Squirt Boating - Overview

Overview

Physically, a typical squirt boat is similar to a whitewater kayak or covered canoe (C–1) but is distinct in the following ways:

• The side profile of a squirt boat is very flat when compared to a whitewater kayak or C–1.
• The volume of a squirt boat is generally less than half of the volume of a normal kayak of the same length. This often ranges from 24–35 gallons (90–130 liters) for a squirt boat, but 50–70 gallons (190–260 liters) for a typical kayak.
• Squirt boats often have foot bumps that enable the boat to maintain an ultra-low volume while still providing room for the feet.
• When in the water, 70–80% of the boat will be underwater.
• Squirt boats are designed to do tricks. Each model has its specialty. For example, the Bigfoot and Shred squirt boats are great at doing Mystery Moves, while squirt boats like the Skunk and Hellbender are great at doing cartwheels.
• The most popular squirt boats are probably the Bigfoot, Shred or Hellbender. It really depends on what you want to get out of a Squirt boat. The Bigfoot and Shred are great at Mystery Moves however not very good when it comes to their screw performances. On the other hand, the Hellbender has a fantastic screwability performance whereas it won't sink apart from in very powered up spots. At the same time all three boats are probably the safest squirt boats there are. The Bigfoot and Shred are safe because they have the highest volume. Yet the Hellbender is safe since it doesn't have a backrest and also you can just straighten your legs and slip straight out of it, no matter what the cut is on the paddler.
• The Bigfoot, is really designed for larger paddlers. It isn't bad at downriver however it could be better.

The Shred, is basically a Bigfoot for a Medium sized paddler, its rating is exactly the same as the Bigfoot the only difference is that the Bigfoot is 20 cm longer end to end. If you want a Squirt boat with the same performances of the Bigfoot and Shred but for a smaller paddler the Maestro is the kayak of choice. The Hellbender, is very different to the other two boats. It is good at white water paddeling and is the best boat there is for flat water paddeling. It is also very good on the surf as well. It is the best boat to get in to Squirt Boating with and also it isn't at all different to a playboat in how it maneuvers. So it also wouldn't be bad as a first boat either.