Riot Astro 54 Kayak Review.

For the past few months I have had the pleasure of trying the Riot Astro 54. So far, I have paddled the boat on Brilliant wave, Trail Wave, Hero Hole and a river run on the Slocan River.



On Brilliant, a fast and dynamic wave located outside of Castlegar BC the boat handled well. The aggresive edges and step rocker allowed the boat to gain air with ease and control while the abrupt chine made side surfing a blast. I could get great momentum while carving from one side of the feature to the other and edge transition was a breeze with the clever edge design of this play bouncer. In the hole the slicey ends made cartwheeling fast and precise. The stern seemed a little long while landing loops but provided stability on a split wheel.



If you are looking for a solid river runner this kayak is probably not the best bet. If park and play is your gig strap one of theses onto the roof and giver'. I had success surfing small features and huckin' wave wheels but found the kayak slow compared to other playboats.

The Riot outfitting is almost perfect. The moulded seat is both comfortable and easy to use, hollow hip pads allow you to stuff foam behind them to achieve the perfect fit. Riot is still using the mini cell foot brace which can be modified to accommodate most foot sizes with the skilled use of a bread knife and some sand paper. The only real draw back I found in the Riot outfitting is the back band. With the backband anchored to a ratchet on only one side it doesn't crank up as much as a double anchored system. The webbing used also seems to stretch more than usual making a super tight fit difficult. All that aside, spending ample time customizing your outfitting can produce great results.



The Riot Astro also has removable fins located on the hull directly below your butt. The fins can be added to gain speed on waves and allow you to keep up to ocean waves. A word of warning, the Astro cockpit is small and the thigh braces aggresive, use caution when adding after market inflatable "thrusters" it may impede unplanned swims. I used the Jackson Thruster/Seat combo and found a cockpit ejection unlikey. If you plan to trust it up try the Level 6 inflatable or an IR Over Thruster for a safer option.

Overall, I really enjoy paddling the Riot Astro. It has the perfect balance of edge control, rocker, and slicey ends. Not a kayak you want to gaze at the clouds while side surfing as you will surely wah thunk or windowshade at neck bending speed. A great park and play kayak that should spend most of the time on the roof or on a feature, river running is not a strong area of this kayak. The patented Riot hull design is loosey goosey and sure to provide dizzying spins and flashbacks. I am excited to paddle Skook and try my hand as some big munchy holes with the Astro. For the larger paddler the Astro also comes in the 58 gallon model.

The Numbers

Astro 54
LENGTH: 6'2" 188 cm
WIDTH: 25" 63,5 cm
WEIGHT: 34 lbs 15 kg
COCKPIT: 33" x 18" 84 x 46 cm
VOLUME: 54 US gal 204 L

See you on the water,

Chris Ryman