Hi,
I'm new to kayaking, and ready to buy a boat. I am 5'4" and weigh 135
pounds. I will primarily be paddling on lakes and on the backwaters
of the Mississippi River (sometimes have to cross big main channel to
get there). I would like a boat that I can load on to our Thule roof
rack myself. I am considering the Perception Sundance, Monterey,
Carolina, or Sonoma 13.5, or the Current Designs Breeze. The boat has
to be easy to load/unload, and FUN to paddle. Any input? Thanks from
a newbie! Margaret

Margaret is snipped: I would like a boat that I can load on to our Thule roof
rack myself. I am considering the Perception Sundance, Monterey,
Carolina, or Sonoma 13.5, or the Current Designs Breeze.

Of those boats, I like the Sonoma 13 best. I find it fun and light. It is
smaller than the Carolina or Breeze (my next choices) and won't be as fast.
The Sonoma will also need bow floatation unlike the other two. If you want to
go far (10+ miles) go with the Carolina. If you want short trips, easy to
carry and load, go with the Sonoma.

My boats are much heavier and longer, but I paddle greater distances and faster
than I would in any of the boats you mentioned.

Of course the best advice is to try them and then decide. I would also throw
in a higher performance kevlar boat just for comparisons.

Brian Blankinship
One man's opinion is worth just that. If you ask 12 paddlers this question,
you will get 14 answers.

I bought a used Sonoma 13.5 earlier this season, and have been nothing but
happy with it. It's extremely light, (though if the bow fills with water
that can change) and have taken it out on rivers, and some protected ocean.

For a relative newbie, one aspect of the Sonoma that I found (though it may
just be me) was that it tracked better than the other boats of like length
that I paddled. Even so, either owing to its weight or short stature, when
you need to turn it goes easily. As I've started getting out on the water
more, I've found that you can lean it over really far on your turns, and
it'll right itself fairly naturally.

The rental place I had gone to rents mostly Carolinas (2003 models, I
think). I think it may be the outfitting, but I found a large difference
between the 13.5 & the 14.5, in leg position and handling. I'd definitely
at least sit in each of them before buying. After paddling the Sonoma, the
Carolina 14.5 feels a bit sluggish to turn, might be due the added weight
and length. One thing to note, though, is that the 14.5 has nearly twice
the storage of the Sonoma, and 1.5 times the storage of the 13.5.

The Carolina 13.5 handles more or less like the Sonoma, but it feels a touch
slower all around. Might be invisible bias on my part (for all I know
they're the same boat made of slightly different material), I don't really
imagine the 10 pounds weight difference would be that apparent for the kind
of paddling I do. The Sonoma tends to feel a little more tippy than the
Carolina 13.5, but I don't think either will dump you, unless you ask for
it.

So the short story...
Sonoma: cute, slightly sportier than Carolina 13.5
Carolina 13.5: fun, much more playful than the 14.5
Carolina 14.5: Stable, a bit heavy, lots of storage.

--Josh





"Blankibr" wrote in message
...
Margaret is snipped: I would like a boat that I can load on to our Thule
roof
rack myself. I am considering the Perception Sundance, Monterey,
Carolina, or Sonoma 13.5, or the Current Designs Breeze.

Of those boats, I like the Sonoma 13 best. I find it fun and light. It
is
smaller than the Carolina or Breeze (my next choices) and won't be as
fast.
The Sonoma will also need bow floatation unlike the other two. If you
want to
go far (10+ miles) go with the Carolina. If you want short trips, easy to
carry and load, go with the Sonoma.

My boats are much heavier and longer, but I paddle greater distances and
faster
than I would in any of the boats you mentioned.

Of course the best advice is to try them and then decide. I would also
throw
in a higher performance kevlar boat just for comparisons.

Brian Blankinship
One man's opinion is worth just that. If you ask 12 paddlers this
question,
you will get 14 answers.