About the reviewer

beginner paddler

Test environment

class 1-2 river

Review

the good. surf anything, predictable reactions to water. the bad. slow hull speed, not directionaly stable

Conclusion

good for playing, bad for cruising

About myself

I have been paddling for about 5 years. I did take two years off in the middle when I only got in a kayak rarely and did an easy run down the river. I started paddling 2-3 times a week in the early part of this season. I work for a shop so have paddled many different boats back to back

About the test environment

Chilliwack River Lower run. One section of class three followed by mostly class two with a couple tricky 3ish eddies.

Review

First of all I must say that the Mission is not a bad boat. I did not find anything really wrong with the boat just not to my particular tastes. I really like the bow, the fact that it did not pearl in a wave. I did find the tail to be a bit grabby. I noticed on a few occasions that the grabbiness of the tail caught me off guard and I was upside down in a section that I have paddled about 30+ times this year. The boat was an easy roller. I popped up with very little effort on my part. I generally still miss a roll here and there but I found that I hit it first try every try.

My biggest beef with the boat is the outfitting. We have lost the foam blocks for the Mission at the shop so I just scabbed some loose foam together which sucked. I can only assume that the proper foam kit would work well. I do not like the thigh braces on the boat. I had not under leg support offered by the boat and not foam for my knees as they jammed up into the cockpit rim. I also find the thigh braces a bitch on your shoulder as you carry a boat.

Conclusion

All in all this is a great surfing boat with forgiving bow. I thought that they bow and stern forgiveness were mismatched. I also think that the outfitting could be done better.

Hi Guys,

I'm from Devon, England (UK). I recently bought my first ever boat (I only started paddling 8 months ago), but I have tried loads of boats.

I wanted a boat that was big enough to get down large rivers with, but small enough play if there was a spot e.g. Rabioux Wave, France, not a flatwater player.

I first tried the mission on flatwater, and needless to say, it blew me away. Being 6 ft 4, I had never sat in a more comfortable boat. It rolls like a dream. Hand rolling especially only needs the tiniest flick of the hips before you are up. Fantastic for hard core white water, where every second upside down counts. The spine running along the bottom of the boat means it accelerates fast for a small (ish) boat. I managed to keep up with a K2!

The manuverability is fantastic. It so repsonsive to even the lightest of touches that even boulder dodging becomes as easy as paddling in a straight line.

In the surf I was amazed. Carving waves seems to easy to be real, helped fantastically by the hull spine. Spinning across the face is no longer a challenge.

If you are looking for an all rounder, there is nothing in my opinion better. I know everyone loves their own boats, but this boat is ssomething else. There is nothing about this boat that is a mission.

Ed :D