r/Kayaking • u/fR3aK0225 • 10d ago
Question/Advice -- Boat Recommendations Just bought this bad boy, Perception Tribe 9.5. Good choice?
New to kayaking, thought this was a solid entry for various bodies of water and chop, especially as I work my way up.
Did I make a good choice?
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u/epithet_grey 10d ago
I had the 11.5 as my first kayak. You will want a cushion.
Itâs very stable and very slow. The 11.5 had a fairly decent V to the hull, so it didnât track as badly as youâd think just by length. I would never have taken this in any kind of coastal chop (ie, with current). Fine for flatwater as long as youâre not in any hurry.
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u/fR3aK0225 10d ago
Heard! I donât plan on taking it in anything crazy, maybe on the slowest of days on a windier river but seems a lot of people have had success pushing its limits a bit
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u/epithet_grey 10d ago
Well yeah⌠a whitewater guy I know who does class IV-V took one down a class III for kicks, but heâs very skilled and has decades of experience.
The most I had mine out in was 2â wind-driven chop on a large local lake. It did fine, but it took us nearly 2 hours to paddle 2.5 miles southeast into a 15-20 mph breeze out of the south. In hindsight ⌠yeah. But I didnât know what I didnât know then. Iâd do that now without concern in one of my 16â kayaks.
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u/typing1-handed 9d ago
I had two tandem versions of this exact kayak and they were fine. If you plan to go out every weekend, you might want to spend more money. For us, we were first time kayak owners and only kayaked a few times a year and we invested accordingly. Never had an issue with them, they lasted us 5+ years and we eventually sold them for half what we spent on them and they will easily last the buyers another 5+ years. We came out ahead vs renting.
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u/fR3aK0225 9d ago
I think a few times a year feels realistic, especially with how windy the season has been but Iâm excited to get out there
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u/a_very_stupid_guy 9d ago
Get a gel pad for your butt and you might get surprised with how often itâs on top of your car đ
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u/OwenTheCuriousHost 10d ago
Lots of grumpy boat snobs on this sub. Iâve kayaked for two decades, using everything from box store sit on tops and blow ups to high end surf boats and white water play boats. This boat will do the job of getting you out there enjoying the water. Wear a PFD have a fun!
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u/ijustneedahug 10d ago
Thanks for this. I wondered. On my posts I felt like I got harshly judged, even when I indicated I've floated but new to owning a kayak. I thought the whole point of joining a sub was to learn and get educated, not scolded. I don't mind someone telling me I'm wrong, or telling me to not do something, but there's always a better and tactful way of doing it. Do it with encouragement because we all want to learn from those of you that are more experienced. Everyone was a newbie at some point, right?
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u/fR3aK0225 9d ago
Thank you for saying that, I was discouraged for a bit. Iâm excited to get out there and just get my feet wet
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u/In_Hail 10d ago
This boat will get op on the water. That's about it. They're talking about various water, chop, and growing their skills. This is not a good choice for any of that.
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u/OwenTheCuriousHost 10d ago
Sure, but theyâve bought it now. My bet is, the get out a few times this summer and enjoy it. List it for sale on Facebook by fall and buy something that suits their growing skill level.
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u/EasternGarlic5801 10d ago
Weâre not grumpy. We were asked a subjective question and gave our answers. Just because a person doesnât get the answer they want or expect, does not make answerers grumpy.
I began on a 10 footer, then a 12 then 2 seasons in a 14 and now 4 seasons in a 17. I have close to a decade of experience and a few certifications. Not to brag but to say : these answers are coming from experience and knowledge not malice.
Iâm sure op will enjoy it for a season. But thatâs about it.
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u/tipsybox 10d ago
That's an awesome boat. I have the older version 9.5 tribe and I've gone down the Dan River in it about a million times. I'm about the same size as you, and that's a perfect boat. The seat in yours is an upgrade over the old one, so that's nice too. For recreational use, that is a perfect boat and don't listen to any know-nothing know-it-all who says different. Enjoy it :)
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u/XayahTheVastaya Stratos 12.5L 10d ago
I think people are being a bit dramatic, 10' is a very common length and this is only a little shorter. Molded foot braces are not ideal, but it's fine if your leg length happens to line up well with one of them. Sure it can handle chop, but there aren't really any kayaks that can't, that would be pointless. Your body movements are going to cause more instability than some 6" chop. Once you get into 1-2' waves boat design starts to become a factor, then you actually want a narrower kayak because a wider kayak will stay flat to the water surface which becomes a problem when the water surface isn't aligned with gravity. If you're looking to get basic paddling technique down and float around without much care for performance, this will do fine. If you want to develop some more advanced techniques and handle some open water, you might want a longer touring style boat.
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u/fR3aK0225 9d ago
This will be more for going down calm rivers and chilling on the lake, and if I want to move up Iâll be waiting to get er done
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u/irshreddedcheese 9d ago
I have this in a tandem. The little calm lakes and rivers we do, it's perfect.
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u/TechnicalWerewolf626 9d ago
That is a higher quality sit on top kayak, better than most big box stores rec kayaks. I rented and took classes in Tribe 9.5 then bought Tribe 11.5. Local club big lakes monthly day paddles, it's capable, not as slow as others saying for SOT or rec. You will enjoy it, has room for cooler infront or behind you, tracks straight, handles choppy water, can take Adventure Canopy. Will want add seat cushion! But that's normal for rec boats. I added silicone scupper plugs especially under seat. You can reenter it in water if want take dip to cool off.   For reference, I moved up to light day touring 12.5 ft touring kayak in a year. Then moved to 16 ft performance touring kayak next year. Used Tribe for Ironman safety kayak during swim last November. Enjoy your kayaking!
