Expedition Sea Kayaks
Eclipse 17; Perception; www.kayaker.com; Price: $2,000; Length: 17'; Beam: 22.25"; Depth: 13"; Weight: 64 lbs (Airalite)
Eclipse 17, Perception
The Eclipse 17 is a solid, easy-to-handle kayak for someone looking for an expedition-sized boat with a big ol’ barrel of a cockpit. The moderate rocker and nearly hard chines made turning this boat like spreading butter on a warm slice of sourdough bread—smooth. The long overhanging ends sliced through waves. There was lots of deck rigging, including a perimeter line secured by recessed fittings, but only a minimal self-rescue rig: a doubled perimeter line is needed to turn the simple X configuration behind the cockpit into a box shape that would securely hold a paddle in place during a rough paddle-float self-rescue.
There are nice, flush hatches with neoprene liners that remained fairly dry after a few rolls, but the covers are very thin and had a tendency to slip around the hatch opening, even when tightened by the straps. There is a comfortable seat with a ratchet-adjustable back and small, integrated thigh braces. The Eclipse comes with a plastic Yakima rudder that proved indestructible no matter how much we twisted and cranked on it. This model of the Eclipse is constructed of an extruded, thermoformed material called Airalite, which has a smooth finish inside and out and yields a kayak with composite-boat paddling at a plastic-boat price.
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