perception dancer 'youth' as a first cboat?

[Daddy-O]

I found an old dancer 'youth sized' in lilac. $75 obo. My gut tells me this is the perfect platform for daddy daughter date nights for outfitting, and to take us well into the lake, class 1, class 2 neighborhood. So before jump I thought I would bounce this idea off of the c-nut gallery. Big gratitude for your thoughts on this... Daddy-O

[ezwater]

That size is the best Dancer. The worst was the Dancer XT.

[Sir Adam]

The primary stability may not make it the greatest C1.... but if you're keeping it a two-blade boat it is not a bad first boat!

[Bob P]

I paddled a Dancer as a C1 back around 1980. It worked pretty well for my 5'7" frame. Of course back then there weren't very many (smaller boat) alternatives.

[JimW]

Was that called XS over here (UK)?
I don't think I ever fitted in an XS, I could only just get into a regular one and preferred the XT, but that's as kayaks - the cockpit shape and size was the issue, I had enough room once in, and as C1 you don't have to get your legs in under the foredeck! I could get in Sabre and Reflex because the cockpits were different, but not Dancer XS!

I always expected from photos that the Gyramax would be very similar to a Dancer, but when I finally saw one for real it wasn't. Gyramax was probably too big and stable but I wonder if the XS might just be too narrow and rounded to be a good C1? In terms of volume it will have more than a lot of modern conversions so no worries there, it's just that old fashioned cigar hull shape that I'm wondering about!

[ezwater]

If the Seeker could find a Dagger Blast, that is a hot little river runner. I used to watch downriver racer John Pinyerd stuffed into a Blast and having one.

[sbroam]

I never saw it called a a "Youth", but an "XS". Interesting. My little guy has been paddling it just fine, he is approaching 80 pounds right now. We have a Dagger Dynamo that is in the on-deck circle when he is ready for something new.