About myself

I am an intermnediate paddler, having only been kayaking WW for 1.5 years. I paddle grade 4 comfortably, and have paddled some grade 5 WW.

I recieved the Mystic as part of the bliss-stick ambasador program. (recommend this to anyone thinking of it, they are a great bunch of guys, and it's cool to see the process of manufacturing the kayaks)

Review

Up until I recieved my Mystic I had been paddling a Super EZ, which is a fantastic boat, but although it has lots of volume, it's still a play boat, and with the broad flat bottom, it has alot of primary stability, so that was one thing I had to get used to in a creeker.

Looks:
When you first see the boat it looks like a mean machine deserving of a better name than 'Mystic'.

Hull:
The hull is not a full displacement hull, but has very slight edges. This gives the boat alot of speed when needed, and also something to work in the water when needing to turn in a hurry.
It has alot of rocker both front and back, which I love being a heavier person with the tendancy to nose most boats under.
The volume estimation on the bliss-stick site is 276 litres, the same as a MAC 1, but i'd estimate it higher than that.

Outfitting:
I have to say that the outfitting could be better...
The seat is nice and comfy, but the thigh padding doesn't work as it should, and the cockpit could be wider for such a large boat.
The velcroe in thigh padding does not hold in place very well, and I ened up having to take the pajority of the padding out, and am in the process of glueing minimalistic foam to the seat to give a more secure and comfortable fit on the thighs.
The new knee cups may work well for smaller people, but I had to take them out entirely just to fit in the boat, and even then it was uncomfortable due to the shape of the knee braces. I ended up having to take them out an attack them with a hacksaw / grinder to get them into a nice shape while still being able to use the ratchet system that attaches to them.
After these modifications, the boat is nice.

On River:
I tested it on some of my local rivers in the North Island, the Mohaka, Kaituna, Rangitaike. Havn't been able to get out enough to do anything above grade 4 atm, and none of these rivers can be classed as 'big water'.

After getting used to a creek boat from play boat, the first thing i noticed was the ease of control, it does what I want when I want, while I had paddled all of these before fine in the super EZ this was the first time i had felt completly in control. Making eddies that I wanted in the middle of rapids became simple, as the mystic tends to throw itself into them once you are part way there.
In patches of boily water the boat tends to ride up on it, but wallow in it as some boats do, keeping you in control.

Another key point for this boat is it's speed, It's a bloody quick boat. I had good fun racing some rapids against friends and winning.

Conclusion

It really is a cool boat, great to look at, and once it is properly outfitted it feels like it is another part of you.
As I had to learn how to use a creek boat in it, I would say it is great for a beginner, but once I was at home in it, it also felt great for a more experienced paddler, And seeing what some other people have been running in it, it looks to be able to cope with anything.
Pitty about the name tho...