caribou

Any comments on the 2010 redesigned Current Deigns Caribou?

New Caribou
It looks that the redesign is in response to a few negative comments expressed by a few paddlers and made more for the masses.



Upswept bow… Less pearling in seas, pearling always breaks up the monotony.



Softer chines… Makes the boat less “edgey”, those sharp turns stressed some paddlers.



Higher deck… More room for thunder thighs.



Nice boat but will never be a “Bou”


New bou’…
I think the changes have more to do with CD no longer having a licensing agreement with Barry Buchanan, the Caribou designer.



Too bad… the new boat is not nearly as distinctive, and is far more generic.



Also, 5" shorter…

Day Hatch?
Too bad they didn’t add a day hatch and maybe a compass recess when they had the chance.

Has anyone
Has anyone paddled both the new and old Caribou and want to offer their perspective?

not a fan
Personally, I don’t love the redesigned Caribou. I prefer the Wilderness Systems Tempest: http://www.kayakreview.org/go/tempest170/

More volume!
I can’t possibly imagine why they would want to add more volume. I like the Bou but always though the cockpit was too big. I actually hoped they would lower the back deck since it’s a real pain to lay back on. My Outer Island pearls a bit but I love the ride. It’s rather wet and wild which keeps me awake. :slight_smile:



Gary

My Caribou S
is the original Barry Buchanan “four panel design” as he called it, I suppose to emphasize that it’s not a true Greenland-type kayak. Yes, it may pearl in a steep following sea but the Caribou will surf like few full-length kayaks can. It’s far from the perfect boat and not notably fast but it’s the best all around boat I’ve owned since I started paddling sea kayaks in 1991.

Jake

Fast enough
Based on my experience the Caribou is plenty fast. I found it a bit loose in tracking or playful as some would say. I can see where that would be good in the surf. As far as pearling goes, it makes the experience more dynamic and I find a wet ride more fun. No pun intended. :slight_smile:



My only complaint with the standard model is the huge cockpit and high rear deck. At 192 lbs I feel lost in it.



Gary

Tracking
I find that my 'Bou tracks much harder than my Anas Acuta does, and nowhere near as hard as my Recluse (Which you have to make an appointment with in advance to turn), so it’s all relative.



I don’t mind the pearling, either. I play a game with it in steep wind waves, and try to see just how far I can get green water up the deck without doing an endo. Best I’ve done without going over is up around my torso…and then there was the day I pitchpoled…



I’ve paddled a Suka, which is a smaller version of the new Caribou, and it’s likeable, but not the same.



And yes, a lower rear deck and more traditional keyhole cockpit on the old Caribou would have been much appreciated.

how is the Suka different?
and how much is that difference your weight in a smaller boat?