Thanks for the input sesame, I was specifically asking about the hydroformed frame of the flamingo though. The merc, while aluminum, will no doubt handle differently than due to it just being a cylindrical tube. Also, while I have heard many good things about mercs as far as quality goes, I've only heard a few things about flamingo. I was more wondering about the flamingo quality as we all know quality can vary from year to year even in the same company, let alone one that has switched owner/brand names multiple times.