Hi Larry,

We just back from the Grand Canyon and ready to go again. The SOAR 16 was the perfect craft for us. No flips and tons of fun. We turned out to be the safety and rescue boat for the hard shell tandem open canoes. They were excellent boaters and had incredible runs, but each had a swim or two and were happy to climb in fore and aft in the SOAR and help us paddle after their boats. What a gas to go sliding down those big brown tongues, flying off the crest of the waves, and than bouncing back and forth through the wave trains. We found our own lines, sometimes on the edges, sometimes down the middle, almost always just where we wanted to be. A couple of misjudgments put us into holes, but a bit of luck, experience, and desperation got us through. Sometimes the bow was leaning one way while the stern was being twisted another, and yet we always a sense that S16 could handle it. And what a great couch on shore for a bunch of tired paddlers to lounge in the shade, too!

After such a fine performance, we treated the boat to a shampoo and conditioner before putting it away. We never got to try our self rescue system in the rapids, but the one inch flip line under the bottom never was a problem, and worked nicely when tested in an eddy. We traded boats one day, and our friends did manage to flip the S16 front over back in a hole. They came out laughing and appreciated the handles along the sides. Thanks, Larry, for a great craft. Enjoy the pics from Crystal and Lava.

Jim Lawton and Helen Buttmer, Seattle WA