C-Forum

Karma VIMEO: https://vimeo.com/151342747" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Recently bought a new Large Karma and what started out as hate has now morphed into a love fest. My specs 6’1, 190. Paddled the Karma on Green, Overflow, Linville, Toxaway…just to name a few. Having paddled an 80 gallon Riot Magnum for 5 years there was a learning curve to adjusting to a 100 gallon Karma…but mostly due to learning the boat and dialing in the seat position….and seat position is critical…it can be a game changer for this boat. To far back which is where I started with the face of my back rest 7 inches forward of the outer back end of the cock pit rim and the boat had a mind of its own…running off line and not handling well at all. Now at 8.5 inches the boat is exceeding its billing and has proven itself to be the right boat for a super C-1 conversion. So what I love is the hull! Lean forward, drive its edges using the forward displacement hull on the entrance into moves and then shift your weight back to utilize the wide stable flat portion of the hull to glide out on exits while the stern provides stability and buoyancy as the Karma spits you out high and dry. It is soooo much fun to utilize both aspects of the hull when running hard rapids…too cool! The Karma has an incredibly stable platform as a C-1 conversion and with the high parting line it has to be the most forgiving boat I have paddled. The acceleration and speed is contagious and it is super easy to keep up with and pass others with several flicks of the paddle. The ease of acceleration has me now entertaining running some of the harder off side moves that I have struggled with over the years like Sunshine Left, Marginal Monster and Blind Eight…all which I run on the cross and now with the Karma seem more manageable than ever….and this for me is Super Exciting! Did I mention she boof’s like a dream, lands so dam soft I am amazed some times at how she exits drops even with a little kick of speed to boot. Groove Tube into Sunshine has never been more fun! The “Hover” effect on boils is fun as the Karma just glides over all of that nonsense. Speaking of gliding for 9 feet the Karma handles exceptionally well even in low volume mank however when the water is high and man has it ever been this winter the Karma really shines, is stable, forgiving and while others are working hard to make it happen she and I are high and dry smiling ear to ear…..My 80 gallon Magnum had me working hard…harder than I thought I needed to, getting winded and lactic…I am fit, paddled over 150 days in 2015 mostly with 20 years olds and thought time was passing me by. Now enter the Karma and I have turned back the hands of time being repaid for working my butt off in that Magnum for 5 years….I am loving that feeling of being strong and confident in my boat. Finally, while it takes some practice to dial it in she also likes to snap into tight eddies and with every time out I am getting her more and more dialed in and learning how to use her many edges. In conclusion I am loving this boat…not only is it made in the Tennessee, USA, it has no holes so it is very dry and was easy to outfit. It did require some extra outfitting as one needs to be snugged in to drive and maximize handling in the Karma. I have ratchet straps added some knee bulk heads and the extra outfitting has really maximized her performance. Did I mention my 11 year old son paddles one as a C-1 as well and the Karma has been excellent for him…Hoping this helps some C-1 boaters out in their decision making process, saddle set up and providing some more insight as to what to expect….mucho Karma to you all!

Great information - thanks for posting your experience.

I'd be curious to see outfitting pictures of how you have it set up.

Great review and promotion for a boat you love.

From http://jacksonkayak.com/jk-kayaks/white ... 013-karma/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Jackson Kayak’s Fourth Generation Creek Boat in the past 9 years takes a big leap forwards. The Karma takes a turn towards speed, stability, and carving. Fast, stable, and forgiving, with predictable turning, boofing, and a bow that rises over anything in its way.

This boat is available in three sizes – the Karma Small, Karma Medium and the Karma Large.

Sounds like it lives up the speed, stability, and carving statement.

X2 on the request for outfitting pics. Thanks for the review.

