Company Line: Easy to edge, yet stable; easy to carve, yet unbelievably forgiving.

Riot has a reputation for doing things a little differently and the Booster is no exception. While other river running playboats are more rounded with huge rocker and softer chines. Riot bucked the trend that they started with the Disco and went slicey.

On the river the Booster holds a line and has good hull speed for getting around and carving eddy turns. Choosing a larger size keeps the bow on the surface during ferries and small drops, and keeps the stern free from boils. Cruising across eddy lines, the Booster planes into a slightly nose-up position, riding over seams and deflection waves.

The bow and stern are shallow and slicey and ease of initiation again depends on your weight and the size of the boat. Climb into a 50 and the Booster has no trouble building from greasy flatspins to smooth and controlled vertical cartwheels. Its length provides vertical stability and slows down the rotation, helping beginners who are learning to link ends. Marketed as a river/playboat the Booster also happens to be Riot’s best hole boat.

Will the Booster bounce? Absolutely. Big wave play is a Riot specialty. There is not another seven-foot plus boat that can touch it. To see hat we mean and to be truly humbled check out Corran Addison’s new DVD, End Game.

Bottom Line: Runs and plays. Choose your own adventure by choosing your Booster size.

Pro: Fast and loose on big green waves.

Con: Low bow volume means little foot room in 50 and 55.

Christian:
- Comfort/Outfitting: It's really comfortable once you get used to the thigh straps. I had plenty of foot room, but if I were much taller, I don't think I would have had that luxury.
- Stability: Like most Riot boats, this one is edgy: on a wave, in a hole, and in a rapid.
- River-running: It has a tendency to purl into the water when you're paddling and into the wave when you're surfing.
- Playboating/Surfing: It's edgy in a hole and on a wave, but you can pull off some of the not-so-late tricks. You can't relax in this boat, however. It purls.

Veronica:
- Comfort/Outfitting: I felt trapped in the Booster. The leg straps scared me. But I forgot about them once I started paddling.
- Stability: Every time I paddled into an eddy or out of an eddy, I felt like the current was grabbing me and trying to flip me over.
- River-running: It was pretty fast.
- Playboating/Surfing: Surfing makes me swim.

Rob:
- Comfort/Outfitting: It was very comfortable. There was plenty of room for the feet. I really liked the thigh straps. It's kind of a gimmick, but I liked it.
- Stability: It was stable in flatwater and while playboating, but the edges tended to catch in the rapids and eddy lines.
- River-running: It's OK at river-running. It purled too much when I was paddling aggressively and squirted out of holes too much in rapids.
- Playboating/Surfing: I could get it vertical. In a bigger hole it would be nice and stable. It spins well. For basic playboating, it's a pretty good boat.