Spectrum

I bought my spectrum new in 1999 and have used it extensively since. I love this kayak. I have used other types and always end up back in my spectrum. I'm moving to the virgin islands now and wish I could take it with me but the shipping costs are over 2k so I'm letting her go. If you know anyone wanting one let me know.

I have owned my Spectrum since 1990 when it appeared at my local outdoor specialty shop as a factory demo. I was looking for a solo canoe after failing to find anyone to paddle with after a week of work. I was talked into buying this by getting a great deal. I paddled a multitude of rivers in Michigan, even class III's. I paddled to an island with my cousin in his Prijon, 6 miles out into the Atlantic off the coast of Maine. It's been off the coast of Florida, both Atlantic side and the Gulf. I've been out into Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior It has never failed me and never rolled. The first 15 years it tracked true as an arrow, but as the bottom began to oilcan, It doesn't track as well, and the seat back is terrible. I have other kayaks, so the spectrum has sat, almost unused for 2yrs. I have decided though to correct the bottom problems, add a skeg box or rudder system, an adjustable backband, add hatches and bulkheads, and put it back into service. It was my first kayak and after 25 years with it, I will never part with it

I have had one of these off and on (owned, sold, then bought another) since 1990 the first year they were made. A great general use kayak for recreational purposes. A lot faster hull than most boats of if it's length class and a comfortable ride. Very stable, forgiving and durable. I've done a lot of fishing and multi-day exploring in these. A great all-around design.

I'm still a rookie on the water with only a few hundred miles under my belt, a bit over 100 with this yak on a class I river. I totally agree with the one reviewer who mentioned this boat doesn't rest well, as soon as you stop paddling it wants to cock to one side or the other: but that makes you paddle and I like that. Also it has forced me to improve my paddling form, it doesn't tolerate lazy strokes and I find it is much happier with a high angle stroke where as touring/low angle strokes result in a lot of side to side movement.

Compared to my Eagle Run 12' this thing would be a horrible idea for a fishing kayak - it's initial stability is far lower, though it's secondary is solid. You could fish from it but if that's your primary purpose for the yak look else where.

I've found the Spectrum to be a bit temperamental, but again that's forced me to learn to use my hips to handle it and has allowed me to start leaning into and out of turns.

I see a lot of suggestions for this as a beginner yak and I agree if the person wants to learn to handle a touring boat, but I see a lot of casual folks with stickers on their paddles which are proudly held upside down - they should definitely look elsewhere.

For a beginner looking to get seriously into the sport it's an awesome kayak. I know I will outgrow it eventually and likely wind up with purpose boats for whitewater and ocean - but I doubt I will ever let my Spectrum go.

If you can still find a used Spectrum, buy it. I purchased my yellow, plastic Spectrum in 1999 and have logged many miles in it over the past ten years. Since then I have purchased a more efficient touring boat that of course tracks better, has much better speed, and turns better. However, I still return to the Spectrum when I want to run some river rapids and not worry about scraping and denting my more expensive boat. I also use the Spectrum for overnight trips -- the cavernous rear hatch swallows gear and I can stuff dry bags far up under the front deck.

This Spectrum should never be confused with a touring kayak; it can seem cumbersome compared to any narrower, longer boats. However, I've found tracking to be actually quite good for the hull shape; weather cocking is a problem and may demand over-paddling on one side (don't waste $$ on a rudder for this boat).

At 5'9" 165 lbs, I have lots of wiggle room and never feel cramped; in fact, compared to my 22" wide touring boat, when I return to the Spectrum I feel like I'm rattling around in it. This is still a far better overall boat than many of the recreational kayaks on the market and is just as stable and user friendly as any of them. So if you can find one, buy it -- it should be cheap and provide you with plenty of additional years of paddling fun.

This is an old model made by Perception - Aquaterra with clear lines of a recreational boat yet with the capacity of a small touring. It is definitely a seaworthy one with a watertight aft hatch and bow/stern flotation bags. Bit of a rocker this lady, she is going to request your total concentration to find the balance point to keep her going straight, once you find it, brace yourself and enjoy the possibilities. Turns and speed become easy stuff, stability is a great point in this kayak that really makes difficult to flip over when eskimo rolling.

As to wet exit & re entry I haven't found a more friendly kayak: I can climb back in easily and I am known as one of those that have problems with re entries. Add basic safety features such as paddle float, bilge pump, handy sponge to ensure a longer stay on the water, use your favorite spray skirt and you won't need any sponge.

Tried her with two different paddles : 220 vs. 230 and found the shorter one performs better for low & high bracing, why? I dunno, but that's what it is: a shorter paddle makes her turn on a dime, gives you more power stroke for speed, bracing & rolling go better than when using longer paddles.

