Perception sport swifty 9.5
As we said earlier, the complaints we’ve heard from other paddlers mainly concern an occasionally gripe about seat-back design and how the polyethylene-hulled boats are prone to denting (although to be fair, we’ve heard this complaint from owners of plastic boats from other manufacturers, too).ĭespite the few flaws, most people we’ve spoken to love their Perception boats, and would buy them again. While there’s no such thing as a perfect boat, the Perception kayaks do come pretty close. The whitewater boats are quick and stable, and perform well in almost any class of rapids. The cockpits are designed for easy entry and exit, and the touring models have large storage capacity with secure hatches. Some beginners said that they felt secure and comfortable even on their first time out. On the positive side, most paddlers find the Perception kayaks to be light, fast, track well, and are stable on the water. And believe us, comfort is an important consideration –especially for us paddlers in the 40 crowd. Perception’s Comfort Fit outfitting systems provide the paddler with well-fitting, thermaformed seats, responsive backbands, lumbar, and thigh supports for those multi-day paddling excursions.
And their Airalite hulls are as light and tough as kevlar, but at a plastic price.
Exolar, one of their new exclusive hull materials, is a hyper-density resin that’s extremely stiff and impact resistant. Perception is an innovator in hull design and materials. If not, all you need to know is that this company has been building quality boats since the 1970s, when it was formed by a small group of dedicated paddlers in the Great Northwest. If you’ve been around kayaking for any length of time, you’re familiar with the Perception name.