--If you have any questions at all about this boat or any of the Lynx line, I'm you're man. I used to sell these things and have extensive knowledge about them both internally and externally. The boat that I originally paddled was the Lynx II with the Foam Floor - I have experience with both the foam and the air floor, and from my experience, the foam is a better all-around choice - it's less expensive, it's easier to set up at the river (one less chamber to inflate), and it performs better. I wouldn't agree with the other reviewer that it allows you to slip over rocks easier than the foam in that regard. A firmer floor will allow quicker movements, and will have a tendency to plane better giving you better hull speed, thus easier ferrys, and as far as going over rocks goes.... not a problem with either style of floor as the external parts are the same - both are inside of the floor "bladder". One really nice thing about the foam is that if you do end up putting a hole in the floor, oh well - no bladder to repair (in fact if it isn't a big hole, you don't even have to worry about it on the river at all) since the foam doesn't care if it has a gouge in it. These boats originally had the 18oz fabric on both the tubes and the floor, then a few years ago they upped the fabric to a much more generous 25oz variety - the biggest advantage of this is the stiffer overall feel of the boats as the durability wasn't an issue even with the lighter fabric. Thigh straps are a must in anything above class II - the boat seldom "tips over", more likely you are thrown out when you hit a big wave or hole and the boat stops suddenly, but your body keeps going. The thigh straps allow you to control the edge of the boat a bit like a hardshell and make for more powerful strokes as more of the energy is being transferred to the boat as well as the fact that they've saved my butt on several occasions because I've been able to lean into a wave and absorb the energy - sit in a bit of water and ride it out instead of going up and over. Paddle length is a big issue and I will tell you it has a bit to do with height and style, what type of water you'll be paddling be it flat (class I-II) or rough (class III+). I'd recommend a 215 cm to a 240 cm paddle for most people - 230 being the most popular size for people buying the Lynx II. I wouldn't recommend tight, technical class V with this boat as it is a bit long (12' 6") and could get wrapped fairly easily if you make a poor judgement. The length is ideal for multiple day trips with one person or with two people on day trips (although any more than class III gets pretty annoying since it is really difficult to turn - acts more like a canoe with weight in the front and rear like that).

Customer Service

Alan and the rest of the guys and gals at Aire are outstanding to work with and AIRE has the best warranty in the business 10 years!!!. I'll tell you a story about what they did for a customer of mine once... This guy comes in and buys a Lynx I with all of the gear, bungee-cords it to his roof and takes off to go up the river and give it a spin. He had a great time on the river and things went off without a hitch until he was on his way back to town.... Well, when he showed up at our shop with this thing it was hard to tell it was a boat, let alone the one he just bought only 4 hours past - apparently one of the bungee cords had broken and it flew off the roof and there just happened to be a SEMI TRUCK behind him - it was fully inflated until all that crushing power hit it and it quickly blew out both air chambers and proceeded to be dragged for a few hundred feet while the rig came to a stop. He shows up smiling (for lack of anything else to do with his new, broken, expensive toy) and asks us if we can fix it.... well, we tell him we'll send it back to Aire and see what they can do (it has tire tracks on it and gravel poking out of the floor in spots). A few weeks later we get a fully-repaired and functional boat, complete with a few tire-tracks on it for grins and a campfire story, but the guy is soooooo impressed, and so were we - they didn't charge him for the repair, just shipping back.

Similar Products Used:

Practically everything - Hyside, Aire, Momentum, Riken, Sevylor, High rocker performance creek boats, etc....

I bought this inflatable after it had been used for 1yr. by a SW river outfitter. It was still in New condition. It is a very durable, forgiving boat paddled by one or two. I have had it for two years and on class III+ water with no problems. It has the air floor which may be a bit more forgiving when going over rocks, and falls. Could easily handle class v with a better boater. Recommend thigh straps for heavier water. Have contacted AIRE and they are EASY to deal with. Great Product!

Customer Service

AIRE has a good product and the support has been excellent.

Similar Products Used:

None