Review from Ireland- Muireann Lynch talks about her Star…

March 3, 2005

Well first of all, about me. I’m 5ft 8”
and about 125 pounds, and by no means the greatest paddler in the world.
In fact, I can barely cartwheel on a good day!

The Star is extremely comfy for such a little boat.
At 5 ft 8” and a 32” leg, I’m probably pushing the boundaries
of who can comfortably fit in, but even still with the seat all the way
forward I haven’t had any problems. The footbag is very comfy once
properly adjusted, and feels very supportive when the boat is on end;
my toes just dig in nicely. The back rest is very supportive too, and
doesn’t slip. Hip pads are also just about right. I felt the hip
pads in my 2fun were a little aggressive, but the ones in the Star are
perfect!

The first day I got this boat I had it on the flat,
and my first few sessions were all on the flat. I’ve always struggled
to do flatwater moves, as I think a lot of girls do, but the Star really
impressed me! I hate the way a lot of boats have a really wide hull, and
a giant square box of volume around the cockpit, making it hard for me
to put it on edge, and always banging knuckles & elbows off the cockpit.
But I didn’t even need to raise the seat in the Star at all. In
fact, within 10 minutes of sitting into the boat I got my first ever flatwater
cartwheels, and now, a few weeks later, I’m starting to get clean
cartwheels too, and because the boat is so short, and cartwheels so fast,
I’m finding it even easier to clean the stern.

In a hole, the Star is great. Very bouncy at the start,
until I figured out how to get it under control (very aggressive forward
position needed), and now it’s just so much fun! Spins and clean
spins are really smooth, and I’m nearly brave enough to try cartwheeling
it in a hole soon!

I’ve only paddled the Star on little waves until
now, but so far I’m impressed. It’s actually quite fast for
something that short, and it’ll just sit on a wave carving over
and back quite happily all day.

Also worth mentioning is that this boat is really really
easy to roll. Onside, offside, backdeck, handrolls, no problems at all!

Overall, I think this is a very good boat, and
I think the ladies especially are gonna love it! One of very few boats
I’ve found so far that I feel like it’s actually the right
size. I really feel like this boat is going to help me learn a lot. It
already has, and I only have it a few weeks! Oh, and also, it’s
just the cutest looking little thing ever!