Tribe 11.5

Awesome rec kayak , perfomance very well

good tracking . comfortable did change to harmony seats personal choice nothing bad about the originals

easy to paddle very stable and i can be maneuvered pretty easy

great set on top for any weekend

We love our Perception Tribe sit on top kayaks. They are lightweight but sturdy with handles on the side for easy carrying. Made in America with quality construction/craftsmanship. We have rented and borrowed other kayaks but nothing else compares. We have the yellow to green gradient colors so they are easily seen by other boaters. They maneuver very well, even in fast moving water. They are comfortable and roomy. We have plenty of room for our clothes, gear, and cooler. There are criss cross elastic straps to help keep our things safe.

The only real downside to the Tribe is that the molded-in footwells aren't in a great place for me. For some reason, my knees kept getting in the way of my wrists as I paddled! I couldn't use the next brace down, because I was on the farthest footwell (I'm a female, 5'9). It wasn't a constant problem, but enough that I took note of it. Has anyone else run into this problem? Also, while the seatback was comfortable, the seat bottom kept sliding forward, so I would have to brace myself and scootch backwards every ten minutes or so.

I certainly don't DISlike the Perception Tribe, and would be happy to have one of my own. But I would probably change out the seat, if I got one.

The only con I can come up with is some hull slap in light chop, but not extreme. Compared to the Ocean Kayak Scrambler XT (about the same length) seems like it will fit larger paddlers a lot easier with room for the hips width wise.

I definitely prefer sit on tops over sit insides for fishing and have owned a Cobra Tourer, Prowler 15, WS Ride (old style), Cobra Expedition, Perception Napali and a Cobra Marauder. I've always had to sell my sit on tops due to my crappy job before.

Things being better now, would I prefer a longer sleeker kayak for bigger water, yes - down the road, but this one does just fine on the big lake I usually fish and on a Delaware River float trip last weekend. The light weight and just long enough length are great for a jack of all trades kayak that is a pleasure to paddle and it is a keeper and will stay that way even as I eye a longer SOT next year.

This is my first kayak and the very reasonable price was a major motivating factor in choosing this kayak over others, though not exclusively so, and I tried this kayak out on smooth calm water before buying it. One of the features I like most about this kayak is the self draining scuppers located in all the right places: seat well, both fore and aft storage wells and, of course, where your feet go (I hesitate to call it the cockpit?). Also I really like the molded hand holds amidships on the gunnels - very sturdy/durable and not in the way! It sets atop my sedan (hull up) very well (the slight rocker almost matches the car top contour - enough so that padding is only needed in the middle) and it rides quite securely tied down with two 15' straps in the middle and paracord at bow and stern. The replaceable skid plate is a pretty good idea too.

I just got this kayak, but on the first day I racked up over three miles on it (I'm a GPS mapper so I know almost exactly how far I went too, it wasn't just a guess) and have the sore muscles to prove it! As far as a "workout" machine I got exactly what I wanted - a kayak that wasn't exactly a barge (though I have referred to it as such in jest) - it has decent tracking (this is coming from a complete novice though - as I haven't actually experienced "good" or "excellent" tracking as far as kayaks go) and maneuvers well enough for it's weight and length. I'm not sure how it will handle in moderate or heavy wind, but in fair wind situations it seems to behave well.

For my experience level and purposes it is a very good first kayak. The only cons I can think of might be the lack of protected storage in the bow and stern tank wells with bungees (though this didn't bother me since I am using it recreationally for swimming and exercise).

I bought a 2010 model so it didn't come with any kind of seat (I'm no masochist but I suppose it's my old school upbringing that makes me think that it isn't possible to actually be "getting exercise" while sitting in a seat more comfortable than my camping chair) or scupper plugs. So that might be a drawback for some folks (although it is kind of a good thing that both seat and scupper plugs can be purchased separately at a later date when funds are available) I think of this kayak as a "fair weather" machine for sure. A couple of times I thought that a seat back would have been nice, though I was able to just lay all the way back and rest when I needed to - the stability of this kayak is very good - you can sit with your legs over the edge and it won't throw you out. It could be fished out of easily with the right accessories - and any handyman with access to web articles about attaching stuff to plastic kayaks could do it and save $$ if need be. I plan to paddle and swim with mask and fins mostly though and this product fits the bill nicely. I would recommend it to others who have this purpose in mind for a kayak.

Incidentally, I was able to re-enter the kayak once I remembered to let my legs and feet float up toward the surface of the water first (though it wasn't as easy as I though it would be in my less than stellar physical shape). I got the blue fade color which I like really well, though I notice it doesn't come in red - a really cool kayak color. If I'd had the money I would have bought a longer yak - like the OK Prowler 13 (tried that one out at a local lake a couple weeks before - really liked that one), but for the money this Tribe 11.5 seems to be made of good quality solid materials and workmanship.

I'm not a big fan of the "pull starter" bow and stern handles, but they have held up to carrying and tie-downs thus far. If Perception incorporated molded handles fore and aft as they have amidships, then this would be the perfect recreational swimming platform!

The boat fits me well, plenty of room around the hips, and long enough so I can stretch my legs. This kayak easily fits a larger guy like myself. Due to my weight, I sink the boat pretty well, so the floor is always wet, but I was still able to get up some speed pretty well.

Stability is excellent, I had no problem boarding and paddling straight out through the breakers. The kayak tracks very easily, probably due to it's long, straight rockered keel. I had no problem catching the little waves, but had to really lean back and dig my paddle in to turn while surfing. Construction of the kayak seems excellent, part of the reason I chose it over an Ocean Kayak Scrambler. The side grab handles are an excellent idea.

Overall I think I'm going to enjoy this kayak, although I'll need more experience with it to see how well I'll be able to maneuver it in surf.