Shadow 16.5

I acquired a 20 yr old Shadow to paddle as my "beater" in Rocky and/or shallow water. This is definitely a craft for smaller paddlers. I'm 5'8" and 145 lbs and it fit me like a glove. A larger paddler might fit if the thigh braces were removed.

Pros: strong, straight tracking without rudder, no weathercocking, Valley type hatch up front, hard cover/beret on rear. It has squirrelly primary stability, but it's solid on secondary and edges beautifully. Despite its nearly 17 foot length, skilled paddlers can turn on a dime and also roll it with little effort. Easy to load and well balanced. I rarely use the rudder.

Cons: a bit heavy, front hatch is small. Factory seatback sucks; an aftermarket back band makes it Caddy-riffic. Sometimes benefits from a small load in back hatch, especially in chop.

Overall this has not been disappointing. I like having a rotomold kayak in certain situations and the Shadow fits the bill perfectly. I currently own a Point65 N Sweden Whisky 16 and a Dagger Remix. Past boats have included Becky, Current Designs, and Hurricane. This boat is similar to a Necky Looksha 17, but without the weathercocking.

I bought my Shadow 16.5 new in 2000. Twelve years later I still love the old girl. I do feel that the seat is a bit uncomfortable as I've become older (I'm 50 now) and heavier (5'7" 180lbs). My teenage son has a Wilderness Systems (WS) Tsunami 14.5 Lite that is unbelievably comfortable and stable, but not as fast as the Shadow. I should probably get a new WS Tempest 16.5 or 17, but it's hard to let go of the old Shadow. It does weathercock a bit in the wind with the rudder up, but I compensate by edging the kayak in a strong wind. It also tracks very well. The guy at the kayak shop wanted to sell me a new WS Zephyr 15.5, but the Shadow does everything I need.

I paddle mostly in Everglades National Park and go anywhere from 10 to 18 miles on a good day. It's not easy to maneuver in the tight turns of the mangrove tunnels in the Everglades, but does well in the bays and ocean. Car topping her alone on top of my pick up truck is difficult since she weighs @58 pounds, but I usually go with someone else who helps out.

Overall, a really good kayak that can do almost everything. I would recommend the Shadow for a smaller paddler. It's a tight fit! For more comfort, go with a Wilderness Systems.

I got my plastic shadow a month or so ago and paddle it mostly in the Laguna Madre (bay) and offshore some. I'm 5'3" at 165 lbs, 34" waist, with a size 8.5 shoe and I find this a very tight fitting boat, especially for my feet with water shoes on. I got a good (great actually) deal on this boat and it even had a serviceable spray skirt.

I'm planning on doing a long trip with it soon, 400 miles along the Texas ICW, the bays and offshore, It's a tight fit but all my gear and food, including 7 gallons of water, all fits in the boat and it still floats! I'm sure I'll have more to say about it after I do this trip, but all in all I feel this boat is up to it, now I just gotta get over this nasty cold I got! more to come ...

I purchased a heavily used (and abused) ex-rental 1998 plastic Perception Shadow 16.5 in December of 2003. In spite of its age and high miles the boat was still in good usable condition. I discovered the front bulkhead to be leaking a bit, but it was easily sealed with Marine Caulk. If you want a tough, mid-volume boat for the smaller paddler that won't hold you back on learning new skills - you should look at the Shadow.

The first day or two in the boat I thought it was tipsy and wondered if I should have bought a wider boat. Within a week it felt fine and after only a few more outings I was very comfortable in it. In comparison to other mid-volume boats I've tried I think it has a very good combination of moderate initial stability; substantial and predictable secondary stability; speed; and maneuverability. Keep in mind that this is a boat that is designed to carry up to 250 or so pounds so it may need some ballast if you are under 150 and not carrying gear. I am six feet tall and 170 pounds and the boat is too small for me in only one way: I don't have enough room for my size 11 neoprene booties to stretch out. I've paddled it with full camping gear and it still had reserve buoyancy.

I've read reviews that say these boats don't track - and I firmly disagree. With proper paddling technique the boat tracks very well with the rudder out of the water and enough ballast in the back to trim the boat. With me - around 10 pounds of day gear pushed all the way to the back of the rear compartment puts the boat into perfect trim. I can sit sideways to a current with a breeze blowing the opposite direction and the boat doesn't weather cock at all. I never use the rudder and will buy a boat with a retractable skeg next time. The boat responds very well to lean and sweep turns - much better than most boats over 16 feet with rudders. I've used it on lakes, rivers, creeks and protected bays. I've done no surf zone or open ocean with it, but the classic Greenland design hull will probably rise to the challenge when I do.

