Method Air

i am a total new person to kayaking. i was given the perception method air by my buddy for free so i was very excited to try it out. i am 6 foot 3 inches and 220 lbs . i found this boat to be very tight to get inside and out of. i had to remove the seat, and the foot braces just to fit inside of it. on launching the kayak, i found it very tippy and could not keep it upright. The biggest issue i has was every slight movement i made and the kayak opening would dip well below the water line and let in water. it could be my lack of inexperience but so far on my first attempt at the perception method air, i consider it a total fail for me personally.

Comfortable boat with great all-around adjustability. I removed the factory foot brace and built one out of closed-cell foam, and I am much happier with this set-up. The boat handles well in most conditions, the bow does tend to dip more than I like. All in all, a great boat if you can only have one. I recommend it!

I am 160 pounds. It works well for me as a play boat. But on fast big water the bow enders out on me more than I would like. Great if you only want one boat, but if you are going to have more than one get a Play boat and a Big water boat.

Perception describes the method air as a river runner w/play characteristics and that's pretty accurate. I'd paddled a pirouette for a couple of years, but wanted something a bit more up-to-date. I like to surf, and wanted to try out a few other moves (squirts, maybe an ender or two), but I wasn't interested in anything too radical. also, I'm fairly large-6' tall, 175 lbs, and I found that getting into many of the smaller boats on the market was a painful process, if not impossible. so the method air fit the bill perfectly for me. It's only 7'9" long, but is amazingly roomy and comfortable. the cockpit is very well-designed: it comes with 3 interchageable bulkheads of different sizes depending on how far in or out you want them. this, in conjunction with a foam insert place your feet in a comfortable position. The new-style adjustable thighbraces accomodate a wide variety of positions and provide excellent boat control. and last but not least, the IR ratcheting backband is incredible. I have to squeeze myself in, but I can wet exit no problem. there's a fair amount of volume in the bow, allowing the boat to hold it's own while plowing through big waves. it's quite stable and sidesurfs really well-excellent secondary stability. it's fast for it's size, carves turns really well, and surfs like a champ. I was really surprised at how easily i made the transition to this boat from one fully 3 1/2' longer. I've been looking for something it doesn't do well but i haven't found it yet.