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The Huck is a fun river runner, but could be demanding for a beginner. Highlights include surfing ability and maneuverability. On the other hand, the hull shape could make learning to roll difficult, and the Huck feels relatively tippy, which takes some getting used to.

The Mamba 8.1 is a great boat for beginning kayakers. When learning to boat, I tried a number of different kayaks. The Mamba was much easier to roll than the others as a novice, and the stability of the boat was nice for learning to ferry and peel out of eddies since I did not worry as much about flipping when getting on edge. I would recommend this boat for someone getting into WW kayaking.