About the reviewer

I've paddled for 7 years now, two of which Ive been in the bliss. I'm a solid class IV boater and I've run some class V. I was a video boater last season on the Lower New River Gorge but have paddled a lot more than just there.

Test environment

Had the bliss on high volume rivers, beginner II-III creeks, and some smaller boulder garden rivers.

Review

This boat is not the simplest thing to paddle in the world but it will teach you a lot about kayaking. the boat is preety difficult to roll and will magnify imperfections in technique untill you learn what you're doing wrong. Minimal rocker extends the waterline of this boat preety far so that it is considerably fast considering its width and agressive planing hull. This guy doesn't turn like a playboat, a big sweep combined with a little outside lean will spin it preety well though. does preety well going over waves and punching big holes, but if they're huge holes you'd better be leaning foward or a squirt may ensue. Surfs like a dream on long glassy waves and sidesurfs like a champ too. steeper or shorter waves require some carving to keep from perling. in the right hole you can throw cartweels too, but don't count on flatweels unless you're the bomb digity at em, a lot of volume around the cockpit makes it tough to engage the bow in flatwater. creeking is not this guy's forte though. the stern is preety catchy and the chines are preety stiff meaning that it will find features if you lose track of where you're putting your stern. catches eddies like a dream. throw in a big sweep and an upstream lean and you'll be slingshooting into potholes you didn't think the boat would fit into. It catches them so well as a matter o fact, that you'll start peeling in a bit lower than normal to keep from bashing into the downstream side of the rock. all in all, this is a fantastic beginner boat. I say this because I'm a believer that buying a super forgiving boat as a starter is a mistake as it fosters bad habits that show up when you're ready to step up to playboating, high volume big water, or creeking. this boat will teach you the fundamentals like how to brace, lean, roll quickly, and surf.

Conclusion

this boat is a lot of fun and will teach beginners the important skills that they'll need and punish bad habits. Intermediate boaters might find some fun in it as well for a challenge on creeky features.