rolling boat
If you want a boat to learn to roll with (that is also big water capable), I’ve got a used one that would fit you for sale for $400 down the road a bit (Pittsburgh).
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/boa/3170399311.html
Not just Dicks’…
I have no idea what Confluence is doing with their Perception Sport brand, but in Quebec (where there are no Dicks’ outlets)I have seen some Perception Sport boats in “Atmosphere” stores. In the States, the Perception Sport web-site lists several retailers other than Dicks.
http://www.perceptionsport.com/dealerlocator
Are these cheaper boats inferior in terms of construction and fittings? I don’t know, it is certainly possible; Yet it seems that the Pescador line of Sit-on-Tops (essentially the pre-2008 Tarpons) use superior, older style hatches no longer found on the latest Tarpons.
bears inspection
Next time I am near the local Dick’s I plan to check out these newer kayak models. I know when I carefully looked over their “house” version of the Mad River Adventure canoes (Dick’s version is called the Passage and is $100 cheaper) the hardware and seats seemed to my eyes to be noticably poorer on the Passage than the Adventure though the hulls are cast from the same molds. And I did find user reviews that mentioned hardware breaking on the Passage. Could have been the boats I looked at were older stock or something but I am sure that Old Town would not have the discount priced boat be IDENTICAL to the base line boat. That would be a poor marketing strategy.
I’ll be very surprised if the new kayaks are identical to the non-house brand versions, but I’m willing to check them out to see if my perceptions are valid.
I suspect it is like the Hanes cotton undies I’ve bought at Walmart. Packaging and product looks the same (except for tiny print on the package reverse stating these are made for Walmart). But they are noticably thinner fabric and every pair in the packages I bought sprang holes around the elastic waist within a few washes. SOme even have spontaneous holes that erupted in the middle of the fabric. They are now the raggedy underwear my mom would not want me to wear because “what if you’re in an accident and they take you to the hospital?” Bought several packs of the “same” style package of Hanes undies from Target over a year ago and they have held up fine. So I bought another package from Target in the Spring and they also have proved more durable than the Walmart versions (so it wasn’t that quality had gone down across the board – Walmart’s version really is flimsier).
Big box discounters like Walmart go to vendors and say : “this is the price point we want – match it however you need to and we’ll buy boatloads from you. If you can’t, no sale.” There have been a few manufacturers who have refused to degrade their quality (or shift production overseas) to meet those prices and some of them have really struggled as a result. I think we should all be aware of the ultimate consequences of “the lowest price…always” in the degradation of quality and undermining the foundation of domestic production and buyer choice in the long run. The cheapest product is not always the best value for the consumer or the economy.
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Perception Sport Swiftwater
The Swiftwater line is clearly the same kayak mold as the old Dagger Blackwater line, just minus the skeg.
The photo of the 12 really looks like they just took a picture of the Blackwater model and Photoshopped out the Dagger logo, recessed moldings for the grab handles but then they left the skeg line near the cockpit while the kayak text never mentions a skeg.
On Swiftwater 10 photo you can see all the empty spots designed for the Blackwater outfitting – skeg, dual attachment carry handles.
I wonder if they just left an open cavity where the skeg would have gone.
Hatches
Have experienced some hatch leakage, but it should be covered under waranty (will find out). The Conduit is a rec/touring crossover, so it may not be as suitable for large waves as a Tsunami. The accesories aren’t worth the $1000 original price, but for $550, the hull is great quality and works for me.
Perception Sport
To answer the question about the Swiftwater vs the Dagger Blackwater, it’s the same boat but the mold has been retooled to fill in the slot where the skeg used to be. Having paddled the Swiftwater 10.5 for a couple of months now, I’d say they’ve done both the boat and the user a real disservice by making it skegless - the 10.5 has become little more than a toy now.
Also, the Conduit is simply the Blackwater Catalyst, also retooled to be skegless.