My wife and I just upgraded our kayaks from an Oldtown Adventure XL139 and a Castine to the Eclipse and Shadow. Obviously we are going into a much more narrow boat and due to the early season, we did not have the chance to try these boats on the water. Though we spent many hours in our other boats in waves up to 5 feet and some Class I/II rapids, we are not sure how squirelly these will be in comparison. I realize that these boats are not made for running rivers per se , so I just wanted to know if anyone here has experiance in these boats. They are 14.5’ and 14.0’ respectively.
Thank You
5’??
I assume the loon was a rec. kayak? The 14’ and 14.5’ Shadow and Eclipse are shorter and much more maneuverable versions of the origninal sea kayaks,you definately want to get good at bracing/rescues with the Corona/Eclipse. They’re nice shapes for bouncy water.
Am I missing something something ?
I have a Perception Eclipse, and my wife has a Perception Shadow.
For the past eight years my Eclipse has been 17’3", and her Shadow has been 16’-9".
If these are the yaks you are talking about, I consider them both pretty stable.
We have been in five foot swells many times with them, but the only times in five foot waves was various times surfing, and sometimes we tip while other times we make it look good.
We have both been in some awesome rip currents, and a lot of three foot breaking whitecaps without any problems.
As far as Class I-II rivers, we have had no problem, but they would both be too long to run any class III rapids.
Cheers,
JackL
OK I’m lost
XL139 is 13’9" Castine is 12’9" the eclipse and shadow are like JackL said 16+'and 17+'long So is this a mistake or are you very confused. LeeG the XL and Castine are 26"& 28" wide and 1/2 way between Rec and touring if you know what your doing they can handle alot. The Perceptions are Ok boats( I’ve never been a fan and have paddled both) If you plan on heading out this early in the year I hope you are dressed correctly!! For the water not the air!!
Good luck with your new boats
Good Journey’s
Shawn
Renamed models
what was the Corona and Sole’are now 14.5 Eclipse and Shadow
Corona
and in the classic Perception manner the “small” kayak has to fit a 6’ paddler. The Corona/Eclipse 14.5 has LOTS of room with the thigh braces farther away than on the other namesakes like the 17’ Eclipse, go figure. I found a lot of top heavy beginners were not comfortable in the Corono/Eclipse 14.5 because it felt too tippy. The shorter hull presents a fairly short waterline of a particular waterline width. The 16’+17’ boats are noticabley more stable than the 14.5’Corona/Eclipse. It’s still an efficient hull to move but a funny mix of high deck and short overall length. The transition from primary to “over you go” isn’t as predictable as a general use boat should be.
Ok you can slap me
My bad!! Sorry about that. They keep changing things to fast to keep up. There is a new model Shorter Eclipse and Shadow. Not bad looking boats but there going to be real different from what your used to. Your shaving 4-6inches off the widths you’ve been paddling. That is a major change of initial to secondary stability. I would suggest you be ready to get wet. I hope you have practiced your rescues. Not saying this to be a smart a$$ or to scare you just prepare you. However once you get the feel of it you will be very happy with the results. You will find you have a much greater control of your boat than you did in the wider boats. But that comes with some practice. Good luck paddle safe
Good Journey’s
Shawn
Perception Eclipse and Shadow
Thank you to all who responded. For the record, the boats are 14.5’ and 14.0’ respectively. We both spent time practicing self-rescue last summer and plan to continue with other skill classes such as learing to roll this summer. It will be another two months before we get into the water as it is still frozen over here in the great Northeast.
Better late than never
My first touring boat (or any kayak, for that matter) was a Corona (now Eclipse 14.5). All of my years of canoeing, including slalom C-1 paddling didn’t prepare me for the “squirrieness” of the Corona. But after about 3 or 4 outings the boat started to feel more stable. Not SOT stable, but high-performance stable. I only use the Corona for rivers now (including some class III) and spend the rest of my time in a QCC 500x, but I am impressed at how much more stable the Corona has become. Oh yeah, I’m 5’-10" and 230#. Kinda big for the Corona, but as others have said it is an amazingly roomy boat.
Jim
Knee pads for high deck
We have a Perception Shadow (16.5) and Corona (14.5) roughly. The Shadow has a snug low deck but the Corona’s deck has always been too high for me (I’m 5:11). I replaced the thigh braces with aggressive white water braces from a used boat, added a couple of thin layers of neoprene padding, and still found that my knees were too high.
Recently, I purchased a pair of cheap foam knee pads (less than $5). For safety, I don’t strap them on. I wouldn’t want a tangle issue if I had to do a wet exit. I just slip them between my knees and the deck. Seems to lower my cg somewhat, snug me up, and my leg does not go to sleep so much in the lower position.