current design vs perception

i’m consider buying a current design 12 or 14 ft kestrel tsc for recreation touring. i 'm interested in lightweight and easy paddling. i have been canoeing about 40 years and kayaking about 5 years. i ’ 5 9 and about 245 in weight.would any recommend perception carolina or another brand. i demoed the kestral . i just do not want to over look better kayak .i paddle flat rivers and lakes.

Light and Easy . . .
Take a look at the Hurricane Aqua Sports line of boats. There boats are thermoformed plastic. They were one of the first to use this type of plastic (I’m told). They have just come out with several new designs this year. Their boats are hi quality and light weight. Their heaviest boat is 46 lbs and that is a 16.6 ft boat. Smaller boats are closer to 30 lbs(I think). See if you can find a dealer in your area to demo some of them.



http://www.hurricaneaquasports.com/



Good luck

the comparable Perception

– Last Updated: Dec-23-06 3:30 PM EST –

would be the new Carolina 12 (not to be confused with the 2006 and earlier Carolina 12, which is now the Carolina Jr.). The new Carolina 12 has a relatively flat bottom, which won't track as well as the Kestrel. It DOES have a dry storage compartment in the front, which the CD does not. It's also $250-300 more than the Current Designs Kestrel.

Between the 12 and the 14 foot Kestrels, in your weight range, you might want to look at the 14 rather than the 12. It'll provide more bouyancy, another storage compartment (which is a safety more than a storage issue). And...if you're looking at the 14s and weight is important, consider going up another step into a Kevlar hybrid Kestrel. It gets the weight down to about 36 pounds and isn't THAT much more expensive than the TCS version, considering the 20% weight reduction. Street price on a hybrid 14 should be about $1850.

Current Design vs Perception
I borrowed a Carolina once, but, and this will seem picky, didn’t like the gurgling noise of the bow wave. I am curious how many boats of this length avoid that noise? I want to skim over the water, not plow it.

gurgling
is common with most 12 ft boats if they are pushed. My daughter has a Prijon Capri which is a fun boat to paddle and can be edged with its slightly smaller cockpit and hard chine. My wife has a Kestrel 12 in poly which is fun but the larger cockpit is not my piece of cake. Both boats are light, both gurgle if pushed hard. Go with a 14 ft or up if efficiency is desired.

CD boats
I have a Pachena, which is almost exactly the same size as the Kestrel 140, but to my eye looks sleeker; is fishform vs. swedeform; and has both hatches flush. I like it quite a bit, and am similar size (5’9" 200lbs)- haven’t tried a Kestrel though. I was also considering a Chebeague by Lincoln, but couldn’t find one to test before I found a really nice used Pachena.

Krestal
With your weight you will need the High Volume Krestal. I had have the 12 foot HV poly Krestal for 2 years now and really enjoyed it. I purchased the Eddyline 14’ Equinox this past Spring after trying numerous kayaks. A great hybrid (rec and touring) with a cockpit for us larger people.