Driving to the river today I realised it was 20 years since my first liquidlogic boat a yellow Gus that I took to Pakistan and then Nepal - it felt huge. Pretty sure that boat is still going strong on the rivers around Pokhara. In the UK I had a purple Gus and then returned to yellow for a trip to BC and Alaska. Returning to the UK and it was Jefe and Jefe Grande before 69/79 Remix in India/Nepal. It's quite a list. A boat list of many.
I'd been looking at paddling the Liquidlogic Sweet Ride and Liquidlogic RMX 96 since they first came out but never really had the chance. Today I managed time in both.
Liquidlogic RMX
I chose the 96 and it's massive. I was hesitant at first because I have never felt I needed a 9ft boat, let alone a boat over 9ft. Less than ten minutes paddling and I had a smile, a smile of a massive nature, just like the boat - size matters. First off the boat didn't feel massive. It was nimble enough, the parting line is low, so the hull felt fresh and usable without having to really work to get the edges to engage.
It surfs nice enough, zippy for it's size. Getting even the smallest eddies a breeze. It was lovely to paddle a modern creek boat with modern outfitting. The first new boat in many years that has lit a fire in my belly.
Liquidlogic Sweet Ride
I expected this boat to be sporty, and it is, but not unpredictable. It feels light on the water, does everything you would expect for a boat of its ilk. I had to be more proactive in this boat, but not in a bad way. It felt like a great boat if you only wanted one boat to do it all. Sure it's going to be fruity when things get steep but that's a sacrifice to make for the sporty nature.
My head loves the Sweet Ride but I left the river today with my heart loving the RMX.
Now I'm not saying go out and spend your cash on these lumps of plastic. Far from it. You possibly have a boat that's perfectly fine. All I'm really saying is that today made me smile. It rekindled the fire. That's a good thing.
