Hi,

I could really use some solid advice. I began river running a couple of years ago in a Prijon Hurricane. This past year I bought a second-hand LiquidLogic Pocket Rocket to do the Park'N Play thing. I have the front/side surfing thing down pat (finally) and on good days can make it through some spins without window-shading. Problem is I am at or over the 160 lbs which is the max of the weight limit for the Pocket Rocket and I've noticed that I'm so low in the water that the ends pearl very easily. So, I think its time for a new boat. My problem is that I live in Northwestern Ontario and we don't exactly have an abundance of boats to try out. Realizing that "fit" is important... how close should I go to the weight limit of a boat ? How important is volume ? I have been looking at the Wavesport Zero Gravity 48 with a max limit of 181 lbs. Any advice... please !

Ok. how far you are to weight limits will limit and help with certain playboating tricks. It is better to be lighter for river-running. If you are heavier flat water tricks( cartwheels, and stalls) will come easier. Also, most any vertical trick is aided by weight. It also depends on where you weight is on your body. If you have long legs then your seat will have to be far back, this makes bow stalls harder but stern stalls easier on most boats. If you are at the top of the weight range spinning and surfing is harder. Your boat will tend to purl, while surfing. Jackson boats are decent and popular (good re-sale), If your more interested in surfing and hole moves try a 4 fun, ZG 54, or Vision 56. If your looking for flatwater, squish yourself into the smallest boat possible and give up on big air and surfing.

rad 180 (bliss stick) have a huge weight range and from wot ive are boshank (great)

Hi Denis

I had a very similar problem to you. I had an Air 45 and loved it, but I was more or less on the weight limit. That ment it was great for cartwheeling on the flat but I wasn't getting great pop for loops and found that while ferrying etc that the bow woul perl lots.

I've since changed to a ZG 48 and I would have no hesitation recommending the boat. It bounces super high and is great on both waves and in the hole. The only drawback is on the vert the ends feel a little corky and it can be a little trippy on eddy lines but all in all it is an excellent boat!

if your looking into wavesport boats, the new projects they have look pretty sweet. Ive never been in one but id choose one of their projects over the zg
Whaatev (i like emoticons)

The project is not a good boat for those still learning the basics. It has low rocker which increases hull speed, it will tend to grab and flib while spinning. The ends purl extremly easily because the boat is for aerials. Don't get a project unless you have the basics down pat.

Yeah, good point

The trend in designs over the last several years has been away from one-size-fits-all generalist boats (boats that are good at making river-running easy and which are easy to play with at a playspot) toward the specialty-driven- the sort of boat that can bounce off the wave for aerial tricks, or loop, for example.

What this means is that there are a lot of trade-offs to be made that aren't going to be apparrent unless you can try out a boat for yourself to see if that boat does what you want a boat to do.

I'm now reviewing boats for Playak. Currently in the reveiw process: Riot's new playboats for this season, the Astro and the Flair. Both are short, wide playboats. They're worlds apart in terms of how they drive.

Chris