You don’t see very many Fluid kayaks here in the UK. Fluid Kayaks – The company is headed by Celliers Kruger, one of South Africa’s most accomplished whitewater paddlers.
The Flirt is our tried and tested playboat that continues to deliver great playboating performance while being a great little riverrunner at the same time.
The Flirt features a large planing hull with a bit of kick-rocker at the bow and stern. It is very loose and bounces on command. Aerial moves come naturally, and the full-length carving rails with aggressive cut-aways at the stern make for an exciting ride on green waves.
The outfitting on the Flirt could be considered as basic. The ratchet backrest is comfortable and is adjusted via some ratchets located on the base of the seat. The seat itself is comfortable and is fairly easy to outfit out with some foam and glue or by using the strap in hip pads.
The seat feels as if it has been made from fairly low grade plastic but it does seem solid enough. The thigh grips are made from the same material and have a simple bolt adjustment system that works very well.
The majority of the kayaks volume is centred around the cockpit which means that when on end the Flirt feels very stable even in the transition from bow to stern during a cartwheel move.
The Flirt surfs well and feels stable in even the biggest stoppers. Flat spins and blunts are pretty easy to execute.
It is fair to say that the Flirt shares a number of similarities with a number of other kayaks on the market. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The Flirt offers a good balance between cost and performance. For most paddlers the performance of the boat will be more than enough and the impact on their wallet will make the Flirt a favourable choice.
Great wee boat. We have 2 in our local club. I am actually looking for some outfitting for one, if anyone has any lying about that they are willing to sell for a goor price. Need hip pads and knee braces.