It's nice to see that the more things change the more they remain the same. Long ago in Japan, women?s feet were bound tightly with strips of cloth to make them smaller and more dainty. The evolution of rodeo boat design has returned us to those sadistic and brutal days of foot mutilation, but we have evolved to the point where we now bind both women?s and (more often) men?s feet with high-tech polymers.

There's no disputing the fact that rodeo moves are cool and lots of fun to do (or even to attempt). But you gotta have the right boat if you're going to cartwheel on flatwater or work on that double reverse flying blunt with a half twist. So I strayed from the relative comfort of the Z, which allows me to do all but the most squirty moves without deforming my feet too drastically, to the Ultraclean, Perception's new rodeo boat for the big guys.

The Ultraclean has just enough room for my size 13 feet. There's no extra space for booties or anything. Guys with big feet get used to paddling barefoot. If you're wondering how comfortable it is, just go to your nearest hardware store and buy a metal c clamp. Put the clamp on the widest part of your foot and crank it down. But being able to throw the bow down on flatwater makes all the pain worth it.

The Ultraclean feels really stable flat or on edge. I've only had it out on a couple of eddy lines and in a pool so far. It feels like it will be great on Wave-o-saurus, but that'll have to wait until the Connecticut peaks from the latest rain. Until then, you can loosen those c clamps!

...Well, it rained and I took the Ultraclean down to Wave-o-saurus. It's so loose that 360s on the wave in the middle (with only a slight break) are nearly effortless. In fact after surfing for a while to get my bearings I tried to turn 180 degrees to a backsurf and found myself front surfing again after a full 360. In the hole it's very stable and blasts well, although its looseness makes it difficult to maintain an angle on a blast.

Rolling it is pretty difficult. The trick I've found is that I have to do a pure c-to-c roll and be sure not to lean back at all at the end. I think it's because of the big hump in the middle of the boat. It's most stable upside down.

As far as cartwheels, blunts and all that other stuff - well, let's just say that it's not all in the boat... The difficulty I'm having these days is evolving my skills as quickly as the boat designs evolve. I just want to make sure they never open a state park to display my footprints!

We (Katrina, Di and Heather) all paddled the Prozone 225 recently both on flatwater and whitewater. Comfort-wise we have differing opinions: Di thought it was comfortable enough to even wear booties; Katrina and I think she's a freak (about the booties, specifically). I find neoprene socks about the best I can do, and Katrina complained about hip dislocations almost constantly on the last day she paddled it. The seat positions you higher than on any other rodeo boat we?ve paddled, but we did not notice any real issue with this other than the initial surprise. I thought this helped to give a little extra leverage with initiating vertical moves, but Di doesn?t think it makes that much of a difference. The thighbrace set up is a little weird, catching all of our legs in less than optimal spots, despite the ease with which they are adjustable. We are still experimenting with that.

As a group, we all liked how easily it squirted on even the most insignificant of eddy lines (causing my first flip while teaching in over a year. Sorry, Janet). It was noticeably faster than the Inazones 220/230, which makes up somewhat for the need to paddle it on edge constantly to keep from initiating bow moves whenever moving forward, depending on how far forward you?ve positioned the seat. Its hull speed also makes it a good river running boat, although I?d stick with my Inazone or MicroBat for tough runs. Di found the hull to be pleasantly loose, easy and smooth to spin. It surfs easily, both backwards and forwards. My one concern with the performance of the Prozone is that it is exceptionally edgy, squirting even when you aren't planning on it. It certainly keeps you awake while paddling. In all, a fun boat that comes in good colors! Di?s last words: a great evolution from the Inazones, especially for those boaters honing in on elusive freestyle moves.

Old course dates and prices removed. Click on the link above to get current course dates.

Let's start with size. I am a 6'2", 190 lbs. male with a size 10.5 shoe. In the past I have been in many of the new, radical playboats, but have been quite turned off by the toe crushing, bone grinding funk that these new designs have the ability to produce. At first glance, the Dagger Centrifuge, Dagger's new rodeo machine (7'8"), seemed like it would be another one of those boats that are too small for me. After sitting in it, however, I found out that two of its design features are much more conducive to someone my size. The first of these features are the foot bumps, the Centrifuge has larger foot bumps than the Mr. Clean, the Medieval, and the Forplay. The next feature made the big difference, however. In combination with the foot bumps, the chine on the Centrifuge makes for the maximum comfort. Most of the other boats I have been in have a stepped chine that runs all the way from bow to stern, which bites into your already fully crammed piggies (toes). The Centrifuge, on the other hand only has the stepped chine centralized around the cockpit. It does have a somewhat stepped chine around your feet, but the location of the step is more toward the inside of the boat where it puts literally no pressure on your feet. The thighbraces on the Centrifuge position your legs extremely open and wide. This is great while you are shredding it up; it gives you superior control of your edges. One other note on fit: as with some of the other newer rodeo boats, larger paddlers may find it difficult to impossible to remove their thighs from the thighbraces to rest without getting out of the boat completely - something to consider if you plan on logging on the miles...

I loved how the boat performed. It seemed to have a pretty loose hull, which made flat-spins a breeze. The ends are super slicy and made wave wheels easy. In the hole the ends provided for effortless blasting and sliced through the foam pile like a hot knife through butter (actually easier). I do feel, however, that there is not quite enough volume right behind the cockpit - I didn't get very much spring off my stern. However, it was one of the easiest boats that I have stern squirted.

Overall, the Centrifuge is one of the few options for someone my size looking for a slicy rodeo boat that they can fit into and that performs well- which makes me very happy. Dagger has done well with this one!

While at the Gap I ran into fellow legendary paddler Katrina O'Brien who was putting the Centrifuge through its paces. I took it out for a quick spin and must say it surfed marvelously. It seemed to possess a mind of its own -- merely taking you along for the ride -- and a sweet ride at that. The Forplay did not seem as loose as the Centrifuge, but I prefer the tighter boat control and effortless carving the Forplay provided.

What impresses me most about this boat is the beauty of its symmetry and balance. The volume is efficiently distributed so as to keep a lean and low profile. This, coupled with the rocker, places the balance point squarely in line with your torso ,and allows for the bow to ride slightly above the waterline, yet with the slightest of lean, either end will easily engage for all photo opportunities. These all add up to great boat control.

My one criticism of the Forplay is the absence of foot room. It seems to me that foot placement was not a priority in the Forplay?s design equation. The body of the hull is flat with a concave chine running its circumference. This in effect separates the hull from the squared sides of the boat. The problem is, this concave chine is a convex chine in the interior of the boat, and falls squarely on the lateral side of your foot, exactly where your foot is at its widest. I am curious why the chine was not briefly interrupted to allow for foot placement. The extra inch or so would have helped tremendously. Nonetheless, in my opinion, the tight fit of the boat around the thighs negates any need to leverage with your feet --but it will definitely take some getting used to.

The bottom line is I loved this boat. Obviously so since I took one home--Father?s day present, man, Father?s day present.

Editor?s note: Mike has since paddled the Forplay on the West along with his cohort, legendary paddler and "all-around good guy" Mike Coleman. From what I saw, they were both tearing it up and, if his wife gives him permission, Mike should be purchasing one shortly as well. Father?s Day is coming up, Mike!