Carolina 13.5 by Perception: Review

Carolina 13.5 by Perception

The Carolina line is one of the most important series of kayaks ever made.  These were the first mass-produced “Day Touring” boats that bridged the gap between recreational kayaks and longer sea kayaks.  There are lots of Carolinas out there on the used market, and they come in different sizes.  I got to try out a Carolina 13.5.  The one I paddled was an older model, 2002, and had no options (rudder, adjustable seat, adjustable thigh bracing, etc.).  As the Carolina matured, Perception added more features and options, so the age of the kayak does matter as far as outfitting is concerned.  Although my Carolina is old, it is still in great shape and has many more years of great paddling left.

I read the reviews on this kayak on Paddling.net and was a bit confused when several people said that it tracked well but is hard to turn.  Then I realized that they all came from paddling 9-10 ft. recreational kayaks.  I paddle sea kayaks mostly, so I will be comparing it to other kayaks that are similar in size.

After talking to many people who paddle Carolinas, I expected this kayak to be very stable and quite sluggish, sort of a glorified recreational boat.  I was pleasantly surprised.  This kayak was nimble, with only moderate initial stability (compared to an Acadia or a Pungo) and it has very good secondary stability.  The 13.5 Carolina is only 22.5” wide, so it handles like a small sea kayak.    The cockpit is tight (I am 5’7”, 150lbs and it was uncomfortable for me.  I don’t see how anyone over 5’5” and 135lbs would be comfortable in this boat.)  The thigh bracing gives good contact with the boat and allows for some great control when edging a turn.

Newer Carolinas have better outfitting, especially the seat, but still no deck lines.

I suppose that compared to recreational kayaks it tracks well and is hard to turn, but compared to anything in its class (like a Tsunami), the tracking is pretty weak and it turns on a dime.  So it may be a bit of work to keep in a straight line, but it is really fun to paddle.  The flat hull makes this a fairly slow kayak (it actually throws off a bow wave as it plows through the water), but for most casual day-touring, it is fast enough.  The total lack of rocker means the kayak will submarine into oncoming waves, but it says right on the kayak that it is intended for flat or slow-moving water only, so expecting it to perform well in big waves is asking a bit much. 

By today’s standards, the outfitting is sorely lacking.  My Carolina had only 1 adjustment to the seat back, no adjustments to the thigh bracing, no rudder or skeg, no day hatch, and no deck lines.  Later Carolinas did add more features, but no deck lines (a big oversight for a touring kayak).   With the poor tracking, I can see where someone might want a rudder on this boat.

Bottom line: Compared to a modern day-touring kayak, like a Tsunami, the Carolina seems old-fashioned.  It has neither the outfitting nor the performance of a Tsunami.  But, it is a comfortable, fun kayak to paddle and you can pick one up for about half the price of a Tsunami.  Another plus of my Carolina is that it only weighs 47 lbs. because it doesn’t have a rudder or other extra outfitting to add weight.  If you are looking for an all-purpose kayak that will take a lot of abuse, give this boat a try.  If you are over 5’5” and 135 lbs., try the Carolina 14’.  Though I suspect it is a bit more sluggish than the 13.5.

5 Essential Pieces of gear you should carry

1. PFD (life vest).  You shouldn’t just carry one; you should wear it.  

 

My favorite PFD of all-time, made by Kokatat

2. Rope – Preferably a tow rope.  You never know when you will have to tow someone, or tie up your kayak.  Carry at least a 25’ line.  A throw bag or tow rope will give you what you need with a convenient carry case.

 

Double rope throw / tow line for kayaking

3. First aid kit.  Even just having basics like band-aids can make a big difference when someone gets injured on the water.  Tip: put a bottle of Visine in your first-aid kit so you can flush the sunscreen out of your eyes. (One of the most common issues with kayaking).

 

Basic First Aid Kit

4. Repair kit.  Duct tape and a Leatherman multi-tool should be all you need to fix just about anything that goes wrong with your kayak.

5. Spray skirt.  The water may be totally calm when you start out, but a swift moving storm can quickly kick up waves that will swamp your kayak.

