Mullet Review I Liquidlogic Kayaks

The Liquidlogic Mullet is the big brother to the Braaap and Party Braaap, or so Liquid Logic says. Those who have paddled the Mullet look at it as it's own animal. Better for bigger paddlers and river running, but not as playful as the Ripper, Antix, or RPM Max that it competes with. Still, it is extremely fun as it is.
Here is what Liquidlogic has to say about the comparison in their FAQ:
"Many have asked us what the differences are between the Braaap and the Mullet. Like any cousins they share genes but not personalities. You can see their shared DNA in the slalom-inspired hull design, but the differences emerge as you take a closer look. The very origin of the Mullet design comes from the desire to play every seam, pillow, and wave in comfort and style. The Braaap's origin comes from the aspiration to run the river in a new and progressive way. Though the two boats volumes are similar by numbers, they have completely different distributions. The Braaap is more balanced for river running with a smaller tail to slice direction changes and, with practice, to squirt and splat well. The Mullet's volume is more asymmetrically distributed. The bow is big and flat to engage enders but remain up on the surface for river running while the stern is low volume and slightly scooped to engage seams and currents more easily. We maintained a similar length in the two boats so that speed would be a common theme. A simple difference is the overall size of the boats. Though larger paddlers can get in either the Braaap or Mullet, the Mullet will be a more comfortable ride for the bigger fellas and the Braaap can be used as a hard charging creek boat for those on the lighter end of the spectrum. That size difference is obvious up close but what most folks don't see is the 2" difference in width. The Braaap comes in at a nimble 24" wide that gives the boat a performance driven river running feel that makes any rapid fun to slalom your way down. The Mullet is 26" wide which makes it a more stable predictable river runner with the ability to slice its way downstream. Whichever boat you choose, you are entering a style of paddling that has been lost for many years and you get to do it with a modern hull design and Bad Ass Outfitting!"
MountainmanOutdoors.com
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I have been testing whitewater kayaks for Mountainman Outdoor Supply - mountainmanoutdoorsupply.com - for a long time. Here is where you can find my whitewater kayak reviews. I take honest deep dives on every new design to create the best reviews which beginners and advanced paddlers will find helpful.
If there is a boat that you would like to see a review for feel free to leave a comment. However, I do my best to get reviews out as soon as I am able. If there is something I haven't done the most likely reason is because I do not have access to it. Help me help you and ask the boat maker to get me a boat to review.
We regularly carry Dagger, Pyranha, Jackson, and Liquid Logic. If I can get my hands on boats from other companies (Waka, Zet, Exo, Lettman, etc) I will do my best to put out an initial review.
Key Words: Whitewater, White Water, Kayak, Kayaking, Raft, Rafting, Canoe, River, Adventure, Extreme, Dagger Kayaks, Wavesport Kayaks, Perception Kayaks, Jackson Kayaks, Jackson Adventures, Pyranha Kayaks, Zet Kayaks, Waka Kayaks, Liquidlogic Kayaks, Liquid Logic Kayaks

[@jordom115]

Another great video. Thanks Alex! About 2 years ago I bought a Mullet as my very first whitewater boat... that was a mistake. It scared the hell out of me and was incredibly difficult to manage. Were I to step back into one now, I'm sure I would be much more comfortable but everything you said makes perfect sense. There are just so many awesome half slices on the market now that make things so much easier, even for the bigger guys. Fortunately, I lost a bunch of weight and am loving my medium antix for down river play. Can't wait to see your rewind review!

[@AlexBarham]

I could see that happening. If you aren't comfortable edging then this boat will drive you, not the other way around. Thanks Jordan!

[@Christgoldberg]

Awesome review! I definitely fall into the "hated it" category. I appreciate it for what it is, which is why I wanted to love it (as I do most LL boats) but just couldn't bring myself to enjoy paddling it. Keep up the good work. Always enjoy hearing your thoughts. Excited to see what you think on the Ozone and Rewind.

