I got very lucky and found a used Stinger on Craig's List and I bought it for my son's birthday. I also bought the Stinger XP for myself and had the unique experience of paddling both boats on subsequent days. Anyone that has ever paddled in a LL boat already knows about the incredibly comfortable outfitting. The seats and the "BadAss Outfitting" truly is tops in the industry. On the first excursion, my son, a friend, and I did a 12 mile paddle on flat water in a salt water harbor in Narragansett (Galilee). Initially the conditions in the harbor were churned up by the wind and we had 2 foot swells throughout the first 3 miles. My son started out in the Stinger and my friend and I had touring boats that were more suited to these conditions. In spite of this fact the Stinger kept up fine with the other boats. The round bow of the stinger does cause more splashing and the only negative for my son was getting a little wetter than we did. We stopped at an island in the harbor to change boats and I got to paddle the Stinger for the remainder of the journey , which was another 9 miles. The conditions improved for me further into the trip and the water flattened out nicely. This boat is extremely maneuverable and easily controlled. It is very fast and I had no trouble keeping up with the two touring boats even though no one was taking it easy. I am also a white water enthusiast and I cannot wait to take this boat where it excels. Two or three strokes and I'm moving at top speed and the boat spins very easily. It rides much higher in the water than most white water boats that I've had and this keeps the cockpit drier and makes a spray skirt optional on flat water. My new Stinger XP came in and I got to paddle that boat on a lazy river the next day. Having the skeg and hatch are two assets that give the boat more versatility, but honestly, both boats have the same hull and paddle identically. I barely used the skeg when I took it out as the boat is faster when it is not deployed. When it is deployed the XP does track straighter and will no doubt help in turbulent waters and winds. The hatch is also a nice addition for gear access and will come handy on an overnight. I initially wanted to put a bulkhead in behind the seat, but I have reconsidered that now since it would block access to storage from behind the seat. It is one of the few boats that I can stick a full size spare paddle inside of with no sweat. Great job LL on two great boats!
This review was originally posted on liquidlogickayaks.com and was re-posted with permission.
