Reviewed by Matt Hudgens
For the last couple of seasons I've been using one or the other of these Liquid Logic creek boats, both for teaching and on creek runs. While at my size ( 170 lbs) the Gus is the best choice, I'm small enough to paddle the Huck unloaded on low volume runs too.
These aren't simply two sizes of the same boat. The Gus is the big water, expedition boat extraordinaire, with lines to punch big holes, hull speed for big ferries, and room to pack for multi day trips. Johnny Kern designed this boat to do everything he always wanted a boat to do, and in the deck lines you can see the influences of another great big water expedition boat from the past, the Eskimo Diablo. However while the Diablo was a bit long and unwieldy on tighter, lower volume runs, the Gus has a modern rocker profile that allows it to turn well and boof like a dream. A recessed edge just below the water line gives it trackibility for carving into eddies and holding a line through pushy water, and the deck design efficiently sheds water for fast and predictable resurfacing. I've never paddled a boat that stays on top of the water better, which means you're making that next move now, instead of waiting for the boat to resurface and then scrambling for that next move. There's more to all the deck lines than water shedding and aesthetics though....the little lines surrounding the bow are stiffeners, reducing the chance of caving in the bow on a piton, though on hard enough pitons this might not be best...your ankles could give instead. All of the other stiffener lines though contribute to the overall strength of the boat to hold up against folding, which is a definite plus.
The Huck, on the other hand, shines in tight technical runs. It's rocker profile makes tracking in big water a bit of a task, though not undoable, but it boofs and turns on it's own just about. It has a smooth edge to it that won't catch on rocks and slides, a bow that is easy to drive, and a stern that will push through holes even if you manged too miss that boof somehow. It doesn't track as well as the Gus, but it's not meant to. It does track well enough though, and definitly better than some creek boats I've paddled in the past, in pushy water you just have to stay on it and drive the boat. At my size I definitly wished for the Gus in bigger pushy water, but still felt safe and comfortable in the Huck. I think someone in the 100 lb to 150 lb range would find the Huck to be an ideal boat for any creeking, including loaded on multi day trips. The deck lines on the Huck are also strategically placed to strengthen the boat.
Both boats are outfitted with Liquid Logic's standard seat, thigh hooks, and rigid back band, all contibuting to a solid feel with good contact between the boat and paddler. The bulkhead is a fairly standard design, with aluminum bars running down to the padded foot rest, feeling strong but removing easily to pack the bow of the boat on long trips. Black Daimond stainless bars are all over the deck, with two in front and three in back, all big enough for a swimmer to grab or to be easily clipped into with a carabiner, and stoutly anchored as well. Both boats come with drain plugs in the stern, and of course foam pillars inside for strength. The cockpits of both are large and easy to slip into or out of, and though the back band has a ratcheting system in the thigh hooks, I've found that I can set it where I want it and then simply leave it, which for a creek boat is great.....I don't want to have to crank myself in tightly in creek boats to get control, and the outfitting in these boats doesn't require me to. The seats move easily, and are located properly, in other words I'm not having to move the seat as far forward as possible for the boat to paddle well, instead I've got my seats just back of center, which with my legs and height is where it should be.
All in all two great boats. The Gus is the best creek boat I've ever paddled, and the Huck is lots of fun, and definitly a top choice for smaller paddlers.
