i just got a bliss-stick super rad 180 and i love it

Whoa!  That's a lot of cash to throw down right now, I still have to get everything else except the booties. 

The Jackson Fun series is currently the best selling beginner boat on the market. There are seven different sizes of the Fun. I've paddled them and love them. I have a Jackson All-Star which is more playboat and less runner. The outfitting is the shizz and Jackson uses the strongest plastic on the market so you won't have to worry about cracking. You can also get a new one for about $600.

As others said it depends on where you want to go kayaking wise.  The best boat to buy off the bat would be a river runner because it is more stable and easier to learn in. 

However, I would recommend getting a playboat if you plan to start learning to surf, play in holes, cartwheel, etc.  Playboats are more aggressive but  in my opinion more fun in the long run.   Your also not stuck with an old river runner to sell to the next beginner.

Dagger Kingpin's have a great reputation and you can find them pretty cheap now.  I don't know anything about Jackson Fun's except they are becoming incredibly popular.

I went from a Dagger Kingpin, to a Classic Fun, and my roll got 100 times better.

IMHO, a Jackson is an awesome investment for a beginner. You get an awesome boat, that is a relatively new design, and they're stable, fantastic boats. And you wont necessarily have to get a new boat when you want to try different stuff.

Wow!  Thanks everyone for the advice, I've decided to pass on the RPM, looks like there is a play boat in my near future.

no doubt you will be happy that you held out for the right boat.

My first boat was a Classic Fun. I was paddling the Fun, instead of the 2Fun, because of the extra volume, (aka, rooooooom in the boat!) I think that because I was in more of a "playboat", I had to learn to control it, more than in a Diesel, or similar boat. Not saying that you don't have to control a Diesel, but it definitely slides through a lot more than a play oriented boat will.

I would have to agree with Chucky. It's a better choice in the long run to buy a more stable playboat. While you might find yourself upside down a little more often, if you have a roll, its a good way to bomb-proof it, as well as learn boat control that you will need when you start running bigger stuff.

Now, I've been boating for three years, and running rivers in some form or another for more than five. But I still only boat class III/III+, sometimes IV. Some of the guys on here haven't been boating that long, and they run V all the time. Point being, I'm a pretty cautious boater. I haven't even made it down Boulder Drop yet, despite constant prodding from many directions, and I've been told that my skill level is up to par with making it down completely upright and fine, but I don't want to do it yet.

That said... I think that after a few months time, a super stable boat will get rather boring. I just bought a new boat, and its quite a bit smaller than my old one. I definitely have to work more on my edge control, and watch eddy lines more than I did in the old boat... But I've found that it makes the river more interesting when I have to stay on my toes.

I'm guilty of telling people to get them, because they're awesome... But don't get a Jackson because half of everyone and their mom says you should. I love them. Almost everyone I know that has one, loves them, but if you don't like one, get something else that's comfortable.



Edited by ashleygoesdisco - 17 Jul 2007 at 12:30pm

Look into Bliss Sticks, the Rad series is a great playful river runner!  Its not very agressive in the waves but is stable as hell. There are 4 sizes, the 185 is a great choice for midsize and up beginners. The 180 is a bit more edgy and smaller but still very stable.