13 year old reviews the Fun

Hey EJ,

My name is Daniel S., I live in Charlotte, NC. I’m thirteen
years old, and recently bought a new Fun from NOC. I thought before I’d ask
my question(s) I’d give a little beginner’s review/story.

Before my Fun, I had paddled a Dagger Showdown, and when
I outgrew that, I paddled a RPM for a short period of time. Recently I was able
to rack up the money for a new boat. After demoing the Fun, and seeing the price,
I realized it was the boat for me. Now, I have always been an extremely cautious
paddler, and while I had a great and consistant flat water roll, I never voluntarily
rolled in whitewater. In fact, it was to the point where I didn’t try stuff
that I thought I would probably flip over doing. IE: hard ferries, surfing,
and other basic kayaking techniques. So, moving along. At the same time I bought
my Fun I also got your rolling and bracing DVD, mainly to improve my flatwater
roll, and hopefully get a whitewater one. Wow… something in my confidence
level must have changed. My first time in the boat, I felt like it responded
to my thoughts. I nailed my first river roll, and my confidence soared. Sadly,
I’m a little ways away from whitewater, and my family often has plans on the
weekends. I was, however, able to take the boat to the pool a fair amount, perfecting
my roll (wow, you weren’t kidding when you said this was the easiest boat to
roll, period). I now feel that my onside is bombproof, and my offside is getting
there. I also tried hand rolling, and was greatly successful. I’m not sure if
I can confidently hand roll in a river yet, but boy I feel like I’m getting
there! Anyway, last weeked I was able to make it up to the Tuckaseegee/Nantahala
area. When I got on the river, I was the opposite of what I normally am. Instead
of shying away from challenges, I was out looking for them. I can truly say
I have never had more FUN in my life. Flipping underwater became an exhilirating
experience for me, and I found myself trying all the ferries I could. Then I
found the first small hole, and that’s when my fun really began. I learned how
to surf, and although it’s an extremely basic move, I loved doing bow/stern
enders. I flipped a good few times, but it just added to the experience. So,
in conclusion, I feel that the fun has allowed me to take my kayaking a step
further, and out of total beginner mode. I’m now trying to work on anything
I can that has to do with playboating and the basics that set the foundation
for it, Thanks for the killer boat EJ!!!!

Thanks a million,

Daniel S.