I ask because I was reading on MountainBuzz about some rafters who actually prefer bucket-boats because it gives them greater punching power through the monster holes. I was wondering if the same applied to packrafts. Anyone have much experiance with this? In the search for a new packraft, as my llama is beat to shit, and the skirt is fragile, especially after sleeping on it upturned evernight while living on the road with my bicycle. So anyway, Perhaps I could get good stability in a flooded Scout, and yet still retain good manueverability due to its short length. I was thinking of buying the Scout and using it when I hike/bicycle into larger desert rivers in Utah. So far my only experiance in whitewater going topless is with a 2012 llama in Wolverine Gorge on the Blackfoot of Idaho, which has a half dozen steep technical class Vs and a half dozen more class IVs. It seemed to handle decent while flooded considering that I was using a tiny children’s paddle. I wonder if a flooded scout with a correctly sized paddle would have been a good idea to try out. I could use a good bucket that could be multi-used as a fire pan, a way to carry and boil lots of water in, then leave it out overnight to let the dirt settle for drinking water in the morning. While it is hot, I could place it inside my upturned raft to help keep me warm at night…also good for water fights 
Also in the search for a fully aluminum bucket with water tight lid that could could be used for all these things, plus as a goover and bear canister.
It wouldn’t be my first choice of boat, but yes–once full of water they do pretty well. Your center of gravity is essentially below the waterline once you’re full to the brim with ballast.