i have been using a friends perception sport rhythem 11. i want to buy one of my own. i was thinking about getting one a little longer that will track better. i was looking at a perception sport conduit 13 but i have never used one. i mostly use the boats in a lake and few small rivers(not white water). anyone ever used either of these? tring to stay in the $500 to $600 each range because i’m going to buy 2.
Buy the longest , most narrow boat
you van afford.
13’ conduit
will the 13’ manuver in the smaller rivers and creeks? tring to find a boat for both lakes and rivers is hard. i know that the 11’ is not to good on lakes
go for the conduit
I’ve got a bunch of kayaks and the one I use on rocky streams here in Pennsylvania is 15’ and it works fine. Actually, standard Olympic whitewater and slalom kayaks used to be 13’. The problem with short kayaks is that they have to be wider to get enough volume to support the average paddler.
The Conduit is a more versatile boat than your friend’s. In fact it is the least costly new kayak that has front and rear bulkheads, so it’s safer than most “rec style” boats. Being 2" narrower is significant and it will also be easier to paddle and keep straight at cruising speed.
It’s really the only sit inside kayak that Dick’s sells that I would recommend to anyone, the only one that has the characteristics of a real touring kayak with which you can learn good skills. It has a thinner hull and the outfitting is not as good as quality kayaks (which run around $1000 or more) but it’s a pretty good bang for the buck for a beginner boat.
Update
Went to a local kayak store and looked at wilderness system pogo 12 for the the wife and 14 for me. Don’t know how the paddle but there seat is way better but the truth is they were $900 more for the pair so I went with the conduit 13. It seams a little tippy at first but is fast compared to the 11 ft that I was use to. Overall for an $900 savings I like what I got.
“tippy” is good
You’ll get over it feeling tippy quickly and will appreciate more and more how much faster and more fun it is. You’ll find that it is not as apt to capsize as it seems to feel like and that you can lean a little bit to help it turn or stay straight when the wind is blowing. That’s how a real kayak is supposed to handle.
I think you made a good choice.
?? Conduit tippy ??
I find my Conduit 13 to be very stable. I would be happy for it to be an inch narrower as it fits me a somewhat loose. I would take it to some calm water that you wouldn’t mind swimming in and see how far you can lean it over to the side before it capsizes. You’ll probably be surprised at how much effort it is.
Out of curiosity, what color did you get?
Color
Red/orange the only color they had but I like it
Tippy gives room to improve.
– Last Updated: Jun-25-14 5:56 AM EST –
Being tippy at first is good as long as you view it as a challenge and not as a deterrent.
When I was first starting, the kayaks I used during tours were around 24 inches wide. The first kayak I bought was 22 inches. And now my new kayak is 19.5 inches wide. You'll get more comfortable with it as time goes on.