Perception Essence 16.5 Kayak with Skeg

Item # 767858

$1400.00

Item qualifies for annual
REI Member Refund (typically 10%)

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Description
Specs
Customer Reviews
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The Essence 16.5 kayak from Perception is built to perform on the ocean with a design that provides a blend of speed and stability.

Touring style hull offers excellent versatility; great for those seeking a boat for everything from open water to local lakes
Cockpit is snug and precise fitting, providing positive fit for aggressive edging and rolls without being uncomfortable for casual touring
Rigid polyethylene hull withstands years of use without the need for maintenance
Liquicell seat technology focuses on the elimination of low-back pain caused by sitting in one position over long periods
Adjustable footbraces and padded foam thighbraces customize cockpit for maximum performance and comfort
Fully bulkheaded bow, stern and day hatches provide generous dry cargo storage for extended voyages
Cockpit-deployable skeg enhances tracking in rougher water and windy conditions
Perimeter deck lines for increased safety and easy re-entry into kayak
Deck rigging on bow and stern lets you stash items you want to have readily available
Ergonomic carry handles at bow and stern make trips to and from the water a cinch

Made in USA.

Item 767858

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Perception Essence 16.5 Kayak with Skeg Specs

Specification	Description
Material	Polyethylene
Length	16 ft. 5 in.
Width	22 inches
Depth	15.5 inches
Weight	55 pounds
Cockpit size	35.4 x 19.4 inches
Number of paddlers	1
Weight capacity	325 pounds
Hatch Capacity	Bow: 3,462 / stern: 3,620 / day hatch: 1,729 cubic inches

Perception Essence 16.5 Kayak with Skeg Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Perception Essense 16.5 Kayak with Skeg

4.0

(based on 1 review)

Reviewed by 1 customer

Displaying review 1

Aug

2008

(42 of 42 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

This is a Great Boat!

By AIC Fan

from Healdsburg CA

About Me Competitive

Pros

Comfortable
Easy Entry & Exit
Easy To Lift
Easy to Paddle
Good Maneuverability

Cons

Not Enough Storage

Best Uses

Day Trips
Kayak Camping
Ocean Swells

Comments about Perception Essense 16.5 Kayak with Skeg:

On the water I've tried out the WS Tsunami 145,165 and Old Town's bigger Cayuga (forget the length and exact model) and they were ok. I decided I didn't like having a rudder set-up because the one day I paddled the Tsunami 165, which has a rudder, (on an all day excursion) one of the footpegs broke off with about 2 additonal parts, that would be a disaster out on open water in windy conditons as you wouldn't be able to control the rudder. I ordered the Essence 16.5 sight unseen. Yeah, a BIG risk. I didn't realize it was a new model that came out in Spring 08 and thus the low amounts of reviews I've been able to find on it. I've been paddling it for a week and really have come to love this kayak. It's 22 inches wide (the Tsunami and Cayuga are 24" wide)and you can really haul butt with it! You can keep up a fast cadence with relative ease, this is a great touring and fitness kayak. It cuts an excellent tracking line through the water. Primary stabiltity is good. Secondary stability is excellent. The essence is more manuverable than the Wilderness System boats, and way more manuverable than the kinda clunky Cayuga. I haven't paddled it in the ocean yet but have gone out into rough lake water in windy and powerboat chop (1-3 ft high) where I had to use bracing strokes for some sections where choppy waves are abeam of your boat and the Essence performed like a champ. The deck rigging is well laid out and practical. The hatches are not completely water proof, if you flip the boat a tiny amount (about 1-2 tablespoons) of water can get in. The hatches are the rubber kind that just clamp on by themselves and don't have any straps etc. to insure total water-proofness. For some people totally dry hatches are a must, for me this is a minor niggle. I do a lot of kayak camping and you simply have to live with a little less storage capacity with a skinny boat. I don't think you'd be able to pack more than a comfortable weeks gear and food in the boat. I have ultra light backpacking gear so space is not an issue. The stock factory seat is great. It is comfortable and low-profile, so getting in and out via the venerable kick-stand method is a snap. The Essence comes with a skeg, it really does work well in wind keeping the boat on a straight course in wind. In fact there were two days with really high wind ( 30 -35 mph) in a few sections and I experienced only some SLIGHT weathercocking! I am impressed. I was really concerned about durability too. At 55 lbs. this is on the light side for a plastic boat. The comparable WS boats are all over 60 lbs. After owning the Essence and hauling it around, I'm not worried about it. Of course there is no perfect kayak yet, but this boat does have a great combination of speed and stability. The other boat I had/am considered getting was/is the Prijon Kodiak, for all the gear packing capacity. The Essence is my first sea kayak and I wanted something with a little more speediness and was a great overall kayak and I am totally satisifed in that respect with the Perception Essence 16.5