Karma Unlimited!!! Review so far….

The Karma Unlimited is here!! I am extremely stoked to add this boat to my pile of toys, and can’t wait to spend more time in it! I was able to get a lot of time in the prototype version last Fall, and am super glad that the final thing is here! Here are my thoughts from paddling the new boat (in no particular order):

1. Speed! This is kind of obvious since it is a long boat, but the Karma UL feels so good to get in and paddle! Whether training for a race, doing attainments, or just hopping in and going down stream, it seems to get the job done.

2. Outfitting: The Karma UL’s outfitting is super comfortable and adjustable. When I hopped in mine the other day, I was so excited to get on the water that I didn’t really pay attention to the outfitting, and just started paddling. After the first rapid I realized that neither the seat nor the bulk head were where I needed them. So I caught an eddy and was able to move the seat back and pull the bulkhead forward without getting out of the boat!

3. Stability: The new long boat has a very stable feel, and I have felt very comfortable in weird currents/ eddy lines. It is easy to engage any edge to a very exaggerated point in order to make crux moves or corrections to your line.

4. Weight/ Balanced Carrying: The first time I picked up the Karma UL, my first thought was that this is super easy to carry! Weighing in at 55 pounds, it feels really light for a long boat, and carrying it on my shoulder, it felt super balanced and easy to carry….. Kind of a bonus but makes a difference if the putin isn’t on the road!

5.Rocker profile, awesome bow shape: I would say my favorite thing about the Karma UL, is the same thing that makes the regular Karma so awesome…. there is low rocker profile throughout the hull which helps keep the boat going forward with speed. It allows the bow, when submerged, to resurface quickly and level to the water to maintain speed. While it can look cool to get your bow way up on boofs, or coming over waves, your boat is fastest when in contact with the water, and the Karma UL does a great job of staying level, on top, and moving forward. That being said, the bow has plenty of rocker and a great shape to make driving up on rocks or keeping the bow up over foam piles easy.

Overall I have been super happy with this new boat, and can’t wait to spend more time in it! Here’s a few shots from paddling my new one!

See you on the water!

-Hunt