Can you fish from that thing?
That's the question in everyone's mind when window shopping for a kayak. I am not an authority nor I believe I have the basic knowledge to give an opinion on this matter. That being said, I had two SOT's, I have two SIK's that give me a whole world of possibilities I couldn't find on the SOT's world, being a man of short extremities the chance of wearing the yak allows me to get much more of a day on the water than using a SOT. If I had to get on the water to save someone else's life I'd rather grab a SIK than a SOT, you can bet all your money on that.

Fish finder and rod holders can be placed on the front deck with endless possibilities, rear hatch area is huge also open to many different set ups. I'm going with two Ram 119 T on the front deck...it is going to ruin the funny eskimo roll thing but hey! we gotta catch some fish, don't we?

Final note: If you aren't familiar with SIK this one might not be your best choice. See you on the water, don't spook my fish!

I wuv my Spectrum..... It tracks real good and turns on a dime. actually it does take some skill to make it do what you want it to. I think it is a David Yost canoe hull with a kayak deck. I've had her in some class 3/4 on the Deschutes river near home and taken her to the sea. make a decent surf boat.

WOW, got this yak used, for $325 with bulkhead, and full rudder. Took it out on the river this weekend. Just general flatwater paddling, had a head wind of 5 to 10 mph so no major wind. This performed fantastically. Extremely stable, tracks well (even without the rudder down). A friend of mine has a Dagger Edisto, his is a lot more tippy and I can keep right up with him with little effort. I had two friends and my 13 year old son try out the yak and they loved it.

But lets get this straight, this is a touring Kayak. It is not a high end $$$$$ yak, it is rotomolded plastic, meaning it can and will oilcan. But this could well be the last yak I buy. It should be well tested in a couple of years but right now it is fantastic I would love another for my son.

I bought a yellow plastic Spectrum about 7 years ago, at which time it was almost state-of-the-art and basically all that was available. Where I live in Auckland, New Zealand it is only a five minute drive down to the sea. For fitness I have been doing pretty much the same 1hr 40 min run on average 3 times a week for at least five of those years, and at a conservative 4 knots that works out to be over 4500 nautical miles. With a rudder tracking is never a problem. Head or beam on seas are no problem either. The only times (say 10 runs) that I have had to turn back is when a huge following sea has forced me to slow down to avoid broaching - thus making the run too slow and not worthwhile. Sure, I get blitzed by bunnies in boats with better hull speed, but I can treat the Spectrum real rough and hence, in terms of value for money, give it a high rating. I think there is probably a better general purpose kayak around that can take a pounding but I haven't seen one yet. For more fun, especially during summer, I think I will get a surf-ski.

Good all around boat. It is exceptionally stable and has good speed for its length/width. I own a Wilderness Systems Seacret and my brother owns a Spectrum. We have had both boats in surf (ever pitchpole a 14' boat?), long open water paddles, and whitewater (fall line Appomattox River class I-III). The spectrum is about bullet proof. It is fishable and capable of long distances. We have covered up to 21miles in 6hrs with my brother in the spectrum.

I recently went paddling with my brother with him in his new Walden Legend (17.5' X 21") and me in his old spectrum. With a little extra effort I was able to keep up. We ventured into the lower James River (5miles wide) into a stiff NW wind blowing straight down river and whitecaps up to 3'. It beat hard into the waves and was a bear with a headwind but surfed a following sea well.

Like two other sub 15' boats I've paddled, it tracks fine as long as you're pulling ahead but turns when you pause. The solution, don't pause frequently. Even light forward strokes keep it on course if applied correctly. It also weather cocks with a stiff beam wind (same as other two boats). The rudder helps when deployed but exaserbates the problems when retracted and acting like a sail.

If a beginner, I would recommend this boat without a rudder. Work on paddling skills. Also, rudders get in the way in wooded swamps and are easily damaged in surfing accidents.