[@AlexBarham]

Thanks! Ozone review is being edited, Rewind footage will start popping up soon I hope.

[@Robert-1969-1]

FYI - You have an older Mullet, late 2018 Shane started making "party" mullets. They now use sandbags right out of the mold to squeeze a couple more gallons out of the stern. I have one and it is much more playful than the original Mullet. I have that and an Axiom 8.5, and at 6'0 and 205 lbs I have uses for both boats. The Mullet has the bow volume for me to get over things and at 205 lbs the Axiom punches everything. I have also paddled the Rewind and that thing is the best of both worlds... has the Phantom Rocker and is faster!

[@AlexBarham]

Thanks Robert! 95% sure I said that the Party Mullet is now an option. Still isn't listed on the Logic website, I think you have to know to ask and custom order.

[@Robert-1969-1]

@@AlexBarham Yes you did mention it. Just pointing out that you're paddling the older one. P.S. I am one of those who love my mullet. Thanks!

[@AlexBarham]

Phew! I just hate missing stuff since there is no real going back and making a correction

[@joeryan6863]

Alex, more good work buddy. How about an Exo Rexy review?

[@AlexBarham]

Joe I would love to review ALL the Exo boats and the Helix, but have no access. If you want to see a review the best way would actually be to reach out to them and see if they can get me demos. Thanks!

[@alexchurch7955]

Hey man- would you recommend to squish the stern? I’m a heavier c1 paddler and I cannot get wide enough in the brapp so I’m considering a mullet. I am in love with the braap but I’m a tad to big for it

[@AlexBarham]

They did release a Party Mullet so that should increase your confidence that it is a good idea. Just go slow. I would rather squish twice than wish I had done less

[@mountain_ginger]

6'6" 265lbs and love this boat. If I drop 25-30lbs I think it would be a great weight

[@AlexBarham]

Being 250+ makes finding boats hard. Speaking from personal experience I found that when I got to the gym, and changed my diet my boating got way way better. A big part of that was from being in the ideal weight range for large size boats.

[@davids6652]

Thanks for this review. What do you think about the mullet for someone who’s 6’1” 190ish lbs who doesn’t care for harder edges (pyranha ripper etc)? I’m basically looking for a boat to take me down class III-IV no harder than UY and have fun surfing and river running. Not really looking to stern squirt -thanks Alex

[@AlexBarham]

Have you looked at the Ninja, Firecracker, or Indra?

[@davids6652]

@@AlexBarham the Indra and ReactR are on my radar for sure but I’m looking for something that will surf well as I have a river running creek boat. I’ll check out the other two boats you mentioned. -thanks

[@AlexBarham]

The Ninja sounds like it will be in the sweet spot then

[@AnonymousOtters]

Are you planning an Ozone review? Thanks for all the great content!

[@AlexBarham]

Yup! It is in the editing process right now, and will be out very soon.

[@lordofnothing.]

when you say LL boats last "foreeeever" it made me start think about that. my Zet Raptor lasted me about 6 years until its first crack (now in its 8th) with about 400 days on water, most of which solid class 4 and about 50 days of class 5. all of it though being european rivers, a.k.a. low volume creeking. my best friends Stomper on the other hand got about 4 cracks after just 3 years with roughly 50 - 70 days on the water total, most of which class 3 & 4, with about 10 days of class 4&5. through the other members of our club i only got a confirmation that LL boats seem to be more in the midrange of durability then in the upper class. (but then again over here they have to compete with the european brands like Eskimo, Prijon, Spade and Zet). i'd love to see your personal ranking on the experienced durability of the different brands of kayaks, but i do understand that that is probably not really a good idea from a business perspective^^

[@AlexBarham]

Lol business has nothing to do with it. It is just an impossible thing to do. Some designs are going to last longer than others. Everyone paddles differently- my friend and I could paddle together all season, but I rock splat and weigh more so my boat dies first. Color will have an impact, how the boat is stored, etc. All I know is that if a boat survives a season of my abuse it will be fine for at least 4 of most people's, and most boats can't handle a season with me. So when something takes the abuse and is still fine I consider it bomber.

