Liquidlogic Braaap 69

Rolling

The boat’s rounded hull and low-volume stern put it squarely on the “easy to roll” side of the spectrum. Larger paddlers will likely find it even easier as the low-volume and slicey stern can be forced underwater during a roll the same way paddlers often roll playboats. But the general round-ness of the hull and low vertical profile of the boat should make it easy for paddlers of all shapes and sizes. Of course, easy to roll often means easy to flip, and while I wouldn’t say the Braaap is “tippy,” its rounded hull definitely doesn’t give you the ultra-stable platform of some planing hull boats.

Surfing

The Braaap is hands down the most fun surf boat in the 8-9’ range that I’ve been in. Its lengthy stern allows you to catch waves that many modern creekboats would struggle with, and the sharp sides of the stern let you carve despite the lack of chines.

Even better, in waves with steeper foampiles (or even holes), the stern can be pried under the water with an aggressive back rudder stroke allowing you to “blast”—an old school front surf maneuver where the stern is underwater and the boat is angled much more sharply up than usual. Its bow rocker and planing stern also make it less prone to pearling on steeper waves than older playboats and other lengthy river-runners.

Who and What is this Boat For?

So given all of the above, what is this boat? Creekboat? Raceboat? River-runner?

To me, it’s none of the above. As kayakers, we’re used to having one boat for each type of thing we’re doing. The average paddler will learn in a river-runner, and as they develop their skills, graduate to owning a creekboat and a playboat. If they race or try to get their exercise through paddling, they might have a longboat.

These are different categories of kayak for different categories of recreation. You can’t go park and play in that 150cfs playpark hole with your creekboat, nor is it really safe to be running steep class V in a low volume playboat. Some people own more boats—I owned five before getting the Braaap, and I’d still maintain they’re all for essentially non-intersecting types of paddling.

The Braaap, more than any other boat, pushes the idea of a quiver to kayaking. I own a quiver of skis not because I sometimes go ski mountaineering and sometimes ski the resort, but because I have fat skis for deep powder, mid-fat heavy skis for days after a storm, skinny but stiff skis for use on groomers, etc. Slight variations in conditions make one pair of skis more fun than another. And sometimes, it’s not even that the conditions vary, it’s just fun to take out a different pair. The Braaap is just that: fun to paddle in a variety of conditions. But it’s not a boat built for any one type of kayaking (creeking, racing, river-running, playboating) per se.

Sizing

This may be the big red flag with the Braaap for many paddlers. At 69 gallons, it’s small. Tiny, from the perspective of modern creekboats. At 160 lbs, I think I’m more or less a perfect size for it, and I still find that in mankier whitewater, I sit much lower than I’d like to in the water. I think anyone who can physically fit in the boat will have fun, but the low volume means it will have very different characteristics for different size people.

People who weigh more than 170 lbs will probably not enjoy it on steep, low-volume whitewater; it just sits too low and will impact rocks in places larger volume boats would have no problem. Under 160 lbs and you may have a harder time “playing” — stern squirting, splatting, etc. — but the boat will still be quite fun. It’s not really a downriver play boat, those features are just a perk; at my weight, I can’t fully stern squirt it without the strongest of eddy lines.

To sum up: anyone who fits in it will enjoy the Braaap, but it won’t be a functional creekboat for larger paddlers.

Bottom Line

Intermediate paddlers often graduate to creekboats that allow them to progress in the difficulty of water they can survive, but don’t force them to progress in skill. The Braaap encourages a different learning style, one that I personally prefer: it allows paddlers to have more fun on easier whitewater, while encouraging them to learn the subtleties of edge control and bow placement (boofing). Catching eddies—even mellow eddies in class II—has never been more fun for me than in this boat.

Aside from just being fun, the boat is an excellent learning tool. Anyone who’s seen a slalom paddler get into creeking knows that slalom training provides a level of precision and control that most paddlers will never achieve, and even a novice creeker with a slalom background can jump onto class IV/V whitewater and look smoother than most of us do after 15 years. The Braaap lets us plastic paddlers get a taste of the way slalom boats paddle without having to jump all the way in.

Having paddled the Braaap in everything from easy class II to steep class V, I’ve really enjoyed it in all conditions. But I’ve also encountered a lot of its limitations. I don’t think anyone will want to be pushing their personal limits in this boat. For many paddlers, even those who run class V in their creekboat, that means they won’t paddle any class V in this boat. Its low volume, sunken stern, and demand for precise paddling makes it more challenging than a traditional creekboat. But on rivers you’re comfortable on, it’s incredibly fun to paddle. Its speed + the way in which it shoots out from landings and planes into eddies + its potential for stern squirting, pivot turning, and splatting make the Braaap an absolute joy to paddle.