About the reviewer

I just took up freestyle this year after 4 years river running and haven't done a whole lot yet but the g-force is the perfect beginners and through kayak.

Test environment

Grade two rapids, medium flow.

Review

All in all this kayak rocks!!! I don't know a whole lot about playboats but I know enough to say this boat really has earned its stripes!!
Getting in the first time I was nervous, never having been in a playboat before. It was so responsive i was caught out a few times due to is sharp edges, but i got down the river in one piece delighted at how it had performed.
The bow is incredibly easy to get down although that could be due to the fact I have the seat the whole way forward.
Its so easy to roll, it barely requires effort.
When getting the kayak i drove for 2 hours fretting it would be to small because its the smallest size in the range and i wouldn't think myself petite. When i arrived i was surprised to find i fitted with the seat in mid position and as i grew to know the kayak i have moved the seat forward more to allow me more control.

This kayak really is fab and i would recommend it to beginners or advanced paddlers alike, its just so easy to throw around and works well on river trips to.
its also very affordable and as a junior cash isn't something i had alot of to spend. I was looking at kayaks such as the star or project not wanting something cheap and underperforming, but the g-force its extremely budget friendly and performs great on most features.

So as you have read i am full of praise for the performance but the outfitting is a whole other story.
Maybe this is why the boat was so affordable. The outfitting is crap to be blunt. Im going to rip it out and replace most bits which means that a boat which cost me quite little is going to end up costing me alot.

The backrest is awful and doesn't move easily, it also doesn't come far forward enough to match the seat for shorter paddlers like me. I'll be replacing that i'd say as its not plausible to be spending so much time trying to adjust it.

The footstop isn't adjustable and even with the seat already so far forward i would benefit from having the footrest closer to me. I've tried to rectify this in a few ways but have decided to replace them with jackson happy feet at some stage if they can fit as the foot space is very limited, lucky for me i have small feet but i feel sorry for any men that have this kayak.

The hips pads are very tight and il probably end up removing them altogether because i have seen this done in a few other g-forces, understandibly seeing as the first time i used the kayak i was numb from my hips down.

The seat is fine although its just not on par with the hip pads which is also why i'm removing the hip pads.

But don't let the outfitting put you off, its still a great kayak and most things can be fixed. Its just a heads up to whats coming towards you. My g-force is also an older model and i've heard they've upgraded the outfitting so its worth checking out before you buy.
The old outfitting looks very basic so it should be easy to tell.

I also forgot to mention this kayak is very light and also has a bung which is useful!!!

Conclusion

Great Kayak, Crap Outfitting. I suggest you buy one!!! i ONLY GAVE IT FOUR STARS BECAUSE OF THE OUTFITTING!!

About the reviewer

I've been paddling for about 8 months and the first time I sat in a playboat since i was 1 month into paddling (only just rolling) I was managing ends and huge virticle tail squirts, linked together to perform a pretty impressive set of cartwheels / split wheels. Now i'm just waiting for my dad to get the money out of my account for one.

Test environment

My test environment was flatwater. Making tricks harder, Needing more effort. But with the G-Force, This was made a piece of cake, Put one into a hole/wave cartwheel's would become so easy they would be the norm.

Review

The size of the G-Force really helps with getting those ends, As long as you have a decent double pump. And don't weigh any less than 7lb, this is the Perfect boat for you.

The G-force Was the boat to start big style play boating, that's godda count for something.
On a wave. Although i have never experienced a G-force on a wave, a chap at my club has. On regular trips to The Dart Loop, Staying in top wave and carving looked piss easy. It just flowed so well... In holes. throwing ends, Looping, was proven easily done. By some random paddler in top hole.

As for general river running, I don't think that you would want to go down anything huge in it. Creeking would be a big Nono, but things like the Erme would be paddleable.

Plus, kayaking's not kayaking without getting trashed. Oh yes, when you go down drops into holes/stoppers, if you don't have any sufficient speed or your leaning forwards with a tonne of water in your bow you will probably be seeing more sky than you had bargained for.

But, it ain't so comfy, thats a downside for you ;)

Get Jackson sweet cheeks ;)

Conclusion

Overall it is a great boat, Great for playing, Ok-ish for river running and however old it is, it will always be damn fun.

I only tested it on flat water but it was a nice boat to flat water cartwheel and is able to sit on end although is quite dificult to hold it. not a bad playboat for park and play but for river trips it is difficult to paddle long distances and is very low volume.

About myself

I'm a eighteen-year-old paddler from Germany and own a Dagger G-Force 5.9 in a red-black.

About the test environment

I've tested my boat on many rivers all over the west of Europe: Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Luxembourg. I paddled in whitewater, on flatwater-rivers and played at a few playspots.

Review

It's a very small boat so you're not so fast on any sort of rivers. Because of its low volume, it is easy to learn moves like cartwheels etc. I paddle this boat on WW 3-4 (Europe) but this is the highest grade to kayak, because on harder WW I think it has too little volume and it feels like a submarine ;-)

Conclusion

I think it is a good boat for people who only want do run easy whitewater or play on playspots, but not for creeking or bigger WW.

About the test environment

Woodmill weir in flood.

Review

Awesome boat for flat water and on a wave but you can't sit in it for more than five minutes as it will send your feet to sleep if your over 5'10".

Conclusion

Good but not one I would buy.