4/14/2023 0 Comments Perception swifty 9.5![]() I don't know if this boat will sink or not and I have not tried to get in to it after tipping over. There is no compartment to keep your gear dry so you have to add a watertight bag and tether it to the boat. I had enough leg room but I had to sit with my knees bent. It took me about an hour to get comfortable in it. The boat is very stable in waves but it does rock from side to side if you paddle too vigorously. ![]() I took it out to a small reservoir lake in New Mexico for her maiden voyage. I bought this from REI on sale for about $360 with tax included. I am new to kayaking and looked around for a boat that was small enough to fit in my SUV yet big enough to hold my large frame. I am a very tall guy, six four, I weigh 235. These are good sturdy little boats and have so far proven great on short lake outings or shallow river water, are easy to carry, and fun to share. The 'free' paddles are pretty nice - oval shafts, 2-position, lightweight. I have had the flotation foam blocks come loose from inside the stern it was not easy to wedge back in. I have not had this happen at all while paddling, but it can happen if you straddle the boat to enter the cockpit from the stern and bump into the top of the seat back. The seat back can pop completely out of the slot that holds it. Others who have paddled this boat like the stability.Īt this price point, the seat is better than most, although the seat back is not attached to the seat base (it is tethered by a strap). The 225 cm paddle seems a bit short for working over the height of the cockpit, however the coaming is shaped nicely downward for accommodating the paddle stroke as you pull toward your body. In moderate river current the Sound requires a bit more corrective steering. I am a 5'5" 145 lb female with strong paddling skills, and find I can get this kayak up to a decent speed but it is a bit of work to maintain the speed. This slightly squared off end also makes this boat fit in the back of a smaller pick-up truck nicely. This must have something to do with the blunt end design in the stern, which I think essentially takes 6" off of what is pretty much a 10' boat. (I had a Wilderness Systems Critter that tracked better than any short kayak I have tried since, but I sold that one because I was not comfortable in the hard seat.) The Perception Sport Sound doesn't swing wide or "washout" in the tail end like some other short kayaks do when making a sharp turn. I was looking for small stable boats for beginning paddlers as well as something to use on rivers in N WI where one might meet a few unavoidable rocks. I bought a pair of Sound 9.5 with Harmony Drifter 225 cm paddles through REI when they were on sale for under $399 on Memorial day weekend.
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