Whitewater Kayak Review

RIOT
NITRO 58
Length: 6' 9"
Width: 26"
Volume: 58 gallons
Weight: 35 lbs
Paddler’s Weight:
150-231 lbs
Price: $1,099
www.riotkayaks.com
*Model Tested

Knight
Comfort: I usually don’t like the feel of Riot boats, but I liked this one, and I was very impressed with the outfitting. Everything was on a ratchet system, including the foot pegs, seat, and back band. It also had adjustable thigh straps that were comfortable, safe, and snug.

Stability: It’s a pretty big boat with good edges, so it was fairly stable. Speed on a Wave: Great.

Speed on a Wave: Great.

River Running: I ran a Class IV run in it and felt comfortable from the put-in to the take-out. It could boof and stay on top of small waves and holes, and its edges were attracted to eddies.

Performance on a Feature: Again, it’s a fairly big boat, so throwin’ down in a small hole isn’t quite as easy as in, say, Dagger’s Kingpin. And it’s very difficult to perform flatwater moves. But on a wave, it’s stable, edgy, and capable of big air.

McKibbin
Comfort: I think Riot puts out the best seat and back-band system. They do a really good job with their seats. In general, it was comfortable. For me, the rachet system wasn’t necessary, but I appreciate the effort.

Stability: I thought it was a little edgy, but stable. Speed on a Wave: It was very fast.

Speed on a Wave: It was very fast.

River Running: It had pretty good speed for running the river. Maneuvering the boat was easy. The ends didn’t purl.

Performance on a Feature: It’s clumsy in a hole, but on a wave, a bigger person would be able to pull off some bigger moves.

Schier
Comfort: This boat had some interesting characteristics that I found enjoyable. Back support was consistent. The adjustable foot pegs were great; I liked that I was able to wrap my toes around them. The thigh braces make entry difficult because they pivot, but once you’re in, they’re super-comfy. Wet-exiting was not a problem.

Stability: It has good primary stability but not much secondary stability.

Speed on a Wave:It was semi-cantankerous. This boat is probably built for a 190-pound person, not 160. It was somewhat sluggish.

River Running: It tracked well through rapids, was easy to roll, and had good hull speed.

Performance on a Feature: The hard chines make it an edgy boat, but it was hard to control the edges because it was too big. When I did get on the wave, I couldn’t cut back and forth aggressively or quickly. It was impossible for me to initiate.