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AND THE WINNER IS...
Riot Air $1,125
For all-day play sessions working on your freestyle moves—especially aerial ones—there's nothing sweeter.
Why It's Cool: If you're an advanced paddler looking to milk the most fun out of a trickle of water, the Air will take you there. At a mere six feet and 29 pounds, with a surfboard-style nose, this boat could yield fun in a stock tank. >> The trendy swallowtail design greatly enhances carving ability, and the included attachable fins make the Air a killer beach toy in small surf. Maintaining your line on a pushy river may be a challenge, but the payoff comes in the park, where the boat's sharp edges and diminutive size make every move available to you. >> This is a fun, bouncy boat that had me off the water even on smallish waves.
Hmmm... The soft elastomer thigh braces may take some getting used to. They're more comfortable than the kind made of hard plastic, but they don't give that confidence-building, wedged-in-tight feel.
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Wave Sport Transformer $1,000
This advanced playboat converts from an aerial boat to a vertical boat—all you need is a screwdriver.
Why It's Cool: A+ for innovation: This is a very lively boat with the default 5/8-inch bumpers mounted; it's even easier to get vertical after using your Phillips screwdriver to swap 'em out for one of two longer nose tips that are included. >> At first I didn't notice much difference between the "sliciness" of the five-inch and eight-inch tips. But in faster, deeper water, the longer noses made the boat less bouncy and easier to cartwheel. >> With the short bumpers on, you can pop around like a bead of butter on a hot skillet; throw on the eight-inch tips and you'll hold that vertical stern squirt all the way to the next hole.
Hmmm... Don't get sucked into big water—regardless of which tips you attach, the Transformer is a true playboat. |
Dagger G-Ride $1,100
Small enough to be a playboat but with enough volume for river running or Class IV creeking, the G-Ride is an all-around, free-running beauty.
Why It's Cool: A comfy cockpit made for enjoyable dawn-to-dusk play sessions, and the ingeniously innovative air-bladder cockpit fit system (pump the bulb for a tighter fit; bleed air to loosen) kept my butt in place. >> By using only one set of screws instead of two to support the foot-peg adjustment bar, the angle of the G-Ride's foot braces rotates according to your position in the boat, greatly enhancing your ability to throw enders or cartwheels and still keep your balance. >> The roominess of the deck just in front of the cockpit provides plenty of knee space for larger paddlers.
Hmmm... If you have small feet—mine are a size seven—they can slip above or below the foot braces. |
Perception Blaze $1,100
The most stable boat of the bunch, the Blaze is built for those who would like not only to paddle in rivers but down them.
Why It's Cool: This boat proved more playful than I expected, thanks to its low 44-gallon volume and still-slicey bow. >> I found it harder to initiate a stern squirt in this boat, and its greater length meant hitting bottom in skinny water, but this is the craft I'd choose for a multi-day trip down anything of consequence. >> Excellent outfitting—especially the ratchet-style adjustable backband—make lengthy stretches of flatwater, like those last few miles of Colorado's Westwater Canyon, more bearable. >> If you're just entering the sport, soft edges help make this the forgiving ride you're looking for.
Hmmm... Don't expect turn-on-a-dime performance; what you gain in stability and comfort you lose in responsiveness. |
Liquidlogic Pop $1,125
The Pop is a playboat made for air. While flat spins and vertical moves are still an option, it's built for bounding.
Why It's Cool: Lots of rocker—seven inches front and back—helps boost this boat off the water. >> Though it's only six foot six, it offers ample room for paddlers in the 200-pound-plus range. >> A fast-planing hull, especially for such a short vessel, keeps you riding that wave you busted your ass getting onto in the first place. And adjustable thigh braces with sharp edges allow you to carve crests while maintaining precise control. >> With its short length and touchy edges, the Pop gets nervous when you wander too far from the play park—but if you have a loop in your future, this could be your breakthrough boat.
Hmmm... Liquidlogic lags other manufacturers when it comes to outfitting. Give me pegs and a drain plug. |
Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 $1,399
It's fast, it's stable, it's comfortable. And after six days in Baja, the Tempest will leave you begging for more.
Why It's Cool: Thanks to evenly distributed volume front and back, this polyethelene boat moves so smoothly that you'll swear there's another paddler hidden on board. >> The drop-down skeg aids in tracking without the added weight or hassle of conventional rudders—and it was nice to not have to worry about retracting the rudder every time you pulled up to shore. >> Finally, a touring boat that truly challenges the long-held notion that to have speed you must sacrifice stability and comfort. The Tempest's outfitting system, especially the hip pads and thigh braces, may not feel exactly like the recliner shown in the company's ads, but it's close.
Hmmm... Because it comes equipped with a skeg instead of a rudder, the Tempest is easier to paddle straight—but more difficult to turn quickly. |
Prijon Touryak $1,435
The Touryak is stable enough for the ocean, swift enough for the lake, and, at 15 feet four inches, small enough to take it with you.
Why It's Cool: It tracks straight as a runway, yet its trihedral hull (picture the bottom half of a stop sign) allows it to turn the corner like a boat half its size. Just two strong paddle strokes gave me enough hull speed to glide 40 feet and still break through a thin patch of late-season ice. >> An upturned bow and stern allow the Touryak to punch up and over waves instead of through them—a nice touch on a cold-morning paddle. >> Bow and stern hatches provide ample storage for camping gear or lunch, and closed-cell foam with nylon covers on the back and thigh braces make for comfortable touring on extended trips.
Hmmm... At almost 60 pounds, the Touryak portages more like a canoe than a touring boat.
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