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in article , Claudia Engel at
lid wrote on 7/6/04 12:03 AM:

Hello,
I'm looking at the Perception Eclipse (or possibly the Shadow, depending on
the fit - I'm rather tall and skinny) and was wondering if anyone has any
stories to tell about this boat (good or bad). In general, I'm looking for
a decent touring kayak in the 16' to 17' range that doesn't cost a fortune
(and the Eclipse is pretty pricey, even for the plastic model). I'm always
open to alternative suggestions.

What will I be using it for? Day trips down rivers near the chicago area
or southern wisconsin, small, medium, and large lakes (including L. Michigan).

Hi Claudia.

I find the Perception plastic to be a bit soft and flimsy for the
construction of a boat this size. It's heavy. Most of the 16 - 17 foot
kayaks in roto molded plastic are in the 55 to 65 lb range. The Eclipse is
at the heavy end of that range if not over it. I paddled one only once but
found it difficult to keep on course without the rudder deployed. It was not
a particularyl windy day. While the kayak is almost always seen with a
rudder, I prefer to use leans and strokes to control the boat. I also
prefer the solid feel of fixed foot pegs. The Eclipse uses a sliding foot
peg system to control the rudder. The outer hatch cover system seems fussy
and over designed to me but I would probably trust them since they use an
inner neoprene cover to keep the hatches dry. Overall the boat seems nicely
rigged with deck cords and perimeter lines. Don't know if there are bow and
stern painters but they would be easy to add if you felt you needed them.
The seat adjusts a few inches fore and aft but the comfort of that seat is
totally subjective and I won't comment on that. I'd be willing to wager
that your butt and my butt will have divergent opinions on comfort.

I've been paddling a 17' Prijon Kodiak. It's plastic and wighs 58lbs. It's
probably much to wide for you but the Prijon Seayak might be worth your
while to test out.

What other kayaks have you tried? How long have you been paddling? Is this
your first boat?

Where are you shopping? In the Chicago area?

Cheers

DV