Submitted: 01-28-2003 by detjen
I wanted something that would carry more camping gear on class II than my Perception Acadia - and this seems to be the boat for that and more.
I just bought this thing used - and for such a huge (and comfortable) boat it is surprisingly fast, and it handles well in moving water. I would use my Acadia for faster moving water and my Perception Carolina to go faster on flat water - but this might replace them both. It's glide is darn close to the Carolina, but the Carolina gets sluggish with over 350lbs in it - and after that this would out run it. It will easily out-turn a Carolina or Acadia. It requires attention to keep it straight if you aren't using the rudder - so if you paddle any flat then get the rudder.
I haven't paddled it tandem yet - but it should be fast with 2 people. I did pack it full of camping gear and took it through about 12 miles with some easy rapids. It let me course correct in moving water - and even bounced off a few rocks without getting unsettled.
My only nit is the 18 inch wide cockpit is a bit small getting in and out of it. I think I just need to get used to it though. I fit the cockpit well and the boat responds to my hip movements - In fact it really surprised me how well it responded to me. I might take it on some class II/III on the Guadalupe this coming weekend, just to really put it through some paces... |