Thad Blackwell's Liquidlogic Biscuit Review

I recently sent a couple of cool pictures to Earl at Colorado Kayak Supply and as a result he asked if I minded submitting a short review. Well, here it is:

I’m no Greg Parker (Team Jackson), but was fortunate to have spent a week with him through Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center's 5-day intermediate whitewater course. (Both Greg and RMOC truly are amazing and I highly recommend both.) I'm also nowhere near the caliber of kayaker or man as Atom Crawford (CKS Squad), but I'm fortunate to have him as a patient and tolerant mentor and friend.

I’ve been paddling since September 2008 and after starting, I haven’t looked back. I’ve owned and tried about 7-8 different kayaks and can sincerely say that there is one that, when it’s useful life is over, will most likely be replaced with another just like it. I purchased my Biscuit 55 very shortly after its arrival at CKS. It was an almost perfect day; I took the day off work, loaded my 2 trade-in boats (a Fun and a CR-125) and left Albuquerque at approximately 4:30 a.m.

Everything was going well until I got a speeding ticket about 15 miles south of the CKS warehouse near Buena Vista. So now that I’ve just added $165.00 to the price of the boat, let’s get back to the review.I’m ecstatic about the performance of the boat. I’m also currently paddling a Pyrhana Ammo, and a Pyrahna Karnali. The Biscuit, once dialed in, is as stable as my Ammo. It's rails and edges are very forgiving on a wave. I’ve had it in 700-800 CFS on the Rio Grande State Park (II) and the Race Course (III) and have been nothing short of amazed with its performance and stability. No, it’s not a fast boat; but edge it in the right direction and couple that with the right stroke and it will do what it it’s told when it’s told. And when the unseen Shark, Crocodile, or Cougar (see Atom’s blog) reaches up to flip you over and have its way with you, it rolls easily… This is the first boat I’ve combat rolled!

I can honestly say that I’m a weak playboater but I still have a blast in this boat and spend more time in it then the rest of my boats combined.

Another strong point about this boat is the "Bad Ass" outfitting. I realize that there are a bunch of old schoolers out there who will gut any new boat and put in their own outfitting and I say so be it; as for me, I'm a strong believer in the comforts of outfitting. I’m usually too damn nervous enough as it is, so I may as well start out in a clean and comfortable boat and clean and comfortable shorts because neither maybe in the same condition at the end of the run.

Specs:

Pros:

• Departure from tradition in design (Very cool)
• Responsive
• Stable
• Comfortable
• Plenty of foot room with Rodeo Socks
• Dry
  

Cons:

• It can be difficult to pick the right size for you (45, 55, or 65) so if you are thinking about getting one, it's necessary to demo more than one size.

The Verdict:

The heat is on and the bar is continually being raised. I’m very interested to see who comes up with the next Star or Biscuit. But if someone asked me today which boat I would replace my Biscuit with, I have only one answer - another.

All Photos courtesey of Nate Lada