Well, you say river running mostly, so I will assume you mean that you might surf some. I have been in a Hoss on a large wave and it surfed nicely and was extremely comfy and stable. I will have to go with EJ's comment that there are no difficult boats to roll. I would have no problem recommending one of that line for a beginner but you need to remember that it will be extremely difficult to do any trick other than surfing in it. Have ya demoed it?