Ok, we have a wet test.
The good, the bad and the ugly...
Good: Fits right in the Rav4 fully inflated, lightweight, launches easily, easy to get in...more lateral stablility than my hard boat, paddles fine, seems no more or less affected by the wind and current than the hard boat, lots of velcro, hooks, tabs and mesh netting to hang stuff on. Soft and comfortable to sit in. Very maneuverable, small tail on the boat helps that.
Bad: It took me a while to get comfortable in it. I tried sitting more upright like I do in my hard boat, which has a hard plastic seat with a backrest in it. The problem with the seat in the dragonfly is that its just held in at the top of the backrest with a strap, and you cant adjust how you're sitting in it as you're sitting ON it. I ended up wiggling it out from under me and flipping it onto the back. Later I got out of the boat in a shallow area and readjusted the seat and the sitting position to where I was more reclined than I am in the hardboat, and I got comfortable with that. There are two big velcro pieces to attach your paddle to the boat, and the rear one is right where my elbow wants to be when paddling, so after scraping on that a while I changed my paddling style a little to accommodate it. Little bit of waggle from the bow when aggressively paddling...maybe 18-20 inches side to side, nearly none when paddling gently. Takes out a little of your paddle stroke energy. Curiously I found by docking the paddle, turning around backwards and backstroking with my hands I could make pretty good time and of course no waggle when using both hands at the same time.
The ugly: The part of the river I tried it out in has plenty of shallows, and I like weaving in and out of stuff. The river also is well littered with cans and bottles. I hit bottom a couple of times, like I do in my hard boat, and when I pulled the boat out to leave I found a 2" slice that went right through the outer skin on the bottom and did not puncture, but left a scratch on the bottom of the inflated floor. I wasnt aware of the cutting and i'm not sure when it happened. Looks like I took a knife and ran the tip along the material, nice clean cut. Probably a piece of glass or a metal shard. Will need a patch before I use it again, and I guess no paddling in the shallow areas with this boat.
Where I went in is a bitchy little area where the yuba and feather rivers confluence, and they're both quite major rivers. Its full of junk, shallow spots, serious currents that change direction and velocity every 5' and bone chilling water. Its a slightly challenging place when you know the boat you're in and are comfortable with it. After three days of moving furniture, I have some sore muscles here and there. In other words, it was for me a worst case test of what I plan to use the boat for under worse physical conditions than I'd usually be boating.
I still had a good time and felt the boat handled aptly, and I felt fairly safe and comfortable in it.
I'm not thrilled about the slice but its a lesson learned and a little behavioral modification will solve the problem.
I wouldnt recommend this boat for any serious whitewater, maybe a class one or class two. No open ocean or great lakes while theres any kind of weather going on. Fine for ponds, slow moving rivers, light duty bay action sort of stuff.
Feels very different from a hard boat...you sit a lot closer to the water. That took a little getting used to.