Been thinking about another kayak that would work better in river and swamp conditions than any of my other 3 boats that range from 15-17’, and the Perception Dancer caught my eye at only 12’3" and 44#.
Anyone paddled one of these under those conditions and have comments they’d like to share?
Thanks.
cockpit
is very tight i’m 180 an it was a snug fit getting in an out. i practiced punching out alot in my pool glad i did.the cockpit size is considered old school. used it about 6 times on rivers,lakes an rapids 2-3
The Cockpit Shouldn’t be a Problem
for me, but String is also looking at one, and at 6’4" and over 200# that could be a problem and a deciding factor for him. Thanks for input.
String might need a Dancer XT, but a
Dagger Animas would make a much better boat, both for tight quarters in the swamp, and for whitewater which includes a lot of flattish, easy sections.
isn’t the Dancer…
…kind of an “old style” WW boat? The original (1980’s) Perception Eclipses looked a lot like a Dancer (and hard to get in & out of).
swamp boat
How stable is the Dancer? In the situations in the swamp that would cause a capsize, you likely aren’t going to have room to set up and roll. I think I’d rather use something that had a big cockpit like a rec boat.
Can’t imagine capsizing a WW boat
in a swamp. Just can’t imagine what would cause that to occur. Alligator? Swamp buggy? Crazed nutria? Guess I have just been paddling WW boats too long.
Later WW boats like the Animas have larger cockpits than the Dancer, and will stay a little cooler.
Still, would prefer to take one of my canoes.
WaterBuffy’s spider
If that thing jumped on me, I’d be upside down in a heartbeat.
How about
an OT Sport Jolt? Looks like it might make a good crossover boat. Haven’t tried one yet, but I’ve heard some good stuff about how it handles Class I-II+.
Jolt is plausible, but will cost more
than a used WW kayak.
How do you figure
this http://www.paddlesport.co.uk/eCommerce/ProductPopup.aspx?ProductID=51
Looked like this http://www.lakegeorgekayak.com/perception_kayaks_eclipse_specs.htm
If you decide the boat fills your needs
I wouldn’t pay more then 100.00 for it. People practically give them away—nobody wants them these days.
Bob
I Gave One Away To Tsunami Chuck
I had one in the garage I paid $100 for. I gave it to Tsunami Chuck, who gave it to some young boy for a first kayak.
I was in the UK for a couple of weeks
saw lots of old Perception boats. I think we get carried away with having to have the latest thing in the US.
can’t find a photo of an ORIGINAL…
…Eclipse, but trust me, they did look an awful lot like the Dancer (and nothing like the current Eclipse).
Well I had both boats back in 84/85
and they had little or nothing in common.