> you don't mention if you are slight or heavy. i can tell > you, though, that > at 5'2" if you weigh less than about 150 pounds you will swim in a > carolina. i've taken lots of people out in my husband's > carolina, and it > is a very versatile starter boat- - - he loves it. (after > 2.5 years) but > small people really swim in it. i don't mean literally swim, > (it's a beamy > boat. . . . hard to tip out of!), i mean you will have too > much room and > even with the thigh braces, if you buy one, you will likely > have to pad > out the cockpit with foam (a good idea in any case, but i > wanted you to be > warned). > > in my (and many others' opinion(s)), perception's seat backs > are crappy, > and are best replaced with a good backband. Yep, I also have a Carolina, and support KCDs coments. I'm 5'9" and about 170 lbs. and the cockpit is too large for me to do any real serious bracing, edging, etc. In fact, I quit learning how to roll in it. It can be rolled, but I'll resume my quest for a bombproof roll when I get my next boat (I'm scheduled to begin construction on an Outer Island in November - hope like hell to launch it sometime the following June). I could have padded the Carolina, but I've outgrown other characteristics of the boat as well, so why bother at this point. It's a great boat for a beginner, but as you move to low-intermediate to mid-intermediate, etc, the boat becomes somewhat of an obstacle to progress. Well, "progress" defined by your goals. When I started paddling, I wanted to do less than I ended up wanting to do after my first year was complete. Getting out a little bit made me want to get out a lot, and the tougher conditions I found myself in, the tougher conditions I wanted to master. At this point, I've just totally outgrown it. But, depending on the type of paddling you are interested in, it may be a great boat for you for many years. Just beware, a great boat this year may not be so great in a year or two, if your desires change. Think long-term - where do you want to end up? I can honestly say that in the past three years, my boat has held me back more than anything else (okay.... that and finances). Rick - Poquoson, VA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Aug 22 2002 - 12:45:29 PDT
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:58 PDT