Perception Sport Rhythm Kayak: A Beginner's Review
The Perception Sport Rhythm is a molded plastic recreational kayak perfect for those new to the sport. New, these boats sell for around $500 - $550 when not on sale. For me, the Perception Sport was a great first kayak, as it is very forgiving and incredibly hard to tip over.
Key Features and Design
It has two carry handles front and back, as well as adjustable foot pegs. The seat is somewhat adjustable, mostly in regards to the backrest. The boat weighs around 45 pounds and is fairly easy to carry by a single person. It includes bungee webbing on the front and a rear hatch for dry storage. The thigh braces on the side make it very easy to carry on your shoulder without digging in and it is light enough that a single person can get it around pretty easily.
Stability and Maneuverability
While there is some design to the hull, with a slight bit of keel/chining, it is a recreational boat, so it is very wide and flat. This provides a lot of primary stability and not terrible secondary stability, but means it doesn’t track that well. Due to the flat hull, it turns incredibly easy and so after a bit of practice, you can spin it and make turns without having to think about it much. It doesn’t have the maneuverability of a play boat, but you can turn pretty much whenever you want. With a longer better tracking boat, you need to plan your moves ahead, but this is not the case with the Perception.
Performance on Different Water Types
I primarily used the Perception Sport on rivers, mostly flat water rivers with Class I or Class II rapids. Although, I did take it down the Haw near Bynum, which has Class III+ and it preformed well and didn’t let me down. I did do a bit of flat lake kayaking on Jordan Lake in Apex and Harris Lake in New Hill as well. I went with a harmony spray skirt to prevent splashes into the boat and to provide a bit of support if you get turned sideways on a rapid. While not water tight, this is a fine skirt for recreational use and fit the boat well.
Most of my river runs are in the 8-18 Mile range, although I did several over-night trips the longest of which was around 50 miles or so on the Cape Fear. I personally never tipped it, although it is definitely possible to tip it over. I saw two friends do it. I used it to run a number of rapids and even took it down the Haw in Bynum(which probably wasn’t the smartest thing I have done) and it preformed well.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Price (New) | $500 - $550 |
| Material | Molded Plastic |
| Weight | Around 45 pounds |
| Stability | High Primary, Decent Secondary |
| Tracking | Poor |
| Best Use | Flatwater Rivers, Class I-II Rapids |
Comfort and Storage
There is plenty of room to pack gear(especially if you stow a bag in the front of the boat) and so it can be used when camping. While not incredibly comfortable, the seat can be adjusted and isn’t terrible.
Tracking Issues
The Perception Sport Rhythm is a recreational kayak and as such tracks incredibly poorly. I didn’t realize quite how bad it tracked until I got my Necky Manitou, which is a day touring boat, and the difference was night and day. With the Perception you will be fighting the river, wind, and wasting a lot of effort to keep it in a straight line. This isn’t due to a defect of the Perception Sport or anything, that is just the nature of this type of boat.
Drawbacks
It also isn’t very comfortable. Not terrible, but the seat is basically just a very thin piece of mesh/foam ontop of the hard plastic bench. There isn’t any rolling this boat(or at least it would be very very difficult) and while the wide cockpit can be great for a heavier set person, if you are a bit smaller it ends up being a lot of extra room. While the extra room can offer some benefits, it can make digging in with your thighs difficult.
Final Thoughts
I don’t regret my purchase of the Perception Sport Rhythm at all. It was an inexpensive way to find out if I was going to enjoy kayaking and was incredibly forgiving for a novice kayaker. Having said that, I did out grow it quickly and wanted to move on to a better tracking kayak…a proper kayak. As soon as I did, all the flaws of the boat became apparent(uncomfortable seat, tracking, etc.) Again, this isn’t really the fault of the boat, that is just what you get when you go with a recreational kayak. If you just want something to float down a lazy river or aren’t super into the sport, they are great.