Does anyone have any extensive experience with a Liquidlogic Tryon (10’8" SINK)? A local shop is clearing out boats and I can pick up one for a good price. Unfortunately there’s really no way for me to test paddle this boat. I had narrowed down my choices to either a Perception America Angler 11 or a Dagger Element 11.2 when I found this deal, so anyone that has comparisons between those and the Tryon as well would be helpful. I’m 5’8" 160 lbs and plan to do mostly lakes with the occasional slower river up to class I/II.
Is this HTO?
– Last Updated: Jul-01-08 3:05 PM EST –
They have what seems to be a good clearance sale on these for under $500. Just check that you get a straight one - some of the ones I checked out in the store had bent hulls.
I almost bought one myself as I think this is probably one of the better fitting and more "agile" short recreational boats and with good foot and leg room. The seat is adjustable back and forth by a good margin as are the foot pegs. And this is probably the slimmest short boat at about 26". It appears it will allow some advanced control with edging and it may track OK due to the center keel line. It may not be very fast as it is short, but with the shape it has (front is narrow and with vertical bow lines) it seems it will be one of the faster short boats on flat water.
The front of the hull is relatively narrow where the paddle hits the water (at least compared to a Pungo or similar boats) and that would allow a more vertical stroke and more efficient paddling.
I do not think it will handle very rough water very well though - seems the nose might burry or might catch currents too easily but without paddling it I can't tell for sure.
For long legs it offers two quite comfy positions - knees inside the cockpit opening pusihing out, or knees under the cockpit in what are very nicely shaped knee bumps. Just add some padding as there is none there.
Unfortunately, as you, I could not test paddle it so I did not buy it - there is nothing in the store that I want if that does not work for me and buying it and in up to 2 days upgrading to another boat if this is not the right one is the only way to try it at HTO...
For the price, I think this is one of the better boats there. It is light, looks OK built (check the bulkhead seals!), and comfy. And the green color is actually nice looking too -;)
Tryon vs. America
Thanks for the input. It’s not HTO but at a small-ish outdoors shop here in my neck of the woods. I can get the Perception at Dick’s for $399 but I’ve heard mixed things about the build quality and the plastic, whereas the Tryon is nearly $100 more but I’ve only heard good things about Liquidlogic’s build quality. Still debating…
I’m not a Tryon fan
I had one several years ago, before I knew much about kayaks. Thought it looked good and bought it without trying. Big mistake! The thing is mostly round on the bottom and doesn’t really have an edge. Tracking was OK but simce it has almost no rocker, wasn’t especially manuverable. Don’t think I’d try class II with one. One of my happiest memories was the day I sold it.
Round bottom
This is a preference thing. I have two sea kayaks right now, a Tempest 170 and a P&H Outlander, also 17 feet long. The Tempest is squarish in the middle - the sides come down vertically and meet a fairly flat bottom (very shallow V). While not a sharp “edge” this is as close to a hard chine as it gets. The P&H in contrast has smoother transition from the sides over to the similarly flat (may be a little shallower V) bottom.
The two behave somewhat different in water and I am still in the early days of experimenting with both to figure out exactly how much difference there is. The Tempest gives feedback on leans sooner and more directly, the Outlander gains its stability gradually without a hard boudary b/w transitions. They seem to be about equally stable at the end when leaned, just getting there feels different.
The second consequence of the roundness is that the more squarish boat makes more noise/splashes in rough water than the rounder-edged one. Not sure exactly how important that is, but it logically it seems to me that the rounder-edged boat is less affected by waves and currents than the sharp-edged one.
The harder edged boat may offer a little more control when surfing waves, the softer edged one will be more forgiving and won’t catch currents or be affected by waves as much.
So, depending on what you want, the shape of the bottome may be a good or a bad thing -
Again, having not paddled the Tryon my analysis is purely theoretical and as such other characteristics of that particuylar boat may just as well make my conclusions not applicable to it…
You are correct sir
it is a matter of preferences and opinion. My opinion was arrived at from my experiences. Re: the round vs hard chine; my wife paddled a CD Soltice GTS (round) for a year, occasionally in rough water, until she paddled my (now her) NDK Explorer. In her mind and mine, the Explorer was much better behaved when things got rough.
Yup - jury is still out on my own prefs
I had the Tempest in some small waves, now I have to take the Outlander in similar conditions to tell which one feels better.
