Liquidlogic Remix 79

For Beginners

The Remix 79 is an excellent boat for paddlers hoping to up their game and start running class III or even IV-water, and who want a boat that will provide a stable ride, be easy to roll, and fun to surf. As long as you aren’t taking the Remix on anything too tight and technical when you first start out, I think you will find that it is a ton of fun on relatively mellow water.

I noticed a few things about the Remix while paddling Shoshone on the Colorado River (Class III+) that make me think it would be a great boat for beginners. The displacement hull and soft edges make it a relatively easy boat to roll compared to other river runners that typically have hard edges and planing hulls.

Its speed and tracking can also be an advantage since it’s often difficult for beginners to keep whitewater boats straight, especially when punching through holes. And, finally, it is tons of fun to surf.

Because of the Remix’s long waterline, I could catch smooth, glassy waves that I know I couldn’t have caught in other boats shorter than 9-feet long. All of these features combine to make this boat fun and sporty, yet also stable for someone just starting out.

Outfitting and Sizing

The Remix 79 is outfitted with LiquidLogic’s plush “BadAss” outfitting. Thomas Neilson writes about this outfitting in-depth in his review of the Stomper 90, so I won’t cover it too much here.

In short, the outfitting is easy to adjust and very comfortable. The backband in current models can be moved out of the way easily when you need to store a dry bag full of lunch, camera gear, or extra layers etc. in the stern.

Apart from being comfortable, I also find that the high, stiff backband keeps me locked into the boat well—I feel totally connected to my craft. My only complaint is that since I have relatively short legs, I have to ratchet the backband up so far that the plastic of the backband sometimes pops out of its slot behind the hip pads. Granted, this isn’t a big deal and doesn’t really affect performance.

Sizing can be tricky with the Remix. By volume standards, the boat isn’t very large at 79 gallons. Its length, however, makes it quite a handful for lighter/shorter paddlers. Although I typically paddle boats in the 80-85 gallon range, I think that the Remix 69 would actually be a better fit for me. Of course, the only way to know for sure if the 79 is the right size for you is to demo one.

Bottom Line

The Remix is a fast boat that tracks and carves very well. Because of this, it gives up some performance characteristics that I find important in my creek boats and river runners.

In certain situations, especially big water, there are few boats I would rather be in than the Remix. Unfortunately, most paddlers only want to own one creekboat/river runner and thus need a boat that will perform well on a variety of water.

If you want a boat that will be very maneuverable and boof easily in a variety of conditions, I would recommend looking at other options.

But if you find yourself consistently paddling bigwater, or love to drive through the holes instead of boofing over them, then the Remix would be a good choice. The Remix is also an excellent choice for the paddler who’s just starting out with whitewater.