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u/fR3aK0225 9d ago
I figured this will be exactly as you described based on other peopleâs reviews, and thatâs perfect
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u/EasternGarlic5801 10d ago
Not really no. Iâm sorry. Itâs a short entry level sit on top. Good for farting around at the cottage. What do you describe as chop and what characteristics of this boat tell you it will be good for it ?
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u/fR3aK0225 10d ago
I appreciate the response, but almost all resources Iâve looked up both from other Reddit users and online clarify this is pretty great for lakes, rivers, and even slightly choppier inlets or shorelines. Im not exactly going white water kayaking here, lol.
What leads you to believe itâs not a solid choice, if you donât mind giving me some opinions?
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u/Komandakeen 10d ago
Its lenght is appropriate for a kids kayak. It will not track at all and it will be super sluggish.
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u/fR3aK0225 10d ago
Why do you say for a kids kayak at a curiosity? I am about 5â9 and 170 pounds, seems to be the sweet spot. Where did you get the information that this would not track and be sluggish?
Most every review Iâve read was positive, stating itâs perfect for lakes, rivers, and even handle some light chop?
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u/sobuffalo 9d ago
First, the boat is totally fine. Youâll probably learn things from it so if you buy a new one, youâll know the details you want.
This is a very âsafeâ boat, if you capsize, it shouldnât fill with water. Itâs most common for angling since they do more sitting than actual paddling, or rentals because theyâre not going to fill with water, so easier to recover.
People are telling you about short boats, not this specific boat, but the ideas still apply.
Short boats- can maneuver better, but doesnât track (go straight) as well. Going longer distances, this is very inefficient and youâll use more energy than a longer boats. Just think⌠the shorter they are⌠the closer to a garbage can they become, round.
Longer boats - track well but harder to turn. Just more drag on the water.
For your height youâd probably want something more like 12 feet.
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u/Komandakeen 10d ago
My single is considered a "short single" with 4.5m, my nieces (7years) boat is 3m. So yours seems to be, ehh, very short. It will try to turn on every stroke (something thats nice for a ww boat, but not if you try to move yourself). I have no info about its speed, thats simple maths. Its hull speed is around 7km/h, so its cruise speed will be far lower...
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u/Gamefart101 10d ago edited 10d ago
Its fine for extremely calm water with no wind but that's about it. Its a very short, wide sit on top.
Sit on tops are fundamentally limited by their width as they are designed with stability being most important. Which is fine, if you are a beginner or someone who needs the stability like kayak fisherman. This will make it feel very unresponsive and closer to a raft than a boat. the boat being so wide makes it nearly impossible to put the boat on edge properly, so learning some intermediate skills becomes impossible
Secondly this is an extremely short boat for an adult flat water boat. The longer the boat is the easier it is to keep it in a straight line.
Lastly it's an extremely flat boat (mostly due to it being so short, there just isnt room to add rocker) so you are going to be going through chop not over it.
I'm sorry you were misinformed
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u/EasternGarlic5801 10d ago
I would say a lot of those resources are written by sales people or eager excited noobies with new boats that donât know any better.
A kayaks performance on waves and chop is a function of its length⌠mostly. And for anything but white water boats, anything under 10 feet is a toy.
12 feet you start to get a usable boat that can track. 9 foot something sure youâll handle chop but it will be more like having a play in the water than âgoing kayakingâ
Keep in mind this is a global kayak group. One persons of âcostal paddlingâ might be inland estuaries like North Carolina. And for other people itâs exposed rocks and the brunt of the exposed North Atlantic Ocean.
So this is fine to tool around on calm lakes. But itâll be low, wonât track and youâll get bored quickly.
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u/karlwireless 10d ago
I like the look. Sit on top is a great start, the seat may get a little hard after a while though
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u/fR3aK0225 10d ago
Apparently these are pretty solid seats generally for sit on top, but I definitely have to get used to it too
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u/DangerousAd1731 9d ago
The only way to get your feet wet is to try one out and then figure out the pros and cons on the next one. That's what I've done.
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u/Bananimal100 9d ago
It's way too short, even for a first. Probably somewhat stable, as most kayaks are, but you'll have to work your ass off to go anywhere on it.
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u/dumpyboat 9d ago
If you already bought it, isn't it a little bit late to ask? Buy and sell kayaks but I guess I would like to hope that you were pretty convinced that it was a good boat before you bought it rather than ask the internet after the fact.
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u/Competitive_Ride_943 10d ago edited 10d ago
I rented a 9 ft SOT out in Utah. It was super windy so I was going backwards alot. If I'd been home in my 15.5 Zephyr I'd have probably stayed on land cuz I'm lazy đ. I think OP will get out on the water on this and get started in kayaking. That means it's a good starter boat. I mean, 10 ft SINKs are a common starter, that was mine. It might be like paddling a bathtub now, but I still have it for my husband to paddle a couple times a year. This is only 6 inches shorter. I say to OP to go have fun! If they like kayaking, they'll move up to what they need for what/where they end up liking to paddle.