I've been looking to pick up a couple of modestly priced rec boats (12 ft or so) to keep around for friends and family to use. I've demoed both the Pungo 120 and 140 (I actually preferred the 120 over the 140 which surprised me) but they are a little more expensive than I was looking for in a secondary rec boat. I've tried the Pamlico 120 in the past but didn't particularly care for it (mainly due to it's tracking). I'm now looking at the Perception Prodigy and Acadia. There's not a dealer nearby for them and, so far, all my information about them has come from online. From what I can see, the Acadia appears to be a Confluence-Perception clone of the Pungo and the Prodigy a clone of the Pamlico. I know there are subtle differences between them but would you say this is a fair general assessment?
Also, just out of curiosity, are the new Perception Carolinas clones of the Tsunamis?
PS To any of my friends at Confluence, "clones" is not meant negatively!
same catagory
might be a better description.
the Acadia is a few years old, actually quite a few and the Prodigy is new last year.
The prodigy is quite a bit more effecient and tracks waaaay better than the Pam or Acadia.
steve (a friend @ Confluence)
Prodigy
Are there a lot of Prodigy 12’s out there? I’ve yet to come across any online reviews of them and none of the Perception dealers I’ve contacted even stocked them.
The Problem Is
The Prodigy is a great boat. I actually purchased one but ended up returning it. The reason…the comfort of the seat. When I test paddled it, it was OK but when I took it out on the river, after a few hours, I was miserable.
I own an Acadia 12.5 that is about 4 years old. A fantastic multi purpose boat. I have used it on everything from narrow streams to lakes, up to class II rapids. I think the Acadia 13 is similar, but there are some differences. Again, the seat being one of them.
I realize I am one person with one opinion but IMO, I think Perception really needs to take a look at the seats they are putting in their rec boats. I realize they are probably tryin to hit certain price points, etc. but if you ain’t comfy in a boat for multi hour paddling, it ain’t going to work.
I recently decided to add another boat to my collection. I chose the Tsunami 125. There were numerous factors in my decision but seat comfort was at the top of the list.
As most people that offer advice on this site say…If at all possible…DEMO…DEMO…DEOM. 
Pamlico 140 tracks better
than a prdigy 12