ok so here's a review from a complete novice/regular swimmer!....my last boat was a high spec zenith which i loved and had every faith in so most of the comparisons i make here are measured against that.
Comfort in the enigma is superb .... in the zenith after an hour of paddling i regularly got out and had 'old man syndrome' , ie i could hardly walk . Having sat for ages with pointy feet the blood used to disappear , not so with the enigma . Although it's a slightly tighter squeeze to get into the boat , one hip in before the other , there's more space once inside . Knees are up higher so you sit more 'ski like' which allows your feet to be in a more natural position .... so far no 'old man syndrome ' for me!
Like all short boats it likes to be in that steep point on the wave for a take off and it loves it , you just need to look along the wave and the boat follows ..... but it also copes with the fatter waves of my local... the south coast....which isn't in the same league as waves in Devon or cornwall , they are fat and slow and messy in comparison , but i still come out of the water smiling .
It's quicker down the line than the Zenith , i'm guessing that's down to the ski like hull designed by Jem....it definately flies , and it turns on a sixpence straight back up to the top of the wave!
Rolling is not my forte , i struggle . All i can say is this is no harder to roll than the zenith and maybe due to the seating position with high knees i think a little more energy from the hip flick goes into pulling the boat back to the surface so maybe a little easier due to the seating position.
So to sum it all up what a cracking boat , fun to paddle in all kinds of wave topped with a first class service from hobson kayaks and a build quality second to none . If you like short boats i don't think you'll beat the enigma just watch the results of the up coming competitions when the 'bigger boys' paddle and you'll see!