I did not find the original rigid plastic seatback comfortable and replaced it with an adjustable backband - big improvement! The molded seat itself has been very comfortable - I've added some hip padding.

I find the boat easy to reboard front or back after a practice wet exit - and I can plunk my butt down into the seat and still pull my legs into the keyhole cockpit (remember I'm taller than most people who will use this boat.) The rear deck is rigged for paddlefloat support - which is far more important to a beginner than the hull's rolling ability.

All in all I think this is a great beginner's boat that can take you much further along in skill development than many others. I have only one criticism of the construction - all of the reinforcing washers for the deck fittings in this 1998 boat were non-anodized aluminum - which are somewhat salt corroded now. Hopefully Perception changed this in later boats. Even so, they have stood up fairly well and have years of life left.

I had a kevlar shadow. If you are going to be a serious sea kayaker, don't buy this boat. It is a good boat for casual paddles. I went on many week trips in this boat and although it is light weight, it doesn't track and always requires a rudder. Get a real sea kayak if you are going to do trips. I now have a current designs solstice GTS and never need a rudder. I am a smaller paddler and it is true there aren't many kayaks for smaller people. But please don't settle for this kayak.

The tracking on this boat is non-existent. If there is even a slight wind, you have to use the rudder to go straight. I had a kevlar Shadow for 3 years went on a lot of long week trips. For a better boat for smaller paddlers -check out the Wilderness Systems 16.5. The only reason the Shadow is so popular is that they are big at places that rent kayaks. It is the first kayak that many people paddle. Same with the Perception Eclipse. Before buying this boat, make sure you paddle a lot of different boats. It is very light in Kevlar and attractive. But so what? Don't be fooled! It also isn't very fast. The Wilderness Systems is much faster.

It’s been a year since I bought my Perception Shadow and I am very pleased with it. I padded out the cockpit a bit this season and that enabled me to try new things, like rolling. This boat DOES roll. Even the layback roll works. It rolls up flawlessly in seconds. My rolling skills are still somewhat lacking (50-75% of the time), but maybe next season I'll be more proficient.

Edging is a problem, but I am sure it’s more of a skill issue to be addressed next spring. Bracing and sculling are fine. The fact that my boat is plastic is fabulous. I am pleased that, while I still want to be careful, I don't have to worry about cracks and gelcoats.

The seat back is a little bit uncomfortable, but as I'm not leaning against it very much, it's not a problem at the moment. And it's easy to fix if I ever want to.

The hatches are very roomy and hold more than I imagined. They are somewhat hard to access while on the water, but a little planning eliminates the need. I discovered that there's quite a bit of space directly behind the seat. Miscellaneous items can be easily stashed there with knots to hold them in.

All in all I am very pleased that I purchased this boat a year ago. This has been a great paddling season and I look forward to many more, in the Shadow. Now, how to get through winter...

I've had my plastic Shadow for about 4 years. I used to paddle a full-sized Sea Lion which I loved, but it was too big for me (I'm 5'4'', 140 lbs)- I had to put a cushion behind my back to reach the pedals. I wanted a boat that would fit my short legs but still have enough speed to keep up with my husband, and the Shadow fit the bill. I do have a problem with it weathercocking in the slightest wind, making it necessary to use the rudder almost all of the time - I wish it came with a skeg instead. Manuverability is good for swamp-poking. Handling is squirrely in following seas, with the bow tending to toss back and forth even with the rudder. Storage is more than adequate for overnight camping. All in all, a pretty good boat. I just got a fiberglass Currituck, but I'll be keeping the Shadow for a guest boat.

I've been paddling the Kevlar Shadow regularly for about 18 months and it is a joy on both open water and protected bays. It handles waves well with my 160 pound weight, but larger paddlers in mostly open water would probably want a little higher bow volume. Good initial stability for its width, due to a fair amount of volume fore and aft of the cockpit.

Great SmartTrack footbraces allow controlling footpeg position easily while sitting in the cockpit. Very comfortable seat bottom. The waterline length is significantly shorter than the overall length in the composite layups, with a lot of stern above the waterline.

