Reviews for Captiva Kayak by Perception

Very stable boat, tacks beautifully even without the rudder down. And, with the rudder down it takes away the need to edge constantly to stay on track. Although I hardly ever use it, I'd rather have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, I've got the best of both worlds with this boat.

With no sprayskirt on my 6yo daughter can sit comfortably between my legs and we have a great time together on short paddles.

This kayak holds a ton of gear, I usually end up carrying friends gear...(mmm maybe not a plus point). It’s a "floating backpack" that can carry enough gear, food and water to be self contained for a weeks trip as recently completed in the Seto inland sea here in Japan. Empty or laden the boat handles and tracks well. I have a rudder which is a must, especially laden.

This yak is so stable that you can relax when paddling even in waves or chop. Other boats I have had/used in the past were more "nervous" feeling adding to your fatigue level.

First off, the Captiva is a good boat. It's not a great boat. It looks snazzy and such. I've gotten comments on how sharp it looked, setting on my truck rack. The paddling is where differences of opinion occur...even with me. I frequently paddle it with friends who borrow my Acadia. If you paddle a strong and relatively fast stroke, the Captiva is the faster of the two, simply put. But, if you paddle slow and easy, I've had canoes run off and leave me. That said, if you are going down a river on a weekend camping trip, and you want to be able to take most of the fridge, kitchen, bedroom, etc. with you, this is the boat to do it in. The boat is pretty darned stable, holds a lot of gear, and then holds a lot more gear. I've had both hatches full, gear crammed between my knees, behind the seat, and under both bungees, and the boat was still as stable as a barge. It was slow and took effort in calm water, but in a creek with any current, it's reasonable. A good paddle and good technique will make some difference. The lighter the boat is, the less draft, i.e. the faster boat as it will have more freeboard. As I don't do any demanding water, I took off the thigh braces to give me more room to wiggle into the cockpit. I kept skinning my knees and even capsized a couple of times trying to get in the boat on slippery banks and boat ramps.

I'm a big guy, and admittedly, paddling the Captiva gets me tired after a bit. But then, don't we all get tired after a day of paddling?

In my experience the Captiva is like paddling a concrete block through honey. I was tired and sore after each paddle. (yes, I will blame a % of that on technique) But even so this is a slow, lumbering boat. I dragged that thing through the water for about 2 months before I could not take it anymore and traded it back in.

I may be big but I love to kayak!!! The Captiva gets me out there (even in wild weather). I definitely recommend the expedition version with rudder as it does whip around in medium to high winds (why fight it with "technique" when you can just flip down the rudder?) The seat is very comfy even if I can't use the "cup holder" as it is under me... somewhere (who thought of that idea?). The stick-on "seat pad" comes loose when wet (duh?) and can move around (no big deal). The quality and finish is typical Perception: top-notch. The bulkheads are huge and holds lots of stuff (all the big stuff was put into my kayak during our Florida Keys trip).

The bad? Heavy and slow!!! At +70 pounds, it is work to get it up into a cradle by yourself without denting your vehicle or what-not. I strong as well as big so it was not too bad. Anyone less strong... better have two people.

Slow? Yes, it is slow.... like a ferry, barge or Queen Mary. (What do you expect when a kayak is big enough to carry a guy like me and not sink?) My wife (4'-11" and 115#) in her little Wilderness Systems Piccolo "needle" is like a bullet compared to me. I have to work the paddles pretty hard to keep up (did I mention I was strong....) This is the price I pay for being as big as I am (I am losing weight though...).

Believe it or not, the two-person Wilderness Systems Pamlico Excel I owned before the Captiva was faster. It was also as easy as falling when I wanted out (the Captive requires I lift myself out...). However, the Excel is an open cockpit design and I was doing Intercoastal & Ocean at the time and got tired of fearing every big wave or chop would swamp me (try pumping out a Pamlico a 1/2 mile from shore some time.... no thanks!!!) Now I live in North-Central Florida and we mainly do Springs and Rivers now days so I wish I had my Pamlico back...

I've paddled the Captiva on the ocean, large lakes and bays, in small marsh areas and in a variety of weather conditions (including heavy wind gusts) and found the Captiva to be a reliable and efficient kayak. While I amusingly refer to the Captiva as the "fat ass" version of Perception's Carolina, I mean this with all due respect. I'm 6'1, 255lbs, and find myself extremely comfortable in this kayak (even after 8 hour endurance paddles). I've noticed some people complain about control, handling, speed and tracking with the Captiva. If you have this problem, you're probably too small for the boat, or your paddling inefficiently. Any complaints about room for feet can be handled with a little outfitting and adjustment of the foot pedals coupled with a good pair of ergonomic river shoes. While I had some problems early on paddling the very large Captiva, I found using a 260cm paddle did the trick. With a 260cm paddle, my control, handling, speed, and tracking dramatically improved. It's a big boat for a big guy or gal, so it requires a little more paddle to maintain control. Another plus to using the longer paddle is speed.

While I've read a lot of complaints about the Captiva being slow, I do not have this problem. With a longer paddle and a good technique you can really move in the kayak. I have never had a problem "keeping up with the crowd" with this kayak!

On large ocean swells (10-feet or above) the Captiva has surprising secondary stability for its size. The Captiva punches through waves effectively as well. If you utilize proper technique and handling, the Captiva has little or no problem with wakes and turbulent water. I've been out in some heavy wind and chop on large bays and still maintained good stability. But I wouldn't recommend it for surfing; unless you're an expert at touring kayak surfing, it requires good skill and nerves for surfing. Even more surprising is the Captiva's endurance in windy conditions. While subject to substantial weather-cocking without the rudder, with the rudder the Captiva slices through wind like a hot knife through butter and maintains its tracking even in an aggressive cross wind.

This kayak was definitely made for an expedition. The front and rear bulkheads maintain more than adequate space for camping and cooking in the outdoors for weeks if necessary. Because of the Captiva's size, the fully packed Captiva is actually more maneuverable. The large rear hatch allows you to pack everything but a kitchen sink (perhaps even a toilet for the porcelain- challenged outdoorsmen). Although, with all the other luxuries, I personally would have added a day hatch (like on the Vizcaya) to this kayak if I worked at Perception. Overall, if you're a big guy or gal, enjoy long camping and kayaking trips and need a kayak that can overcome obstacles, the Captiva's for you. I've owned mine for four months now and have no complaints. And I would definitely recommend the expedition w/rudder model; it's worth the extra money because of the comfort and maneuverability offered by the expedition/with rudder model.