Need help picking out a new boat!

[Regud]

I am looking for a new boat and could use some recommendations. I am looking for a more aggresive rec boat for primarily rivers with either deck storage or a hatch for minimal overnight gear. I would like the boat to be stable because I tend to do more fishing when the whitewater is not good.

Here are some of the boats I have looked at:

Riot Azul Krypton
Dagger Zydeco

I would greater appreciate any help you all can offer.

Thanks!
Ryan

[KAYAKN]

Go to Rendezvous this weekned at Rockport. Call Don at OOO and see what demos he will have out there.

[Jim Krueger]

Ryan,
Do consider coming to the Rendezvous, I second the suggestion because there will be a bunch of boats to look at, and some to try right there. In any event, I would also suggest taking a look at the Dagger Approach.

Best Regards
Jim Moose

[Cowper]

Ditto on talking to Don or Jeremy at OOO.

Just looking at the specs for those two boats, I note that the Riot is longer, has a significantly larger "max paddler weight", and has both front and rear hatches for better balancing of your gear load. Longer generally means faster, but a little harder to turn. Which appeals to you more, nimble, or fast? The Azul has hatches, the Dagger does not. Another thing to consider - we have local Dagger dealers, so if you're buying new, you're going to get better dealer support if you have any problems after the sale. (UPDATE/CORRECTION: Since you're in Fayetteville, if L&C is still an Riot/Azul dealer, this may not be a difference for you.)

Cockpits on both are the same size, I'm betting both are pretty stable, so no major difference there.

I would also note that in browsing many web sites, one thing seems to be consistent: Those that like to fish from their boats, like the "Native watercraft" line of boats. I don't have any personal experience there; just noting a trend that I think I saw in user reports. You might want to browse some reviews at http://www.paddling.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and see if any user reports line up with exactly what you're looking for. OOO carries that line too.

[RomanLA]

I'm leaning towards a Liquid Logic Remix XP9 or XP10. I talked to Jeremy last week and he said they have some on order. I'm hoping they'll get one in on time to demo at Rendezvous.
http://shanesliquidlogic.blogspot.com/
http://www.liquidlogickayaks.com/crossover.cfm

[Regud]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I would love to make it to Rendezvous; unfortunately, I already have plans that cannot be changed.

The Dagger Approach and Liquid Logic Remix XP10 look like great options. I was thinking 10' would be the optimal length, and both of those boats fit the bill.

Cowper, thanks for the detailed comparison on the specs of the two boats.

I guess it's time to start looking for some of these boats to demo.

[Jeremy M]

You're definitely going to want to check out the New Liquid Logic Remix XP9 and XP10. They took a whitewater hull and put recreational components, such as a drop down skeg and dry storage. They did not keep the bulkhead, but rather put in foot pegs. But Shane said they were taking them down class IV big volume rivers with no trouble. IMO, this will be the aggressive rec boat of choice for 2009.

http://www.liquidlogickayaks.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RomanLA]

You're definitely going to want to check out the New Liquid Logic Remix XP9 and XP10. They took a whitewater hull and put recreational components, such as a drop down skeg and dry storage. They did not keep the bulkhead, but rather put in foot pegs. But Shane said they were taking them down class IV big volume rivers with no trouble. IMO, this will be the aggressive rec boat of choice for 2009.

http://www.liquidlogickayaks.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I was wondering if that had a bulkhead or foot pegs. I sent an email the other night to try to figure out why they did a couple other things that leaned a little too far towards a rec boat in my opinion. I haven't gotten a response yet, so I'm guessing it got passed on to the designer(s). Like you said though, it's still going to be the hybrid boat of choice.