My only complaints are:

(1) The seat back, which is too high for layback rolls (can be modified). It didn't fit me well, either, without shaving some of the some foam.

(2) The weight, which as advertised as 42 pounds (Kevlar) at that time but really weighed in more than 10% higher, at 47 pounds. Perception has since increased their spec weight a little for this boat, but plan on a higher actual weight or demand delivery of spec weight when ordering.

Overall, high quality manufacturing throughout. Many compliments on its appearance when paddling.

I just bought my Perception Shadow this weekend at Collinsville Canoe & Kayak in Collinsville, CT. This boat is fantastic. Excellent tracking, turns on a dime when I edge, totally manueverable, and is the PERFECT size for me. Being only 5;3" and 115, size was definitely an issue. I LOVE this boat. And the service at Collinsville is unmatched anywhere else. The salesman spent FOUR hours with me on Saturday. A huge thank you to Perception for making this exquisite boat, and a huge thank you to CCK for taking the time to go over ALL the boats with me!

If you look below you will see my unfavorable rating due to the quality of assembly of the top to bottom seam. Perception agreed with me and provided me with a new kevlar boat. The seam on this boat is up to par with alll other composite boat manufacturers. Actually this is my wife's boat and she is in love with it. It has a new foot pedal rudder technique. With dual pedals on each side there is now a way to lock the foot pedals equivalent to those found on a non rudder boat.

My wife just got a Kevlar composite shadow and is extremely happy with it's exterior finish and handling. I am very unhappy with the finish on the inside and the dealer we picked it up from agreed and we will take it back for repair. The problem is with the seam that attaches the top of the boat to the bottom. When the seam was sanded smooth that process opened up large air bubbles. Some 1/4" by 3". The bubble holes were not filled in. The edges are so sharp that fingers can get cut on the edges when feeling the seam. This defect is so obvious that it indicates no or very poor quality control.

I have a Current Design Gulfstream and there is NO comparison between the two. The Gulfstream inside is very smooth. See many pictures of the Shadow interior at http://www.toytrains.net/SHADOW/ To tell one side from the other I used a different color measuring tapes as a reference. I'll write another note after the repair is made. By the way, I'm an engineer who works on boats (SSN 688's).

I paddled a Shadow in both plastic and composite. In the semi calm waters of the intercoastal and lake area, I found that both tracked extreamly well without a rudder. However other boats have felt less good in the tracking department in these same conditions. The initial stability of the plastic version is slightly less than the fiberglass, the fiberglass being about perfect and the plastic version being somewhat sensitive to placing your hips in the exact center of the seat to keep from an inadvertant but miniscule lean. The miniscule lean will not affect the boat in any way but a small to moderate lean will initiate a small to moderate turn. This is about as one would hope. The boats are both rather fast and responsive to the first stroke unlike some longer boats that dont get under way untill you really start paddling. Be carefull with these boats if your feet are long. My feet are size 9 and if your feet are any bigger than 10, I would test the boat carefully. The cockpit!

is good and snug, letting you feel that you are really wearing the boat. I am 5'9" and 155 lbs and the cockpit is perfect for me. Another paddler was about 5'10" and 170 and he told me at a symposium that the boat was just about perfect for him too. If I could afford the composite I would be confident that there are not many better boats, nor more attractive. The plastic version is also attractive for its niche, and the addition of a metal pole, running down the length, seems to make the boat faster than other boats with similar dimensions. I am not sure how tall would be too tall for this "smaller persons boat" but I suspect it would be about 6 feet tall or over 185 lbs. Your hips could be quite wide as in a medium tall woman with very wide hips and you would still enjoy the boat. All in all a very good effort by Perception that I am told has changed little in 15 years.

I recently bought a kevlar Shadow - for me a great boat. I'm about 5'6" 140. I paddled a rotomolded Spectrum for about 4 years and although stable, wanted something lighter and faster.

I test paddled about a dozen boats and chose the Shadow because it was fast, comfortable, tracked well, easy to turn, had good secondary stability, lots of storage capacity, quality construction and it looked great! I read reviews in Canoe & Kayak that said when you paddle enough different boats you'll know when you find the one that's right for you. Sounds corny but true - best to go to demo days so you can compare models side by side.