One problem for me to figure that out is that I’m such a beginner that every time I paddle I get better/more comfortable and thus the next time I paddle I am not sure if it is because of the boat or because of something I learned the previous time -
The Wife Had One For 5 Years
I was only in it a couple times. The seat was excellent, and it seemed to have more secondary stability than primary. Also quick for a 10’6" boat. One thing I noticed was it seemed to be deeper than most rec boats and small people or kids might have trouble paddling it. My wife sold hers because she quit paddling solo. I think it’s a fine rec boat, better than the 3-4 other 9-13’ rec boats I’ve paddled but I never paddled the other two you mention. Also, I might add, I was very impressed with the fit, finish, and layup of the boat. Here’s a pic of the wife paddling hers. WW
Have to agree
about the seat. One of the best things about the boat 
Big differenences in quality.
I have the Perception America 11 from Dicks and a LL Stingray 14 (not the same hull, but same material as a Tryon).
I love my America 11’s shape and design for river and creek paddling. Efficient is isn’t, but tracks straight, is very stable, and comfortable. It’s also easy to get in an out with the huge cockpit opening.
BUT the plastic is weak, and the channels in the bottom of the hull end right in front of the seat, about 2’ too soon in my opinion. This means the bottom of the hull (at least on mine) deforms easily. If the yak sits in the sun for only a few minutes, it gets very soft and pliable. If I ever get pinned in current, I can tell you EXACTLY where that thing will fold up. It’s such a week spot that just hanging out the back of my pickup bed is enough for the hull to bend in that spot.
The plastic in my LL is much, MUCH higher quality, imo. Stiffer, thicker (and heavier). I backed into my brick house with it in my pickup bed and it kind of curled the stern a bit. I used boiling water to soften the plastic to reshape it, and it hardly softened. I’d be afraid to do that with the Perception. I’ve never noticed any hull deformation whatsoever. The seat is drastically more comfortable than the America also. And the seat is somewhat adjustable, allowing you to angle the seat itself (not just the back) for more comfort.
I know nothing about the hull design of the Tryon, but if they’re similar, the higher quality plastic is worth the extra $100 twice over, imho. And buying from a local dealer instead of Dicks is worth it too for many reasons, like supporting the little guy, customer service, expertise, help w/ any problems, etc . . . .
YoS
Tryon Seat
The local shop that has the Tryon is officially out of the boat business - just clothes & hiking/climbing gear from now on. This particular boat is the only one they have left and it is new except for one problem - the middle pad section of the seat bottom has been ripped out and they can’t find it. If you’ve seen any of the Liquidlogic rec boats you’ll know what I mean when I refer to the extra center seat padding. They won’t really knock off anything from the price for this since it’s already clearance priced, so do you think this should be an issue, or can it be replaced by some kind of after market padding from NRS or other?
Not a fan of LL’s Build Quality
I have a LL Pisgah which has had some serious quality issues - thickness of the plastic, bulkhead not sealed from factory, recently the plastic at the bow grab handle actually separated while another guy and I were carrying the boat (unloaded mind you). My Pisgah is probably an anomally and not worth enough to make a stink about, but look carefully at the actual boat before you purchase.
The boats I saw had similar problems
On two boats the cushion piece had come off. I was able to press it back in and it stayed in place very well - I think they were not pressed firmly enough at assembly time.
I think a thin layer of minicell foam or something made out of two mouse pads cut to shape and glued with contact cement should be sufficient.
Not sure if this piece can be ordered separately from the manufacturer or even gotten under warranty (since this is not supposed to come off but apparently it does) - may be worth a call.
Is gen2 better??
my Pamlico 140 and your America 11-they are both CWS boats and I was wondering- Is Gen2 better quality because your post gave me alittle scare there.
'No idea. Who’s the Perception expert?
I specifically put Perception in the subject to attract one so your question would be answered correctly, because I really don’t know.
I think that if the channels in the hull did not end so quickly in front of the seat, things might be a bit different. The America is a bad design because of it, imho. Emphasis on humble there, for anyone part of the design team. I could be completely off-base, but the deformation in my yak is far from inaccurate . . . .
YoS
My pam’s tracking channell
dominate about 60% of the boat, which is nice. Any pics of your america?? Before I got my Pamlico 140 I was trying to get my hands on a Perception Acadia 370, made around the same time as the america.
Make you a deal.
I’ll go out w/ my digital camera right now, DESPITE being under a tornado warning and under heavy rain, lightning and all, and take as many photos as you want. Just as soon as you post some pics of YOU and that Pammie 140 you got, while holding today’s newspaper . . . .
YoS