).Me: 160lbs or so (with gear), 5' 9". I left the saddle at the factory height because I found it very comfortable as it was. I was shocked when I measured it and it was a hair less than 6".
1st time was a pool session-first impressions were positive-faster than I suspected (though that is relative in a boat that's around 6 and a half feet), VERY easy to spin, VERY stable (both primary and secondary), sits on bow and stern stations OK (I just need more practice
), and rolls VERY easily (executed my first off-side roll and *almost* had a hand roll as well).2nd time was on the Tohickon this weekend-new boat, new river. Thanks to Bob, Lee, Scott, and others for help with some of the lines. Nice running into you Heidi and RodeoClown!
Impressions-Well, first, please remember by nature I'm a glass longboater, but for the sake of fairness I will compare it primarily to the ForePlay I was in a few years ago (thanks again Kalin, wherever you are!)....It is a bit slower than the ForePlay (I know, it's a lot shorter...), but more foregiving. Although I truely felt like a cork going down the river I HAD A BLAST. The boat was super, super stable, easy to manuever in class II/ III water, surfed nicely. It only went vertically unintentionally on me once
, and that was running a small drop, and it was a blast 
. Overall-I found it a GREAT BOAT, and THANK YOU MARKO for designing a true C1 rodeo boat. I'll always be a glass boating long boater at heart, but I'm going to have A LOT of fun in this boat I can tell
. It's a different type of boating, and takes a different type of finesse (well, so far I'd say less finesse than a C1 squirt boat or slalom boat), but it's a ton of fun, and there are quite a few things I did in it I would not have been able to in my longer boats.Biggest plusses: Stability, Stability, stability, and ease of control. Responsive, quick to front surf (and side surf!), factory outfitting (carbon-kevlar plate and pedestal) is VERY nice, and helps keep the weight down and stiffness up)
Minuses: Cockpit rim could be a bit wider (could easily be trimmed), needs bow and stern grab loops. A hip grabber (in the works I believe) would also be sweet. Control is very good as is (as mentioned) but adding them would truely make the boat fit like a glove. Oh, and yes, it IS short. For those of you that like zipping in and out of the eddy's from one side of the river to the other, this is not your boat.
Amusing first time in boat occurance-the first time I eddy'd out I zipped in to the eddy nicely and did a 360...the boat is so short any extra torque / momentum left over from enterying the eddy will literally spin you all the way around!
If anyone has any specific questions on the boat ask away and I'll post a reply. That said, I did not try a 360 or any aerial manuevers (my next step is to figure those out now that I have a boat that I suspect can do them), so please don't ask any questions on the Wheelboy's performance of those.
