LL Bean Manatee

I bought this boat for my wife. She has been paddling a 10.5 Fusion for a couple of years and I wanted her to have something that would track well and be easier paddling. The 12' Manatee provides just what she needs. Because she has bad knees she needs a cockpit that makes entry and exit easy. The Manatee has plenty of space and is easy to get in and out of. The sealed compartment is nice too.

The boat tracks well and is nice on the lakes here in NH.

Extremely durable kayak. Priced well. Comfortable enough, and nice and wide at the seat. I'd recommend this to friends and family.

This is my third kayak and I like it the best. It handles well on flat water with a slight wind & current. Have two trips on this boat for three hours of paddle time. Plenty of room for my legs and the seat is very comfortable. I am 5' 11" and weight 240. This boat is easy to carry, load & unload on top of the car. Plenty of space in the rear water tight compartment for the gear I carry. I can't wait to get back out on the water.

The LLBean Manatee is a Perception kayak rebadge. A nice point about this is you can use your LLBean discounts and credit card points towards purchase, and you can also buy during LLBean's annual spring and fall boat sales to save 20%. This is what got me looking.

The Manatee is slow and stable. Although well enough made, it is too slow and stable to satisfy me because I am looking for a performance boat.

The Manatee serves the "occasional beginner kayaker looking for an easy boat outting" market well enough, but if that is what you want, go for the Calypso instead.

My experience with my Manatee is awesome. It is by far one of the best purchases I've made for outdoor adventure's. I personally recommend these kayak's for beginner's. I love my kayak.

This is branded as LL Bean but is actually a Perception model. I bought it used last fall. I've used it several times, once on an indoor pool in the winter as I learned to use it. I've been on a lake and lazy rivers this summer.

I find it to be easy to use and tracks well. As a newbie to kayaking, I find it very satisfactory. In addition, a big plus for someone in their sixties, it's light enough that I can lift it on and off my Outback by myself.

We ordered our Perception 10' kayaks from LL Bean two years ago, and have loved, loved, loved them. It was something new for us, and after a maiden lake voyage, we were on our way!! We had to discover the best way to get in, to get out, and, as 60 something year olds, how not to be too sore afterwards! We found them stable with great tracking!

I would recommend these "LL Bean Manatee" Perception kayaks for anyone who loves kayaking!

My wife and I recently purchased the 2008 Manatee (Perception EXP) kayaks from LL Bean and are extremely happy with them. We are smaller in size and these boats fit us perfectly. They are light weight and easy to transport. The cockpit is roomy and comfortable. The kayaks track well, are easily maneuverable and overall perform well in the water. We would recommend these to anyone looking for a very high quality recreational kayak.

First off, I should point out that as far as I can tell, the Manatee, is a re-badged Perseption Swifty. I've seen them side by side and they are identical...(the Manatee even includes a Perception water bottle as part of the package) This is my first kayak, although I have canoed for years. I bought it on a whim while vacationing last year in Maine. The Manatee is made of plastic and is short and wide with a roomy cockpit. I am 5' 8" and can sit with my legs folded up or straight out. Weighing 39lbs, it is easy to load on the car. The seat is nothing to write home about, but comfortable enough for several hour trips. As might be expected of a short wide craft, it is very stable but doesn't track very well. Almost immediately I regretted not buying a longer craft. On the positive side, I took it out in the ocean and rode out some prety large swells with perfect confidence. It also will turn on a dime, something that longer kayaks don't do as well.

Recently, I went kayaking with a friend in a Necky Manitou 13. We traded off so I had an opportunity to compare the Manatee with a sleeker craft. Although I was able to keep up with the Necky, I had to expend much more effort. It soon became evident that the longer craft would track and glide much better than the Manatee. Where the Manatee did shine was when we came to some small rapids and current. The shorter kayak was much more maneuverable and less susseptible to getting turned sideways in the current.

The bottom line is that there are trade-offs. While not the sleekest craft, the Manatee is very stable and can slip in and out of tight places easily. It is a good kayak for beginners, but if you are looking for performance.....spend a little more and get something longer and sleeker.