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GEAR_WHITEWATER KAYAKS Pick your river, then find the boat to ride it. Make sure that the boat fits your body weight and the river terrain you will most likely be paddling. All-around whitewater boats tend be more stable than freestyle or extreme whitewater boats. Extreme kayaks have sharper lines and chines and are much more trippy. Regardless of your ability, here is a diverse selection of whitewater boats. Designed three years ago as a freestyle boat, the RPM is now undisputedly the finest all-around kayak on the market. It has a low volume tail with sharp rails, a thin bow, and a traditional displacement hull. The bulk of its volume is around the cock-pit, creating a stable and forgiving platform. This boat has outsold everything in the history of the sport. Length: 9' Width: 24.5" Weight: 37 Ib Volume: 60 gallons. Dagger, 800-433-1 969, $899 The 8'10" is great for those looking to river run and surf in the same vessel. It has volume in the stern to handle whitewater drops, and a flat bottom to handle surfing waves. The 8'10" will carve nicely, and is loose enough to flat spin on a glassy wave. Length: 8'10" Width: 24.5" Weight: 25 1b Volume: 62 gallons. Necky, 604-850-1 206, $895 are transforming the face The GRADIENT is forgiving, and very safety oriented. It has a roto-molded plastic front wall that gives the deck structural integrity. This feature also allows you to drill the bulkhead to the wall instead of the boat, thus decreasing water leakage from the screws. The deck has a spe cial rig designed to carry a safety rope on the boat. The Gradient has aggressive rocker, which allows decent boofs and nice landings. The boat does have a tendency to rear ender, so heavy paddlers may want to move the seat forward an inch or so. Length: 8'8" Width: 24.5" Weight: 401b Volume: 81 gallons. Dagger, 800-433-1969, $899 The PHAT is a responsive, snappy creek boat that turns on a dime. The sharp linear chines and aggressive bow rocker work together to create a quick, predictable creek machine. The Ph at boofs like a dream and, from underwater, it resurfaces flat and in control. Its performance, drops significantly however, drops for paddlers who top 180 pounds. Heavy boaters will occa sionally trip on the sharp stern rail, and may be pushed around in big water. Length: 8'6" Width: 25" Weight: 40 Ib Volume: 66 gallons. Perception, 800-59-kayak or 864-859-751 8, $925 The SKREEM has good hull speed and lots of volume. It is an excellent choice for big water class V. The boat is ideal for paddlers who weigh more than 180 pounds. It has plenty of room in the cockpit for big guys and lots of space up front for big feet. The Skreem accelerates over and out of holes with predictabil ity and precision. Length: 8'1 1" Width: 24.5" Weight: 39 Ib Volume: 73 gallons. Savage, 888-813-11 03, $895 The 230 rides on a hard chined, double concave hull. It has a bulbous bow and intense rocker that will launch in off the big ones! For a boat that is only 77: the high volume 230 is quick and agile. This is the boat to tackle the steepest creeks in the world. Length: 77" Width: 24" Weight: 37 Ib Volume: 47 gallons. Pyranha, 51 6-286-1988, $959