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Flirt Large
User reviews
(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
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
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
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
Age: 26
Weight: 115 kgs
Was this review helpful to you?
(Updated: February 15, 2005)
Overall rating
5.0
Design
5.0
Perfomance
5.0
Quality
5.0
Value / Money
5.0
It's a great boat try one today you'll like it!
About myself
i've been boating for 17 years, over the last three i've been getting into it all again after being single again, i paddle a dagger G-ride 6.5 and use it on everything from the flats of yalding to the monsters of norway.
About the test environment
I was up in wales for the weekend and popped in to Eddy lines just to see if there were any small boats i could squeeze myself into. I found the fluid flirt and spent the whole day messing around on the dee.
Review
when i first got in the boat it looked and felt enormous but, once on the water it came alive, i managed to sink the ends easily the back was slightly harder but that was just down to the set up(having no foot rests due to just demo'ing).As for surfing it was fanastic i felt in control all the time and it reacted to every move i made, in the right way and didn't matter which way round i was. the boat spins like a dream and is comfortable in holes(not that there were many testing ones there). i spent a good four hours in the boat and only had to get out and stretch my legs twice, all a can say it was like a sofa compair with other boats. my mate demod the medium flirt after seeing me having such a laugh and he agreed that the flirt has the right balance of excitment and control which allows you to pull of new moves and progress due to the confidence it gives.
Conclusion
it was sold to me that day, i've never found a boat that suits me quite as much as the flirt, all i can say is "try one and your buy one"; especially you tall guys out there. and if the guys from fluid are reading this thankyou for a great boat which is exciting and comfortable pretty rare, my feet send a special thankyou.
Review
Affiliated
No
About Me
Location: north wales, the dee
Age: 32
Weight: 110 kgs
Age: 32
Weight: 110 kgs
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