Liquidlogic Lil' Joe yak opinions

Okay, I may have been bitten by the whitewater bug!! I said I wasn’t going to get into it but against my better judgement here I am! I am thinking of getting one of these after researching alot of stuff. I don’t want or need too whacky of a yak for my first ww yak and feel that the longer length will be my best choice to start out with. Do you guys think I have chosen a reasonable ww yak for my first one? I still want to paddle down rivers with less ww but want one that will take some ww just fine…any first hand opinions about this one? Thaanks! Linda

Zero experience but
cool choice! I too am interested in the feedback you get Linda.

Nice chatting with you too!

I Love The Features Of That Lil Joe
Predictable handling from what I can see… (More predictable than the student in it last year at ww school). The boat is solid river runner… but for someone bigger than you. Move down to the Trigger (which is really the smaller Lil JOe) and it would fit you perfectly with the 50 gallon (or so volume) and not too short length (compared to current crop of river/play boats). I am actually on the lookout between the Riot Booster 50 or Trigger for a river runner to use on higher classes.



sing

Here’s Trigger Specs Link:
http://www.liquidlogickayaks.com/products/trigger.html



You can compare it to the Lil Joe.


i don’t see a lot of
liquid logic out far west here but they are well respected. I have no idea of your size but i can see where Sing is coming from on his recommendation. The boat you have chosen looks good and has comfortable volume and not to heavy to carry. Its length is good for getting you upstream and the speed will be there in comparrison to the small “spud” boats on the market. That said, The Trigger as suggested might provide more playabilty pending your size and what you want to do with it. Try both. If you do buy it, we will be on the Nanaimo River tomorrow… Bring lunch.

Linda Is Lighter Than Me…
and my 140 lbs. Also, she has a tendency to dress lite – bikini – which means she would be an even ligher load on the boat. :slight_smile:



sing

Yer funny!
And maybe if I twitch my nose I might make it!HAHA!!

Sing-
I can just see me wearing and then NOT wearing my bikini when I run into some of that nasty whitewater stuff! If ya know what I mean… HAHA!!

Maybe the Trigger is meant more
for me- I am 127 now.

It Is, More Than Lil Joe
I stuck someone new to ww last week into my 48 gallon Trickster. Though intended as a playboat, the Trickster acted very much like a river running/play boat for her 125 lbs.



The Trigger has 53 gallons and much more forgiving chine lines and deck configuration.



sing

That’s "Optional"
the helmet is not. :wink:



sing

The moderator
for a local site found a pink Lil’ Joe for me on a used yak site-mind you that’s NOT my colour, but the price might be right! Would you sit in a pink yak? Just kidding! None of my accessories match-pout!

I have a trigger and love it
I bought a Trigger last summer, moving from an older style Dagger Piedra. I wanted a boat that I could comfortably do class II and III, but also long enough that I could still make it down a slower river if need be. I also wanted a good surfing boat that I could get more on edge, but I was not interested in vertical play. The Trigger is a great boat for keeping me upright and it is great fun to surf. It surfs a lot better than my old boat. For a boat to get started or help you get down rivers that are a little pushier than you are use to, it is a great boat. My other choice was a Jackson Fun. I love that boat, too. You might want to try that boat as well. The difference is that the Trigger is more of a “surface boat”. It would be very difficult to get the bow or stern under water unintentionally, like some of the more playful boats. I felt comfortable with that. I would also be sure to get a boat that fits well, and so it sounds like the Trigger is better for you than the Lil Joe.

Thanks guys for your opinions!
I am ordering a YELLOW Trigger today.This will be the 3rd yak I’ve orderred sight unseen-hopefully I’m bang on with my choice as before! I might take a ww course at the end of my vacation with Madawaska…

Look Around…

– Last Updated: Apr-25-05 8:15 AM EST –

if you don't need it immediately. Trigger is nice but so the Booster 50 for a good starter river running boat.

There are several Booster 50's being advertised on Boatertalk right now for $400-450. Add on shipping of $75, it'll still be 50% of a brand new Trigger at $900-$1000. I'll admit that I have not seen many used Triggers posted. Probably because it's a year or two later model than the Booster. The 50 gallon Booster and forgiving chine lines will make it very good first boat for you as well as the Trigger.

sing

Look At This
http://boatertalk.com/gear-detail.php?gid=10916





Here’s more info on the Booster 50:



http://playak.com/kayaks.php?id=30

Sing-
I’m going to Riverfest in Confluence,PA. on April 30th and I’ll be able to test paddle both yaks and maybe then some-I talked to the store guy and it seems like they might have some deals worth looking at…

Very Good!
you’ll have a much better idea that way. :slight_smile:



sing

Linda
Let me throw something else in here. How about a whitewater canoe? Thet use a lot of them here in Alabama, they work well. Depends a lot on what you want to do. I think kayaks play better, but those canoes are great river runners.