You Tube C-1 Karma Conversion Oufitting Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKPjJ0pQQC0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So my outfitting has evolved mostly on trial and error...Took several times to dial in seat placement…knee bulk head and because it is such a big boat creating points of contact for my hips, thighs and knees…as without good contact the boat dives on boofs so creating contact points definitely maximizes performance. I would also like to thank Bernie as he provided me with great expert insight on where to start. So bought as a kayak…I immediately pulled out the bulk head, seat and back band. I did leave the cleats for the back band adjustment, thigh braces that the cleats are connected to and the plastic blocks that are riveted under the cockpit rim to connect the kayak seat to so Jackson could accomplish the “no holes in the boat” marketing ploy. When you remove the factory seat you are greeted with a glued in trey that is has one vertical bolt sticking up 2/3’s the way forward. The trey is 3 inches wide so a 4x4 fence post would not work with the trey. I cut the kayak seat down and was going to shape and glue a foam saddle to it but decided otherwise. I found cheap, light 3x4 plastic gutters that fit the trey perfectly and decided to use that as my pedestal. I also took part of the gutter and bolted in a piece that was perpendicular to the pedestal as the base for my back rest. The upside of the hollow gutters is now I have ample carrying space within them for gear both inside the pedestal and the back rest. I took measurements off my old Magnum seat to get my pedestal height and seat height exactly right. Then I moved onto to padding out the gutters for fit and form. I utilized the vertical factory bolt rising from the trey, drilled a hole inside the gutter, made and extra wide plastic square washer so that it all fit snug and there was no room for play. The back of the saddle was sloppy and loose so I proceeded to burn holes in the factory trey and ran webbing through the holes, up, over and through the hollow portion of the back rest and fished it with a two way buckle so I could access it and regularly keep it tight….it worked perfectly. Then began working on my straps. Bernie who paddles a Medium Karma utilized the same vertical bolt to anchor his straps. For me that bolt was a bit far back so I drilled a hole two inches forward of that bolt and then bolted down a quick release buckle. I am utilizing snow board binding ratchets as thigh straps…with end goal of creating a safety quick release system (that I picked up on this here forum…thanks!). The end of the ratchets have a hole in them the size of a dime so I took some harvested rope from the Jackson outfitting and tied a prussic around each hole of the two binding straps. I then ran the quick release webbing (webbing was cut down to a 4 inch tail so it could quickly pull though the quick release) through the prussic and then though the quick release to secure the straps to the boat. The back end of the straps were secured to the plastic blocks mentioned above that are under the cockpit rim and used to secure the kayak seat to. The plastic blocks have a long vertical slot so I was able to move the straps forward or backward depending on how I wanted my trim. Unfortunately, I had them anchored all the way forward in the slot and that did not work well…I learned that the hard way on the Green…with a terrible run…..lesson #1. I went back to the drawing board and learned that the straps should be anchored even with the back rest and that produced a better result. That same Green run is when I had my seat back too far and the boat ran away from me…I crashed again and again…Lesson # 2 seat positon is critical. I did take Bernie’s advice and built the seat further back than perhaps needed that way I could shim it forward and what stated out at 7 inches forward of the outer portion of the cockpit rim evolved to 8.5 inches forward, plus an upper piece of foam for some additional lumbar support. I finished the saddle with some standard triangular knee blocks to spread my knees out as wide as possible establishing a very solid base. Fired up I took her to the Overflow for a high water run. Got to the first rapid of the day Hemlock, lined up for an onside boof, pulled up on my hips and knees and got no bite, which means I got no boof, the boat dived, I basically fell out of it and took a swim into a cave. No beat down but definitely an outfitting failure. Turns out when I pulled up on the back end of my straps to boof I bent the plastic blocks that were anchoring my straps…the same plastic block utilized to hold the kayak seat in place. When I say bent they were bent at a 90 degree angle. Lesson # 3 those blocks don’t work for thigh strap anchors. Overflow has some really good 15-20 foot drops and I learned another valuable Lesson #4….big boats need lots of contact points and while my hips and thighs were contacting the straps my knees were not and when I pulled up on my knees I got no bite and the boat would dive on taller boofs…small 5 foot boofs all good but over 15 feet I was nose diving. I survived the day and the rest of the run was uneventful but I was frustrated and decided if I was going to make the Karma work as a C-1 all the Kayak outfitting had to come out and so it did. Back to the shop….I took the cleats out, I cut the thigh hooks flaps out and I cut the plastic blocks out. The really GENIUS thing about the Karma is how well designed the cockpit rim is….it has these holes and slots embedded into it so you can really tinker with ropes and bungee’s to secure anchor points without drilling any holes into the boat. Less the plastic blocks, I secured my ratchet straps with harvested rope though a couple voids on the inside of the cockpit and it worked out great. No metal, no heavy hardware and no holes…just a perfect square knot and the problem was resolved. I then needed to address knee bite and with a 100 gallons of boat it was hard to find contact points. I tinkered with foam bulkheads but never got them to secure and knew for sure they would not hold up due to the rigors of creeking and constantly getting in and out, beatings…I just knew they would loosen over time. I found some old very small Perception air bags…from my wife’s Pirouette what were used just in front on the bulk head. They worked out prefect gave me the bite I needed and when blow to a max they contoured to the inner walls of the Karma creating a better than expected result. I used the harvested bungee and secured the bags though some of the holes in the cockpit rim and was pleasantly pleased with the boats performance on the river. The video I posted above is the final result and I have to say to it was my best most fun day in the Karma and the run that I realized on that this was indeed the right boat for me. Finally! Also worth noting…another trick I picked up on this forum was the finishing of the quick release system. I drilled a hole in the quick release buckle, ran rope then bungee for some give more rope to a handle that extends up and over the cockpit rim forward. I then run my skirt handle through my quick release handle so if and when I swim as I pull my skirt the quick release buckle opens up and I slide right out of my boat. Don’t pull on the skirt to hard and you can easily get in and out without blowing out the entire system like you would on a swim. For quicker access and so I would not blow the system out I attached little balls on the ratchets so I can jump in and out with ease any time I choose. Recently ran Toxaway that has over 11 portages and the system worked great. So…wow that’s a lot…but it is compliment to the C-Boaters on this forum as my outfitting is essentially an evolution of your ideas shared here….so many thanks! Build you system for safety first…this quick release system has come a long way from suicide straps although I do love my suicide straps on my Session for play boating. Be patient with your set up and trim…it takes time but when you learn something do something meaning… go boating, figure out what’s working, what not working…come home and immediately fix it. I have laid in bed many nights pondering what to do and nothing beats just good old trial and error. Be safe out there…Mucho KARMA is is truly a Great Boat!

So after 4 months of a torrid love affair with my Large Karma I have sold it. Not sure if the large was too large as I weigh 195 but just have not been able to get it to handle worth a dam for me. Since last post I have shimmed the seat forward another .5 inches and raised the saddle .5 inches....both seemed to help. What I will miss will have to be the speed, stability and hover ability. What I won't miss will be the wondering bow....at times...often at bad times a wondering stern and general lack agility. If you want to run rivers with ease and comfort or do some easier creeking this is a great boat. For me, a creature/ creeker of habit it is back to the Magnum 80.....which makes a great C-1!

I have followed your wild love ride with the Karma, I don't have experience with the boat but do agree that the large might have been a size too big. I ran and destroyed a lot of Magnums both 72 and 80 and whilst I liked them when I had them (apart from all the welding) it was not until I moved on and bought a Raptor that I realized how much boats had moved forward in design. There are better boats out there now than Magnums, keep looking and buy a factory fitted C1 and save yourself a lot of trial and error.