciated the extra stability. I often take this boat down Mather's Gorge on the Potomac at low to moderate water levels and it rips. It spins like a top, carves like a knife, and cartwheels like a 5 year old school girl. In the ocean, this boat is super fun, easy to handle, and fast.

I bought the boat used with the older Fluid outfitting, but it's bombproof, simple, and easy to adjust. I can spend all day in the boat and not cramp up. From what I've seen, the new Fluid outfitting is even better and the best I've seen in any boat. Cheers to Fluid on the improvements.

Conclusion


Takes some getting used to, but well worth the investment. I love this boat and wouldn't trade it for the world.

Review

Affiliated
No
About Me
Location: Potomac River, Maryland
Age: 24
Weight: 99.8 kgs
Was this review helpful to you? 
(Updated: July 05, 2006)
Overall rating 
 
5.0
Design 
 
5.0
Perfomance 
 
5.0
Quality 
 
5.0
Value / Money 
 
5.0

Great boat for tall paddlers

About myself


I'm fairly new to paddling but I have got into playboating, I can't do anything fancy but I can surf in waves and holes and have fun. I'm 6'6" and have only been able to paddle an old dagger animas before I got the Flirt.

About the test environment


Golden Playpark: A series of 5 or 6 holes and waves some big, some small. Levels ranged from super high to pretty low.

Review


I love this boat. The other Playboats that I have tried either felt like I was paddling a bath tub, Jackson super fun, or the stern sunk, Jackson super star. The flirt does neither and it also seems faster than those others. The boat is so responsive that even a beginner like me can stay on a wave and eddy hopping down the park is great fun. It carves great and as far as I can test it it has performed superbly.

This boat is also super stable and I can hold it on edge all day. It is wide and so rolling it is quite hard work but having said that it is the boat I leaned to back deck and offside roll in. The back deck is very stable too, I feel like I could fall asleep back there and stay dry but this does make hand rolling hard.

The outfitting is unusual, the thigh braces seem really aggressive, but once I got used to it I have not found any problems. The ratchets for the backband sometimes stick but that is hardly a major problem as 10 seconds of jiggling loosens them up again.

The plastic also feels bomber and I think it would take a big hit to seriously damage it. For what it's worth, a friend who works at a kayak store recommended it to me even though that store doesn't stock fluid kayaks, he's not the greatest salesman but he's pretty honest.

Conclusion


I haven't yet had to get out to streatch whilst I have been paddling this boat and I even have room to build footrests from the foam that came with the boat. That is the main point for me. It is comfortable for very tall paddlers but it still feels as though it will perform anything my skills will allow it to. I love it and would advise anyone to try one if they have trouble fitting in other boats.

Review

Affiliated
No
About Me
Location: Golden Playpark Co
Age: 20
Weight: 90.7 kgs
Was this review helpful to you? 
(Updated: October 24, 2005)
Overall rating 
 
5.0
Design 
 
5.0
Perfomance 
 
5.0
Quality 
 
5.0
Value / Money 
 
5.0

The most comfortable playboat around for very tall paddlers

I've been paddling for 2 years, only being able to fit in large creek boats. Most of my height is in my legs which has stopped me getting into anything smaller than a Liquid Logic "Huck". It was at a freestyle surf carnival that I first saw the Large Flirt, it looked huge and i fitted into it perfectly, i used it in the comp to see what it was like and was amazed. After using it for about 40mins i could pull off flatspins, blunts, cartwheels and even a loop! I bought it that afternoon.

The first time I used the Flirt was at the beach, it was very loose but still fast easy to carve with. I haven't used it on the river yet, but all that extra volume will help alot in running bigger grade rapids. The longest i've spent in it is about 3 hours and didn't feel cramped at all.

For any really tall paddlers out there who are looking for a comfortable playboat check out the Large Flirt. If you can demo it, you won't be dissapointed!

Review

Affiliated
No
About Me
Location: Tasmania (AUS)
Age: 17
Weight: 90 kgs
Was this review helpful to you? 
(Updated: April 19, 2005)
Overall rating 
 
5.0
Design 
 
5.0
Perfomance 
 
5.0
Quality 
 
5.0
Value / Money 
 
5.0

great for big guys

It's about time someone has brought out a playboat that works for us big guys. The Flirt is the first "play boat" that does things that other boats can do and is still short and stubby (and not a small creeker). For years I have been in river runners as my playboat because there was nothing else. When the big Bliss-stick RAD came out I thought it was cool but when I paddled the Flirt it was beyond words. No more sitting all the way back in the boat, no more dead feet and numb legs, but room to move and do tricks that in my old bosts seemed so far away.

This boat has steeped up my ability to paddle and stop at playspots and not get flushed out because my boat is too long, but still having enough volume in it to paddle decent rivers and not spend most of my time looking up at the sky or rolling.

Thanks Fluid your boat kicks serious arse!!!!

LOFTY
New Zealand

Review

Affiliated
Yes
About Me
Location: New Zealand
Age: 26
Weight: 115 kgs
Was this review helpful to you? 
7 results - showing 1 - 5  
1 2  
 

Surfrider Foundation
See the AUP for our Acceptable Use Policy and a Privacy Statement. Verein Playak is responsible for all editorial content on this site (including all graphics). No part of this site may be duplicated in any way without explicit permission from Verein Playak. Verein Playak takes great care to only publish original content, but since part of the content is user generated, we cannot always guarantee this 100%. If you notice any copyright violations, please let the editors know through the contact form and they will take appropriate action immediately. As a news and information platform, we republish small text snippets and thumbnail images, but always link to original content on other sites, and thus aim to adhere to a 'Fair Use' policy. If you believe we violate this policy in any particular case, please contact us directly and we'll take appropriate action immediately.