I have owned my Spectrum for 3 years now and have only one complaint, its weight. This boat is a hog at 62 pounds, which makes for some grueling portages. I have been reading the reviews posted here and I think what many people fail to notice about the Spectrum is the hull shape. This boat has quite a bit of rocker and does not fall into the typical touring boat category. It does not handle like a touring boat and if you paddle it like one you will have problems keeping it straight. Rocker allows a boat to spin more easily; the degree of this effect is controlled by the amount of rise and the location of the axis on the hull. A touring boat has little rocker and therefore will go straight practically by itself. Another effect of the hull shape is that it does not respond very well to typical leans where a right side lean helps you turn right and a left side lean helps you turn left. It actually responds in opposite, left = right, right = left in the initiation of the lean then right = right and left = left after the turn is in progress. It is a bit strange and can be quite confusing to an inexperienced paddler. The Spectrum was designed to be somewhat of a whitewater touring boat. Therefore it needs to be paddled like a whitewater boat. It is actually quite capable of handling class I and II whitewater as a result. Efficient paddling strokes are necessary and equalized paddling pressure on each side is needed to keep it moving straight. A slight pause will cause the back end to spin around requiring corrective strokes. As for the tracking issues, people who experience problems are either paddling it wrong or are light in weight. The spectrum is a high volume boat. Light paddlers may not have enough weight to allow the boat to glide and utilize the full shape of the hull. Adding a little weight could help. Too much weight can also be a problem, sinking the boat beyond efficiency. Equal distribution of weight is helpful as is adjusting the seat forward or backward to help level out the hull as it passes through the water. If the stern (back) sits too low in the water, the point of the bow (front) will not cut the water properly therefore causing poor tracking. If the bow sinks too low, more energy will need to be spent to maintain forward speed. It really is a good boat; I have seen many reviews and have also watched many people paddle it. Some get it, some don't. Its not the boats fault, its just doing what it was designed to do. I think people should do more research to avoid buying something they do not like.

Don't even bother with this boat unless you buy it with a rudder. I tested my Spectrum Basic (No Rudder) out before I bought it, and it was all over the water. This was back when I was a new kayaker, and I thought that I would increase my control as I learned. After purchasing the boat, I paddled a flatwater river with it. I returned the boat the day after I bought it. Yes it is fairly fast and stable, but it sails like a drunk. I traded mine in for an Acadia, which I am very happy with. I can not say that I have tried this boat with a rudder, because even the mention of the name "Spectrum" brings up this ugly incident. Get yourself an Acadia.

From the very beginning I had tracking problems and worried that it was me and my paddling skills. However, I soon realized that this was not the case and called Perception. The person I spoke to suggested that I check and see if the keel was straight. The keel is straight and perhaps I have gotten somewhat use to the tracking problem. I now enjoy it in the small creeks and streams in Kentucky.

It's amazing to me the spectrum of other reviews. I have owned a spectrum for 4 years and have crossed the upper Chesapeake, fished in small coves and completely covered the susquehanna river below the conowingo dam. It's been a pleasure to paddle, store and load on my jeep. As a first kayak, I highly recommend it. I now have a Chesapeake 17, that I recently completed - yes a great deal more volumn and even lighter, but the Spectrum is just so versatile and I don't worry about the cosmetics as much. Look for one on sale from somone upgrading - you can get a great deal - happy paddling.

I am surprised to see such low ratings on this boat. My wife and I have both loved our Spectrum and have paddled it in the Gulf with the porpoise, taken it down local Florida rivers and raced it in lakes. Perhaps people who think it doesn't track well are used to longer boats and don't recognize this boat for what it is. It is a short touring boat so isn't designed to track as well as a longer boat but having started with whitewater boats I have never had any problem with the Spectrum and have always bragged about how well it tracks. I recently placed 6th in my devision racing it on a 4 mile run in competition with both longer and shorter boats. And at age 48, I was in competition with largely younger more agile paddlers. It is lightweight so very easy to carry and tote on most vehicles and allows for considerable storage. This is a fast,lightweight boat that is ideal for long day trips and I highly recommend it for day excursions in the Gulf of Mexico even though its design is more suited for lake and river trips-hence its best feature-it is the most versatile boat I've ever owned.

This boat is a great beginner boat because of its stability on one hand. But on the other, the tracking is a serious problem. This is the first boat I have ever paddled for longer than 3 hours, and I thought I was doing something wrong because I kept losing control, even in calm water. I'm glad to hear other people had the tracking problems too!!

I have had a Spectrum for the past year and it has worked great for me. I have went on short and even long (6day) trips with it and it worked pretty well. I did however have tracking problems in open water, but after adding a rudder all problems are in the past. I also added a Humingbird fish locator and use it for fishing often. Easy to Roll, nice and easy to pack, over a great boat for the money. Only grip is the lack of any bow storage.

I've rented Spectrums on two seperate occasions. Once for large, flat lake, once for a class I & II river run. Although the Spectrum was not bad on the lake--stable enough for fishing--I had tremendous difficulty with tracking on both rentals. Once the boat is 5 degrees off of straight-ahead, it starts turning and is almost impossible to get straight again. Incredibly annoying on the lake, almost dangerous on the river. I bought a Wilderness Systems Manteo and am thrilled--faster, better tracking, and superior construction, features, and materials.

This is a great all around boat! We use it for fishing, photography, weekend trips and some mild river work. Forget the rudder you don't need it for paddling but may want it if you do a lot fishing from it. I also have a meridan which is faster but enough to seperate us on a weekend trip. It is very stable and tons of storage.