I’m now half owner of a Perception Dancer kayak. Just brought it home. Gonna’ do a little whitewater yakkin’, vintage style.
But the spray skirt wasn’t included and, old canoe guy that I am, I have no kayak paddles. I have some shopping to do. I’ll help the economy.
Sooo… Any ideas where one would find a spray skirt for a vintage kayak and what would you experienced kayakers recommend for a low-mid priced two-piece paddle primarily for whitewater “combat” duty?
Thanks in advance for your replies.
That explains…
the shift in the earth’s orbit.
Ask Chuck & Gwen where they got their skirts for their Dancers.
got my custom
skirt for the gyramax from these folks. Quick and nice.
I see the dancer on their stock list
http://snapdragondesign.com/fit-lists/ww-fit-list/
Le voyageurs…
– Last Updated: Apr-25-10 6:18 PM EST –
Le voyageurs font se rouler dans leurs tombes.
La riviere pleure.
BOB
How could you
Hope you have fun with the new boat. check out bending branches for paddls. not sure about the what you will find for whitewater. but worth a checking out. does this meen you wont need that blackhawk anymore? im sure Bob would take it off your hands.
Rest assured
You will always see me in canoes.
Gary and I just got too good a deal to pass up and I’d like to learn a little about whitewater kayaking. I 'd like to be able to do a kayak roll. I’d also like to run the Wolf enough to learn a couple sections of it very well. Well enough to put a Prospector through it gracefully. I fear I’d reduce my Blackhawks to fiberglass slivers before I learned that and would pin the Prospector too much in learning the river well.
I’ll learn, have some fun, and probably sell my share.
No entiendo French. I expect that’s just as well in this case. I doubt I’d like what I heard.
Rough translation…
– Last Updated: Apr-25-10 8:17 PM EST –
The voyageurs are rolling over in their graves.
The river weeps.
BOB
P.S. Let me know when you're ready for the Wolf; I wouldn't mind giving it another go or two.
Would "not" scout Boy Scout rapid from the iron bridge, with lightning flashing/crashing down as I did on my first run there. Would just go for it.
Shocked…
I too have taken a couple runs down the river and would enjoy learning more.
Most good WW paddles are one-piece. A common length is 194cm. I picked up an AT4 in fiberglass for about 180. I have a couple of extra skirts, but none small enough for a Dancer (or a skinny canoeist).
Wolf
– Last Updated: Apr-27-10 7:05 AM EST –
Perhaps it would work on the way up to the BWCA following the Aug Wis R trip? Since you'll be north anyhow... The Wolf is "easter" than where we would want to go from a strictly efficient route to the BWCA, though. Maybe the Flambeau would be better?
I figure I'll play around under the Sauk dam (no major hydrolics on the right side) till I have the hang of the thing in strong currents.
This year wherever I kayak I'll leave double my regular portion of tobacco offering on any rivers I put a kayak into. Its getting expensive, but I'll do it because I know I owe the waters some reparation. I hope that's enough... but its not like I'm putting some lime green Dutch Shoe looking thing on there. Its a just a blue Dancer...
Thanks for the paddle tip, Russ.
PS: I was hanging out at the diner in Black Earth, reading some paddle-related book, and a guy came up and started talking paddling with me. Turns out he has land on the Wolf, was an active scout leader, and HE BUILT that bridge while he was on staff at that camp. Its a nice bridge on a clear day.
…
…Then after all the bizarre behavior you’ll come to your senses and try an OC-1.
Well,
I have tried a couple and liked them. Daggers both (Prophet and Encore - loved the Prophet).
Alas there weren’t any offered for sale, cheap, over a campfire, with a fellow willing to split the already low cost, last weekend. Or any other weekend that I recall. Practicing the art of the possible is usually a good idea. I hope that is the case this time.
Paddle - Werner Desperado
Carbon shaft, 2-pice, plastic blades (I think reinforced with carbon). Relatively lightweight as WW paddles go and works well. Strong too (won’t break when hit hard on rocks). New price is pretty decent and used should be a bargain for what it is.
