Perception DANCER XT
msett...@kean.ucs.mun.ca
I just completed a first level kayak course and I'm looking for a kayak.
I've been offered a four year old Perception Dancer XT for $600
(Canadian). Does anybody have anything bad to say about this boat? Any
reason why I shouldn't get it? Is the price fair (the boat seems in pretty
good shape).
I'd appreciate any response mailed to me directly, if that's
possible. Thanks in advance for your help.
Mike Setterington
Bryan Buttigieg
> I've been offered a four year old Perception Dancer XT for $600
> (Canadian). Does anybody have anything bad to say about this boat?
> Any reason why I shouldn't get it? Is the price fair (the boat seems
> in pretty good shape).
I am a cannoeist not a kayaker so the following may be of limited help:
the perception dancer is a very popular model with kayakers in s. ont.
I have seen it used by very good paddlers in grade IV as well as by novices
during training courses. This suggests a versatile boat that can "grow"
with you.
i am not sure what the "xt" stands for.
$600 sounds a bit steep for a used kayak. but in your area it may be o.k.
much depends on the condition of the kayak (any signs of major abuse
or major repairs?) and how it is outfitted (will you need to buy a
spray skirt too or will you be getting one that fits included in the price?)
figure out how much it would cost to buy the same equipment (and outfitting)
new and then try to pay whatever you think is fair given the wear and tear
(i'd like to stay at 50-60% of the new price if possible.
you shld also enquire about possible UV degradation
some plastic colours are more susceptible to becoming brittle with exposure
to sunlight. I've been told to stay away from blue gyromax C1's fir this reason
(usually brittleness will result in breakage around the lip where the spray
skirt attaches ...) In your case, you should probably (1) stay away from unusual
colours (2) find out where the kayak is stored when not in use.
hope this is of some help!
... Ho, hum.
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.11
Nick Sheppard
: -=> Quoting to All <=-
: the perception dancer is a very popular model with kayakers in s. ont.
: I have seen it used by very good paddlers in grade IV as well as by novices
: during training courses. This suggests a versatile boat that can "grow"
: with you.
: i am not sure what the "xt" stands for.
The xt I believe stands for the fact that the kayak you have been offered is
the larger version of the dancer. I believe there are 3 models - one for
people who weigh less than 8 stone (sorry no conv for kgs). There is the
mid-range, then the xt for those who weigh 11 stone+.
I personally have a dancer and thoroughly enjoy paddling it. The only problem
I have heard of but never seen is where a Dancer folds up due to being pinned
between 2 bolders/bridge uprights etc.
Hope that helps
Nick
Chris Webster
--Chris
John Wanless
>From: msett...@kean.ucs.mun.ca
>Subject: Perception DANCER XT
>Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1993 15:34:23 GMT
>Mike Setterington
Hi Mike & others, as a local Venturer leader in Tasmania (Oz land) I have
managed to raise enough money to purchase 5 Dancers, one of which is an XT.
The early model XT has about an extra 40 litres of volume, is a few inches
longer & wider than the standard Dancer. It is much easier to exit & enter but
the disadvantages are that it is not as flat bottomed & therefore not as
stable. Venturer age young adults (14-18) have no problems with stability but
I find the standard Dancer just so much better and we use them constantly in
the surf and grades 1-3 for teaching kayaking. I have set mine up with rear
air bags for surfing & a rear tow line for helping beginners out of
difficulty. It is only in the last couple of years that I have returned to
kayaking (now aged 47) and I am really enjoying the challenge.
We paid about $600 Australian new for the Kayak which is about $890 US.
bye for now
John Wanless
1st Blackmans Bay Venturer Unit
Hobart, Tasmania
Mark Kendall
>I personally have a dancer and thoroughly enjoy paddling it. The only problem
>I have heard of but never seen is where a Dancer folds up due to being pinned
>between 2 bolders/bridge uprights etc.
I use to have a dancer for about a year, my brother now owns it. The
dancer is an excellent boat for a beginner to buy as they progress through
to a better paddler, the only problem with mine was that it was extra thick
( ie bl__dy heavy ) but I still paddled grade IV without any problems caused
by the boat.
I don't know how it compares with other boats in folding situations, but I
have folded one myself, through no fault of the boats I believe. It was my
second or third river and my instructor and someone else were swimming. The
instructor told me to grab the other guy, so I did, and then tried to fit
between a large rock and the bank of the river, the guy on the end dragged
me into the rock and my front hit the bank, I flipped and the boat was
pushed through the gap almost in half, after popping out of the gap it
pretty much unfolded, I rolled and pulled the swimmer to shore. When I got
to the shore I tried to get my deck off, and was glad that I hadn't tried to
swim, the main fold was just behind my back and the sprayskirt was pinched
on by the cockpit lip.
I've never seen another Dancer fold and would just like to say that if you
put any boat between two boulders with the river pushing against its deck,
it's going to fold or break apart.
Mark
( Downunder in NZ )
Lee Bradshaw
: put any boat between two boulders with the river pushing against its deck,
: it's going to fold or break apart.
: Mark
: ( Downunder in NZ )
I saw a yellow Dancer fold in Right Crack on the Chattooga. There is a
narrow crack with an upright log. He was lined up to go to the left of the
log, but at the last minute tried to go to the right. The boat folded on
the log just in front of the seat with the stern pinned on the left boulder.
He was exiting before it folded, but he didn't quite get his feet out. He
was stuck with his head barely out of the water for about 15 minutes.
Maybe one of the boats with metal cages (Mountain Bat?) could have taken
it, but I think most boats would have folded there.
CHRIS BELL
> I saw a yellow Dancer fold in Right Crack on the Chattooga. There is a
> narrow crack with an upright log. He was lined up to go to the left of the
> log, but at the last minute tried to go to the right. The boat folded on
> the log just in front of the seat with the stern pinned on the left boulder.
> He was exiting before it folded, but he didn't quite get his feet out. He
> was stuck with his head barely out of the water for about 15 minutes.
> Maybe one of the boats with metal cages (Mountain Bat?) could have taken
> it, but I think most boats would have folded there.
What a blast from the past. I think the yellow Dancer was mine and the
person pinned me. I learned two things from this experience:
(1) When in doubt, eddy out! The reason I changed direction at the last
moment was that someone in the eddy below was waving his paddle
wildly back and forth. I didn't know the person and took the waving
as a sign to stop. I couldn't -- I had too much speed built up in
anticipation of the hole below the drop -- so I tried to change my
route instead. I probably could have caught the micro-eddy just to
the right of the drop, but didn't. Turned out that the guy below
was trying to signal that he had successfully punched the hole. I
should have caught the micro-eddy...
(2) Paddle a boat with a keyhole cockpit. I bought a Crossfire within a
week of my pin and have been very pleased with it. Any boat will
fold given the right circumstance. With a keyhole cockpit you've
got a fighting chance to exit before your legs are trapped.
Chris Bell
be...@uncavx.unca.edu
Paul Beard
BE...@UNCA.EDU (CHRIS BELL) writes:
> the Chattooga
I live 90 minutes from it and have hiked down a few times, but I'm no
paddler. Have you done it enough to give me some insight as to better
seasons/wilder conditions? (I want to photograph paddlers and want to
see a variety of conditions/paddlers out there)
Any help you can give is appreciated.
Paul Beard
AT&T Tridom (who couldn't care less about my opinion)
tridom!paul.beard {or} bea...@tridom.com
mwo...@conval.edu
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