 

Don't try this without a spray skirt!

Think like the Boy scouts and always be prepared.

Circumnavigation of Manhattan

The “Circ”, Circumnavigation of Manhattan

When I first heard about the “Circ,” I wanted no part of it.  Paddling 30 miles in one day around Manhattan sounded like a recipe for disaster.  I wondered if I could make it that far without running out of energy.  I passed on invitations for this trip on several occasions, then my friend Dave did the trip and reported back to me.  Dave said it wasn’t that hard and he was sure I could make it.  I trust Dave’s judgment, so I signed up for the trip this year (2013) with a group from the Cold Spring Kayak Club.

The secret to this trip is to go with paddlers who have done it before.  We had 8 paddlers, with about half who had already completed the trip.  Rich, our leader, had done the trip before and had worked out the timing so the currents would be in our favor.  (This is THE key to this trip).

 

Kayaks preparing to launch.  George Washington Bridge in the background

Hudson River - Upper Manhattan

On June 1, we launched at 9:00am from the Englewood Boat Basin in NJ, just north of the George Washington Bridge.  The current in the Hudson River is very strong in this area and we were flying down towards the tip of Manhattan.  Our overall moving average for the trip was 5 mph, which is pretty fast for a kayak.  The water on the west side of Manhattan was varied.  We had a headwind, so there were some waves created by wind fighting the current.  We also had boat wake that came from every conceivable angle and often refracted off of the bank so you had to watch for waves coming from anywhere and everywhere.  It was nothing our group couldn’t handle, but I wouldn’t recommend this trip for beginners.

 

Freedom Tower.  After this, it got too rough to take pictures

At the tip of Manhattan, we got an incredible view of the city.  On our left was Manhattan, the Freedom Tower, the Intrepid museum, etc.  To our right we could see the statue of liberty and Ellis Island.  Unfortunately, it was too rough to take any pictures at this point.  There were water taxis and ferries coming and going from every direction.  We had to stay together and keep a keen eye on all of the boat traffic.  Legally, we had the right of way, but realistically, I doubt if any of the sight-seeing or ferry boats would yield to us.

 

Approaching the Brooklyn Bridge after rounding the tip of Manhattan

As we rounded Manhattan, we approached the Brooklyn Bridge and our first rest stop.  There is a tiny beach adjacent to Brooklyn Bridge Park-Main Street, in the area affectionatly known as DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan, Brooklyn Overpass).  The beach disappears at high tide, so we had to haul our kayaks up onto the rocks.  It was a quick break, just long enough for a snack and a bathroom break, and then we were off up the East River.  Conditions on the East River were quite varied.  It was calm at times, and other times there was a lot of wind-blown chop.  There were also plenty of boat wakes that hit us from varying directions.

In the past, Rich had always passed Roosevelt Island on the east side, but he decided to take us on the west side to see more of Manhattan.  It was fantastic seeing the city from the water, but after Roosevelt Island, we had to cut across the top of Hell’s Gate to get to our next rest stop.  It would have been easier getting into the beach at Socrates Sculpture Park (Astoria) if we had gone down the west side of Roosevelt Island.  As it was, we had to cut across several very strong currents that twisted our boats sideways almost instantaneously.  It was tough going, but the current wasn’t at max flow, so we landed at the beach and hauled out our kayaks for a 3 hour layover.  

 

Kayaking with the Empire State Building in background

It might seem strange to hear that we sat in the park for 3 hours waiting for the tide to change, but one look at the white caps filling Hell’s Gate and you quickly realize it got that name for a reason.  Anyway, Rich explained that paddling the Harlem River against the current was no fun, so we might as well wait it out.  So we had lunch and took a nap.  It was here that I first heard the term “Circ” when a women asked if I was on the “Circ?”  I had no idea what she was talking about, until she asked if I was circumnavigating Manhattan.  Then I heard several more people who were “in the know” refer to the trip as the “Circ.”

