insideout review and photos by Tim Shuff theCarolina 13.5 Airalite by PERCEPTION
In 1993, retired pilot Hugo Vihlen sailed alone across the
Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland to Great Britain in a boat that was shorter than its captain was tall. The boat was so short Vihlen had to curl up in a ball below decks to sleep. With it he seized the record for a trans-oceanic crossing in the smallest boat by a suitably nar- row margin. Earlier the same year, micro-sailing champion Tom McNally cruised from Portugal to Puerto Rico in a sailboat that was a half-inch longer than Vihlen’s—a full five feet, four-and-a-half inch- es!
The Vihlen–McNally short story is a good bit of trivia for any paddler of Perception’s new Carolina 13.5 to invoke when facing skeptical remarks from snobs in 18-footers. The features and performance of the Carolina should be enough to take the wind out of the sails of any “lengthist” who dis- misses a short kayak. New for 2005, Perception
offers the shortest version yet of their popular Carolina series in both conventional roto- moulded plastic and the new lighter, glossier, Airalite ther- mo-formed plastic. At 13.5 feet, this Carolina skirts the recre- ational category. But with the features, fit, performance and price of a touring boat, it’s slot- ted into the more highfalutin group that Perception dubs “day touring.” The Airalite model is enough of an upgrade from the roto version to be a completely different boat. It’s 20 per cent lighter and much better suited to real touring and performance paddling. We had a great time testing
the Airalite model in light winds and currents on a shel- tered tidal inlet. The kayak’s
38 // Fall 2005 1
short length facilitated manoeuvring in small bays, poking along the shore and playing in tidal rapids. The Carolina 13.5 is an
impressively spirited and capable little kayak with a sophisticated, responsive hull design featuring a shallow-vee bottom, a fair bit of rocker and a semi-hard chine. The com- fortable initial stability puts most paddlers at ease and rock-solid secondary lets you really get into a tilt to take advantage of the hard chine’s quick-turning performance. Beginners and intermediates can be confident that the Carolina will grow with them into more advanced skills like tilt turns and sculling. For the price of a Carolina
13.5 in Airalite, some shoppers will be tempted to move on to larger designs and composites. However, small paddlers look- ing for manoeuvrability and the best performance and fea- tures they can get in a kayak of this length and weight will want to shortlist this boat. The Carolina 13.5 will be most at home on quiet lakes, sheltered bays and meandering rivers. And, of course, a trans- oceanic voyage is never out of the question. To beat Vihlen’s record, though, you’ll have to wait for the Carolina 5.3!
1Ergonomic excellence It’s a cockpit you could cross the Atlantic in. One tester said “It’s the most comfortable kayak seat I’ve ever sat in,” and commented on the good ergonomics for older paddlers with back and hip problems. The seat is thermo-formed plastic with contoured padding. The backband, with thick neoprene padding and a ratchet system for micro-tuning on the fly, supports the back in an anatomical position and is a perfect compromise between a skinny whitewater-style backband and a cushy La-Z-Boy backrest. Padded, contoured thigh braces are moulded into the cockpit coam- ing. There’s plenty of width and height for beefy builds, but a 5’ 10” height maxes out the legroom.
2Matchless hatches Unique to the Airalite model is a hatch system found on high-end kayaks: an airtight neoprene seal protected from spray and sun by a hard outer cover that straps down flush to the deck. These hatches have large easy-stuff openings and stayed completely dry. The ample 110 litres of dry storage fore and aft is separated from the cockpit by foam bulkheads.
3Rudderly wonderful Competent paddlers won’t require the optional thermoplastic rudder to track and turn but it’s a nice feature for long-haul paddling. With the rud- der retracted, the Carolina tends to skid into a turn like other short boats when you stop pad- dling. Other features aft include straps over the hatch that are long enough to secure paddles and fishing rods, plus bungees and a notch in the rear deck for paddle float rescues. The rubberized grab handle is very comfortable with a moulded hand- grip—it’s loose on the back deck for easy access but the bow handle is tethered with bungees to keep it from flopping around in waves.
3
2
length: ......................13 ft 7.5 in width:............................24.25 in weight: ..............................41 lb cockpit:........................38 x 21 in dry storage:....................110 litres max load: ..........................350 lb MSRP: ......................$2,350 Cdn ................................$1,600 US ..................$2,500 Cdn with rudder ....................$1,750 US with rudder
www.kayaker.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52