Lose the Perception saddle. I agree with most of Richard's comments below
except for his curious sense of grading.

sincerely,
Carey Robson
www.CanoeBC.ca


"Oci-One Kanubi" wrote in message
ps.com...
Wow! Larry the Cable Guy started out with a Mohawk WW16! So did I! I
remember removing all the thwarts and lasso-ing it with a running
bight, tightening the bight until I pulled in the gunwhales 3 or 4",
then cutting down the thwarts and replacing them. Gee-zeus, it was my
first boat, so I had nothing to compare it to, so I have no idea
whether that improved the performance or degraded it! But I thought it
was a cool idea, and it did make cross-strokes much easier.

I cannot remember whether my first Perception saddle was on that boat
or on the Dagger Genesis that replaced it, but for a while I loved that
Perception saddle. Like Larry, I learned to roll in a canoe with a
Perception saddle (the Genesis).

Three things to consider about the Perception saddle:

1) The dry storage compartment isn't dry; it's not water-*proof*, but
water-*resistant*. If you really *must* install the Perception saddle
(see below) get a couple of drybags that will fit through the hatch,
for anything you need to stow that really must be kept dry.

2) You really want to use a boat outfitted this way only on water that
is almost a full class easier than your personnal skills. If yer a
Class IV canoeist, it will do you fine on Class III and maybe on III+,
but it will be tricky on Class IV. Likewise if you're a Class III
boater you will have a harder time than usual on solid Class III
rapids. This is because the "wings" of the saddle force your knees
toward the center of the boat, whereas (as with any athletic pursuit)
for optimum performance and balance you need to maintain as wide a
stance as possible.

3) It's a heavy monkey-finger. It always seemed particularly wonderful
to me that you could just leap out so quickly and easily to help a
friend in trouble, or just jump in in turbulent water without having to
diddle around with thigh straps, but that problem has been solved. Now
I use Mike Yee outfitting: a lightweight foam saddle and thigh-straps
suspended by 1/16" bungie cord, which holds the thigh straps open so I
can jump in almost as quickly as with the Perception. And the foam
saddle is 6 or 7 pounds lighter than the Perception.

Since I am so old now, I do everything I can to keep the weight of my
boats down, including paying an extra couple-100$ for wood gunwhales to
save 4 or 5 pounds, so the idea of putting in a Perception saddle makes
me shudder (aside from the fact that I often paddle water that is too
hard for me, so I really *need* the control I get fby keeping my knees
spread wide.

-Richard, His Kanubic Travesty
--
================================================== ====================
Richard Hopley Winston-Salem, NC, USA
. rhopley[at]earthlink[dot]net
. Nothing really matters except Boats, Sex, and Rock'n'Roll
. rhopley[at]wfubmc[dot]edu
. OK, OK; computer programming for scientific research also matters
================================================== ====================


Richard Ferguson wrote:
I bought the Encore for $450 with good air bags. The boat is set up
right now with a kneeling thwart. The boat is 13' 2" long and 32 inches
wide, I estimate 6 inches of rocker.

He threw in a Perception black plastic saddle, not installed. I was
originally skeptical about it, but I like the tractor seat on the back,
like the idea of being able to change positions from kneeling to
sitting, which I can do with my current boat. So I may install the
Perception, but I am going to take my time thinking about it.

Thanks again for everyone's input.

Richard



Richard Ferguson wrote:
I think that we are talking apples and oranges, but I sent out a note
on
the local club email list, and a couple of emails came back. One
offered a Mohawk XL13 for $600, said it was outfitted and in like new
condition. Another said he had an Encore he was not using, but did
not
mention a price.

My impression is the following: The XL13 is a beginner whitewater
boat,
but would probably work OK for tripping. The XL13 presumably would be
a
noticeably better whitewater boat than my Camper, but not as nice as an
Outrage X or Prodigy X. The Encore is a classic solo whitewater boat,
probably an older design. I think that the Encore is around 13 feet
long, although the info on the web is limited and contradictory.

Not sure if any other boats will pop up. The XL13 is a good deal, if
it
is in good condition, but I wanted a little more boat.

Richard





--
http://www.fergusonsculpture.com
Sculptures in copper and other metals