RE: [Paddlewise] Perception Dancer/deck blades

From: Rob Cookson <rob_cookson_at_mindspring.com>
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 18:53:34 -0700
Hello,

The Dancer is an old whitewater boat.  When it first came out it was the hot
new boat and it stayed that way for years, it had better staying power than
any design before or since.  Almost everyone who has been paddling long
enough has paddled a dancer.  One of the best big wave surf kayakers I have
ever seen used to use a Dancer and he held out and kept that boat years
after everyone else was changing.  So yes it can work in the surf.  It is
long and has tremendous hull speed (compared to modern ww boats) so it is
easier to catch waves.

That said, it would not be my choice for a surf boat.  I like the new flat
hulls because they are far more playful and allow access to moves that you
can't get in a Dancer.  The Dancer also has a small cockpit that is not as
comfy for a lot of folks compared to modern boats.  If you are small than
the Dancer cockpit will be fine.

The boat will be old, and the plastic may be brittle, so be aware that the
life of the boat may be short.  If the paddle and skirt are in serviceable
condition than it could be a reasonable deal.  Dancers here in the Seattle
area seem to sell for 50-100 bucks.

Have fun in the surf!

Cheers,
--
Rob Cookson
		3 Hats Design
		INTERNET  PRINT  ILLUSTRATION
		5201 15 Ave NW
		Suite 220
		Seattle, WA 98107
		206.851.8202 direct line
		206.784.1641 main office phone
		206.784.2231 main office fax
		mailto:rob_at_3hats.com
		http://www.3hats.com

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net]On Behalf Of E. Sullivan
>
>
> Anybody surf this boat? Comments? My Caribou is a little
> unwieldy for surfing all day. Got a line on a good [I think]
> deal ($250 for the whole kit (including Lightning graphite
> shaft paddle)), and I think it'll be gone if I wait to try
> it out. I will just be surfing, not whitewater.
>
>

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not
to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************
Received on Tue Apr 18 2000 - 18:55:05 PDT

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:22 PDT