I may have a skirt
I assume that this is the original Perception Dancer, not the Dancer XT that Perception later reissued which had a distinctly bigger cockpit?
Are you coming to the Ozark rendezvous? If so, can you bring the boat? If you can, I can bring the skirt, which is a red neoprene Perception Harmony which is the skirt that Perception made to fit that boat.
The tunnel on my skirt is sized men’s large. If you think you are too skinny to get a good seal with that skirt, 4 or 5 days of intensive beer drinking at the Rendezvous should give you a good start towards bulking up.
I have both a Dagger Prophet and a Dagger Encore, both great old-school whitewater canoes. The Dancer is a good old kayak, quite fast for a whitewater kayak by today’s standards, and rolls easily. It does have a small cockpit (as all whitewater boats of that vintage did) which makes entry and exit a little more challenging for some, depending on leg length.
Shoot me a PM or respond here if you can bring the boat. If so, I’ll bring the skirt (along with my collection of polka CDs). I could also throw a paddle in the back of the truck and show you a thing or two about rolling. If you are going to be trying out the boat in whitewater, or even moving water, you are going to want to get some flotation bags for the stern, if it didn’t come with them.
Kayak paddles have gotten shorter in recent years, but for a long, old-school kayak like that you want a paddle longer than 196 cm IMO. You need to be able to get the blade well to the back of the boat for effective stern draws and pries. Shorter paddles are more appropriate for today’s very short whitewater kayaks, and facilitate cartwheeling, which you will not be doing in a Dancer.
I know…
– Last Updated: Apr-26-10 10:43 PM EST –
I know a name for your kayak Pat.
Call it "Tiny Dancer"........
Thank Elton John, not me.
I sure hope you bring "Tiny Dancer" to the Rendezvous!
I love to watch beginners doing roll practice; especially when they're upside down, their roll won't work, and they start running out of air.
Long legs jammed down inside a tight kayak cockpit........upside down in the water.......roll won't work.........air fading fast...........
Not getting all "gaggy" are you?
Must be the 5% of sadist in me?
:^)
BOB
That’s only 5% of the sadist in you?
Wow! You must be really scary when applying all 100% of the sadist in you 
Yanoer…
– Last Updated: Apr-27-10 12:08 AM EST –
My 5% sadistic streak is offset by 5% of masochism.
Example: I met you at canoecopia, and thought,
"He's not really as bad as I was led to believe".
You gonna be at the Rendezvous & take part in the kayak rolling practice session?
I'd spot for you.
:^/
BOB
P.S. You paid anybody to take that Sawyer beater off your hands yet?
I’ll trade the Sawyer for your Caper
+ $200.
That’s the sadist in me.
No, I won’t be making the spring rendezous. My last nephew is graduating high school that weekend and it’s also the week of my wedding anniversary and my wife refuses to accept the rendezvous as an anniversary vacation. What’s up with her?
Congratulations…
Classic old school boats are fun. They are often faster and easier rolling than new school boats. If I were still doing ww regularly I would probably pick one up again. I had a Pirouette but sold it in the process of ‘upgrading’ (now have an I3 and a Diesel).
I picked up my first ww paddles on ebay. Old school ww boats often have cockpits closer in size to contemporary sea kayaks than current ww boats. My favorite ww skirt was purchased direct from Bomber Gear on ebay.
Caper Trade…
– Last Updated: Apr-27-10 5:08 PM EST –
Instead of doing a little adaptation to the canoe, you'd find some little twitch in it you didn't like, start obssessing about it, and be looking for a new owner within 2 months.
You're still looking for that (it doesn't exist) perfect canoe.........
As long as it's fun for you; that's ok.
Are you still having fun?
I'll keep the Caper.
:^)
BOB
Pirouette
I have been looking for a used Pirouette in good condition at a decent price for a couple of years now.