Kayaking on the Harlem River

At 4:30pm, when the current had changed, we paddled through the now benign Hell’s Gate and up the Harlem River.  We had views of the Empire State building, the U.N. and Yankee stadium.  We had one more quick stop at a small beach, then it was out of the Harlem River and across the Hudson to where we started.  The weather was great all day.  It was a little on the hot side, in the 80s, but there was a fairly consistent breeze and a layer of cool air just on top of the water because the water was still quite cold.  

 

Leaving the Harlem River, entering the Hudson

I checked my GPS at the end of the trip and we had covered 31.5 miles at a moving average of 5 mph.  This worked out to an actual paddling time of six and half hours.  Now that I have completed the trip, I guess I can refer to it as the “Circ.”  Now that you’ve read this, you can be “in the know” too and impress all your friends when you complete the “Circ.”

Paddle Length

This post is a follow up to How to Choose a Paddle.  Please read that post as well.
I found this handy chart on paddle length and it looks pretty good.  You still have to figure out whether you are a high angle or low angle paddler.  It came out of a brochure from AT Paddles, so please visit their website at www.atpaddles.com for more information.

Infinity 17'9" by Current Designs: Review

Infinity 17’9” by Current Designs

After paddling down the Hudson a second time, I got fed up with trying to cram 6 days’ worth of gear into my Romany.  I did some research and the kayak with the most storage volume that I could still fit in was the Infinity by Current Designs, so I bought one.   

 

My Infinity Kayak

The CD website promised that this kayak would be fast and would hold all of my gear, and they were spot on.  This kayak is a rocket.  Even though it is made for bigger paddlers and lots of gear, I still felt very comfortable in the cockpit.  It moves effortlessly through the water and just cruises with amazing speed.  You could easily fit 1-2 week’s gear in the hatches.  It is fiberglass with fiberglass bulkheads so no worry about the bulkheads leaking.  At 52 lbs. it is fairly light for its size.  

 

The Day Hatch is easily accessible on the water

 The initial stability is moderate (this is not a boat for beginners), and the secondary stability is excellent, but only when you get it down into the water.  The problem I had with it is that I only weigh 150 lbs. so it sat very high on the water, which significantly reduced the stability of the boat.  With a paddler of 180 lbs. or more this would be a sweet boat.  I had trouble edging it for turns because I was just too high out of the water.  It doesn’t have much rocker so you need to be able to edge it for turns.  

Paddling the Infinity kayak around Manhattan

 I paddled it 30+ miles around Manhattan and it performed very well in the confused seas of NY Harbor.  We got slammed with waves from every direction and the Infinity just shrugged them off.  (I put lots of gear in the boat to lower the water line a bit).  Despite the many cross-currents, wind and waves, I hardly used the skeg at all on that trip.  The Infinity tracks very well without it.  I used the skeg a few times just to see how it worked and with the skeg deployed the Infinity tracked like it was on rails.   

 

Infinity Kayak

What impresses me most about this kayak is the speed and the ease with which is just chews up the miles.  I know if I had paddled my Romany around Manhattan, I would have been exhausted.  But with the Infinity, after 30 miles, I was ready for more.  In the end, I decided to sell it because it was just a little bit too big for me.  I replaced it with a Cetus from P&H.  The Cetus sits lower in the water, but I believe the Infinity is still faster.    

Specs:

Length :	17'9"  (541.02 cm)		Form :	Fish
Width :	22"  (55.88 cm)		Depth :	13.5"  (34.29 cm)
Chine :	Soft		Hull :	Shallow Arch
Cockpit size:	31.75" x 16.5"  (80.645 cm x 41.91 cm)		Cockpit type:	Keyhole
Forward Hatch:	9.5" x 9.5"  (24.13 cm x 24.13 cm)		Day Hatch:	8" x 8"  (20.32 cm x 20.32 cm)
Rear Hatch:	16.5" x 11"  (41.91 cm x 27.94 cm)		Front Hatch Volume:	20 gal.  (76 L)
Day Hatch Volume:	13 gal.  (49.4 L)		Rear Hatch Volume:	22 gal.  (83.6 L)
Max. load*:	400 lb.  (180 kg)		Rudder/Skeg:	Skeg

Fiberglass:  52 lb.  (23.4 kg)  w/ Standard Equipment  $ 3199.00