Patriot 12.0

This kayak is good in lite water but not so good in fast water. It will pull left and right. You have to paddle a lot. but still a good kayak

I just bought this kayak after my brother in law introduce me to kayaking. I was unsure what to buy at first but after explaining what I enjoy doing... mainly floating around with enough storage space to hold ample gear and a decent price of 400.00 . I found the p.p sport. I could sleep in this thing if I wanted too and its a bare canvas. Meaning you can do or modify it the way you see fit. It's a great boat. If you find one, pick it up.

Spacious and comfortable. This kayak is extremely stable and will accommodate the larger paddler. Has a dry hatch and comfortable seat. Paddles with average effort. The only drawback is that when you stop paddling the kayak slow down quickly and does not glide, so you have to keep paddling if you want to keep up with other paddlers.

Although I have owned and paddled a canoe for many years, I am new to kayaking. After selling my canoe recently, I began looking to replace it with a solo kayak, and after some research, I chose a Perception Sport-Patriot, which is actually a 2012 model, and no longer made. I chose it for several reasons, and WITHOUT actually paddling it before buying it. I DID have an opportunity to sit in it, and several others, and doing this cemented my decision on this boat. I am 6'3" tall and weight about 230 lbs, so I needed a boat that had a good capacity, and one that was easy to get into and out of, since I had decided on a sit-in as opposed to a sit-on-top. The Patriot has a huge cockpit, and a capacity of 400 lbs, for it's 11'10" length, and 29.5" beam, so it was perfect in those respects.

Another aspect that I required was a dry storage compartment, and the Patriot obliged with a watertight bulkhead about a foot behind the seat, and the enclosed compartment extending all the way to the stern, and with a large, tightly sealed hatch. It also has two molded-in fishing rod holders behind the cockpit, although it isn't specifically designed as a fishing kayak...a nice feature. There is also an almost identical model designed specifically for fishing available. Other features include a paddle-holding bungee on the starboard side, comfortable seat w/adjustable back and integrated bottle holder, and a deep combing around the cockpit to accommodate various spray skirts/covers. There are carry handles at both ends. The color I chose is a marbled blue & white, which is very easy on the eyes.

Now for performance. Because of the relatively short length and wide beam, I expected the boat to be rather slow and not track too well. I was pleasantly surprised when I paddled it for the first time, as it responds quickly to commands, moves relatively fast, and tracks beautifully. I credit this to the hull design, the bottom having deep chines moulded in for nearly the entire length, which give it great directional attitude as well as providing additional stiffness and strength to the hull, and I suspect contribute to it's awesome stability.

The boat handles very well in rougher water, holding it's line well in waves, and if left relatively uncorrected, actually turns her bow into the waves. Because of the short front deck, she does ship some water, but not excessively, but for frequent use in rougher water, I would recommend a spray skirt to deflect some of the bigger water coming over the deck.

All things considered, I found this boat to have many positive attributes, and relatively few drawbacks. I am enjoying it immensely, and would recommend it, or the model Perception has replaced it with to anyone wanting a well made, comfortable, great handling, and fun kayak. Finally, at 48 lbs of roto-molded polyethylene, it is easily handled by one person.

I bought his kayak for myself as I'm tall and large. At 6'3" and in the 250-300 lb range, I needed a something hat I could fit into without paying an arm and a leg. This kayak fit the criteria. I can lounge in the water or paddle down the stream with easy. The seat isn't. The most comfortable, but a seat pad easily be placed on it.

My only complaint is that the plastic is a bit thin on the bottom of the boat. It can be a little disconcerting to hear the plastic flex when a fish hits it. That being said, I've had the kayak for three years and have had no problems with it on lake, river, or creek.

Paddles and tracks fairly well. Weathercocks pretty badly. Is very comfortable to paddle, and fish from, and the tray that is included is really handy. I do like that there are ample rod holders, however I do not understand why the front mounted holder is fixed/locked at only one rotation angle, and was not made to be adjustable locking. It would have been convenient to have had it to where one could lock it in at any spot of 360 degree angle. After paddling for nearly 15 years now, I can say that although I think that this kayak was a good idea/design, it has a couple of severe weak points. My seat broke at the point where the bottom front mounts at the floor almost immediately, and I'm not one who is abusive at all, but take great care with my boats. The bulkhead also leaked from the time it was new. Unfortunately after contacting the store, and also Perception, the hoops that I would have to jump through to get the warranty to fix are far too unreasonable, and they not only didn't appear the least bit interested in my feedback, but actually treated me as though I was bothersome, and trying to get something for nothing, which I never even asked for replacement. I must say I'm a bit taken aback by the attitude at Confluence. Sadly, this seems to be becoming more typical in America today with almost any product. They don't mind taking your money, but the second you have a problem, no matter how legitimate, they treat you like a thorn in their side, patronizing you, and immediately start giving you the runaround. And the ironic thing in this situation is that I didn't even really want my boat replaced, nor fixed. They just immediately, and automatically jumped to the conclusion as soon as I tried to give the feedback/problems I'd had. I knew that if I got another new one, it would probably be the exact same problems, and I knew that I could fix this boat probably better than they ever would anyway, so I had no intention of even asking for that.

Simply put, I cannot recommend this kayak due to it's design, and/or manufacturing flaws, and more importantly, the companies lack of concern, and unwillingness to even listen to the problems, much less offer to take care of it. It's fair to point out that I merely called Perception to give them feedback so that it might help them fix these design weaknesses in future boats, yet the people as Confluence immediately went into what I refer to as "defense mode" the moment I mentioned a "problem with my kayak". I feel people have a right to know how a company operates AFTER the purchase of a kayak, so I'm trying to be part of the solution by stating it here for all who care to know. I would have given this boat at least a 7, or possibly an 8 if the seat had not broken, the bulkhead had not been defective, and the company showed more concern/professionalism for it's product.

I will keep the boat, and will fix these problems myself. Needless to say, had I known all this before hand, (which is why I'm reporting the first review of this kayak here) I certainly wouldn't have bought it at the (what I consider to be) "premium price" it sells for. I'm hoping this will help someone else with making a decision of what they want/need. I truly wish I could have given a more positive review of this boat. Hopefully, Confluence will get it together, and realize that "our satisfaction" will be key to their success.