The Perception Joyride 12.0 is my very first kayak. After tons of reading and watching countless hours of YouTube, I settled on Perception 12.0 for several reasons. I wanted my first kayak to be DURABLE (rotomolded fabrication sounded like a good starter option, especially in central Texas where I am located, with all of the rocks and trees in the rivers and lakes); STABLE (I now know this is really the result of experience, fitness, and preference, but at 29" wide, it is beginner friendly); AFFORDABLE (I had serious concerns about dropping $2k for a kayak and then realizing that I didn't enjoy the sport...eek! But you get what you pay for, so a $150 kayak from the local sporting goods store wasn't going to cut it either. At just under $1000 (shipping included), this seemed like a good investment.) All of my research said that the longer a boat is, the better it tracks, so I opted for the 12.0 instead of the 10.0 - and I am SO glad. I have had this boat for fifteen months now, and it has truly been a joyride. I've hauled it on top of my small SUV all over Texas... to the Bosque, Brazos, San Marcos, and Guadalupe Rivers. Lake Whitney, Lake Waco, Lake Lewisville, Belton Lake, Inks Lake, and the lake at Tyler State Park, to name a few. I am a 5'3 47 year old female and I'm made up entirely of circles (think short and round), so the hardest part of this adventure has been loading the kayak on my car by myself. I can do it but it does take a lot of energy. I have to budget the time to unload and load into my paddling days, as well as remember to budget the energy that it takes to do it properly. That said, I've taken this thing kayak camping on single overnighters, and it worked well. I have paddled in 30 mph winds and stayed upright, and I have portaged (drug) it across rocky and rough terrain with less wear and tear on the hull than I expected. This boat helped me learn truly love paddling. I store it inside my garage using a ceiling hoist to keep it out of the extreme Texas heat, and I clean it after taking it out, so it still looks very good. After fifteen months, I only wish it had three things: a front hatch (more room for kayak camping gear), a skeg (the wind can really blow you around on wide rivers and big lakes); and was a little lighter. That being said, this kayak is tough as nails and as stable as it gets for a sit-inside. I would heartily recommend this boat to anyone looking for a durable and affordable sit-inside kayak.
