-- Last Updated: Dec-29-12 5:08 AM EST --
Well, the heat issue's already been discussed. Never had a vinyl gunwale crack or break. I DID have a bolt get "Stripped" and had to cut it out, creating a huge hole in a vinyl gunwale of my Esquif Mistral. I easily fixed it with fiberglass and it's ugly, but good as new, maybe even stronger. Couldn't have done that with aluminum.
I think you'll love the Reflection. I had the Dagger version of the Reflection 15. If it turned a hair quicker, I would have kept it. But I paddle mostly twisty, Ozark streams. It will be perfect for what you're looking for IMHO.