[@lordofnothing.]

well you do have a lot of customers + their feedback on their old boats when they return to buy another one; same for your friends and so on. . not a chance you might be able to spot a trend there? . have you already had the chance to spend a full season in a boat by prijon or maybe zet (I imagine getting an Ace of spades to the US is unreasonably hard)? . my personal ranking for average whitewater/riverrunning design durability would probably be loosely like this: from best to worst: Prijon/Eskimo Spade (only the HTP one) . Zet Dagger . Wavesport/Exo Liquidlogic/Pyranha/Lettmann Waka/Jackson (we dont get crosslink over here in the EU) . Blisstick ______________________________ on the point of colour i'd love to hear that story, rumors go orange and yellow are best, based on rma rates? whats your experience there?

[@AlexBarham]

Like I said, my observations are that Dagger and Logic make the boats that last the longest. There are a lot of moving parts that go into why that is the case, but material choice, thickness, operator experience, and build quality are factors the manufactures can control to create the best output. The rest is all antidotes from the feild. The logic behind color is relatively simple. The more the boat heats up to a certain temperature and cools down the more stress you put on the material, and the more brittle it will become. Darker colors will do that more easily than lighter ones.

[@danielgelinas7141]

Hi Alex, thanks for the excellent review. I personally Tried the mullet and the ripper large last year. Finally bought the ripper. I did back up the seat on the ripper this year because I’m six foot four with size 13 feet. Just wondering if you tried backing up the seat on the mullet when you tested it?? Not too sure what effect that would have on the boat? My kayaking buddy has a mullet. Thanks! Dan

[@AlexBarham]

Hey Dan! Yes, the seat was backed up from stock. I always want to be sitting on the hinge point in these kick-rockered boats.

[@williamdarcy3683]

6’4 and 260 her without gear, 45 years old. I used to paddle a Cruise Control, Sleek, Mongoose. I have heard this boat described as Dad’s boat with updates. You think this would work for my size and type of boats I have been paddling?

[@AlexBarham]

I think so! I'd also look at the Axiom 9.0, RPM Max and large Rewind

[@gonegolfing08]

When’s the rewind review dropping? Also wouldn’t mind an ozone review either

[@AlexBarham]

Ozone review is about to drop. Dagger has taken forever to get their shipment up here, but when they do you'll see footage

[@LanceWWKayak]

Currently have a RPM Max and considering upgrading to a Mullet. What would be the biggest difference between the two and do you personally reccomend that switch? How similar and dissimilar are they? I would be on the higher end for both boats for weight.

[@AlexBarham]

Hey Lance! - Biggest design difference is going to be the kick rocker, but odds are you won't know if you love or hate it until a day or so in the boat. Good news however, is that there will be significantly more rocker in the Mullet than the RPM Max - They are as similar as anything will be that is in the same class. Same could be asked of the Honda Civic and the Ford Focus. They look basically identical on your screen, but the subtle differences are very apparent in person, and more so on a test drive. - Mullet is going to out-boof the RPM Max once the trim is sorted out. There should be no contest. - The Large Rewind is now out. I would strongly suggest starting there and then trying a Mullet after if you can. Odds are if you liked the Max but it left you wanting more you'll race to throw your card on the counter once you've paddled the Rewind. Cheers and Good Luck! If you're in the area we just got one of the first Large Rewinds in at Mountainman.

[@LanceWWKayak]

@@AlexBarham Thanks for the input! Much appreciated along with all your vids. I'm over here in Cali so that might be a long trip to demo that rewind ;) but I'll check locally.

[@AlexBarham]

Right on! Good luck!

[@abkfenris]

I've had success slicing the stern underneath swimmers.

[@AlexBarham]

Bahaha that'll get you an extra few beers at the takeout

[@oli4792]

Waka pleeeeeeease

[@AlexBarham]

Should have an OG and a Steeze soonish?? Again, ask Waka if you want a review. I can't do more than I already am.