KAYAK ACADEMY

Sterling's Kayaks, Sea Kayaks

Illusion CV

Introducing the new Illusion CV and with it the newest concepts in sea kayak design. Not a beginner's kayak, not another same ol' same ol'. The Illusion CV is a high performance sea kayak that is completely built in the U.S. by Sterling's Kayaks in Bellingham, WA. The Illusion combines an extremely low rear deck like Greenland kayaks (for ease of rolling and reduced weathercocking) with a hull that harkens back to the secrets of the Aleut kayaks and features that one-up the best of the British kayaks with new implosion-proof rubber hatches, sculptured foam seat and seat back, and a bigger, deeper retractable skeg that all put together create something completely new and exciting! When was the last time anyone called a sea kayak exciting? The Illusion truly is exciting because it is one tough, extremely light, super maneuverable yet good tracking (usually these are mutually exclusive properties, but not for the Illusion), comfortable, efficient, fast touring sea kayak. A sea kayak that makes people go, "Wow!". The Illusion was designed for efficiency and ease of handling when conditions get rough. In rough conditions you need maximum maneuverability and the lowest deck height/profile that is comfortable for your legs and feet. The Illusion has maneuverability like no other sea kayak over 14' (yet the Illusion is 17'), and by definition the Illusion has the lowest possible deck height/volume for your size because the deck height of every Illusion is custom sized to fit the owner's lower body. Some sea kayaks are available in a choice of two deck heights (a.k.a. "high volume" and "low volume"), but the Illusion is available in whatever Custom Volume (TM) you need. The range of Custom Volumes (deck heights) is from High Volume (HV which we call CV -0.00", indicating that it is cut down zero inches from full size) to CV -1.50"(lowest volume, 1.5" lower than full size). So instead of being limited to choosing between at most two sizes, with the Illusion CV you get the lowest possible profile that fits your feet and legs. In addition to reducing wind surface/sail area of the kayak's profile, having the optimum deck height for your body makes for more efficient forward stroke entry, easier Eskimo rolling, better control for turning and bracing, less wind drift, and the best comfort for long journeys. Due to it's custom volume deck height feature, the Illusion can be built to perfectly fit paddlers from 5'4" and 130 lbs. to 6'4" 230 lbs. And even in the lowest volume size, the Illusion has all the room you'll need to take multi-day and longer expeditions. (We are using several Illusions on this summer's Exposed Coast Training Expedition which is an eight-day self supported wilderness camping trip on the Pacific coast in SE Alaska.)

Usually you have to choose between a highly rockered kayak for maneuverability or a less rockered kayak for tracking and efficiency, but the Illusion is an exception to the rule. The Illusion has enough tracking to please even novice paddlers combined with remarkable maneuverability and an efficient way of slicing through the water. Sure it looks wild with it's semi hard chines and big rocker, but don't let the looks fool you. The Illusion looks radical, but it is a pussy cat at heart -- its name was inspired by this contrast between its wild looks and its sweet handling. It is no accident that the Illusion works so well. The lines of the chines and keel as well as the shape of the ends of the hull were refined through multiple revisions of prototypes that took over two years of development and testing before making the final production mold. To make sure the Illusion would be the best handling sea kayak ever, George would go looking for extreme conditions to test the prototypes. When there was a big winter storm in the Puget Sound, George was out paddling it. When there was a spring tide, George would be shreding Deception Pass in it. And the notorious NW coast was the proving ground for it's ocean handling, stiffness, and surf testing. Over and over changes were made and tested to fine tune the performance of the Illusion's hull in every aspect an advanced sea kayaker wants. Few kayaks (if any) have ever gone through as much field testing or been tested under as extreme a conditions as the Illusion did before finalizing the design. The result of all this R& D is the first kayak worthy of having George Gronseth's name on it. We say the Illusion is "Performance Tuned" by George Gronseth. It was hard work, but the results make it all worth while. Now when George paddles his Illusion he's all smiles.

The Illusion is for intermediate to expert paddlers. Beginners and inexperienced kayakers find it a bit too tippy, but the Illusion wasn't designed to be a beginner's kayak (Take a lesson -- a good lesson like the Kayak Academy offers and with a year's experience you'll be ready for it). Intermediate and experienced paddlers find the Illusion plenty stable and love the way it edges, carves, tracks, and turns. The rougher the conditions, the more the Illusion shines.

The Illusion comes standard with the most implosion-proof rubber hatches available (SeaDog hatches), the deepest retractable skeg available, the most comfortable seat available (a warm, soft, closed cell foam that is easy to customize for trim, tilt, hip width, shape, etc.), recessed deck fittings, and the innovative "Strong-Lite" lay-ups developed by Sterling's Kayaks and Fiberglass.

Thanks to Sterling's "Strong-Lite" lay-ups, even the lowest priced fiberglass Illusion is lighter than comparable sized Kevlar sea kayaks (with 3 hatches and skegs), and yet a fiberglass Illusion is much more rugged and durable than a Kevlar kayak. In fact, Sterling's sea kayaks come with a lifetime warrantee for the structural integrity of the hull (another industry 1st).
The Illusion comes standard with a custom located front bulkhead and footbrace rails, molded fiberglass bulkheads with flanges (rather than flat plates) for flexibility and bulkhead seams that are durable, the hull has fiberglass seams inside and out (for added strength), recessed deck fittings for safety lines, a pump and sponge holder below the front deck (so they won't get in your way while paddling), self-rescue outrigger lash straps with quick release buckles, chart holder bungees, keyhole shaped cockpit large enough to pull your leg out, good hip and knee braces, strong foot braces that are easy to adjust while seated in the kayak, and no holes in the hull to mount the foot braces.

*A skeg looks like the fin on the bottom of a surf board except on sea kayaks this skeg is designed to retract into a trunk on the bottom of the hull. With the skeg up, the Illusion is extremely maneuverable for a 17 foot sea kayak. Put the skeg down and the Illusion tracks straight even in side wind conditions where most kayaks without rudders weathercock (turn up wind). This combination of great, well balanced hull design and a retractable skeg makes rudders (and all their problems and limitations) obsolete on sea kayaks (at least for people who know how to paddle).

If you like the features and of this kayak but want something narrower, for a smaller, lighter person, try the Ice Kap by Sterling's Kayaks (also available in Custom Volumes). For a more stable, roomier, yet maneuverable high performance kayak, you'll have to wait till 2009....

Call the Kayak Academy to arrange a demo.
206 527-1825

Feedback from Illusion owners:

"Just wanted to say hi and say how much I like the Illusion CV -.789" that I bought from you. Its a wonderful boat that fits like a glove and handles beautifully. I sold my NDK." S.K., Portland, OR

"I just wanted to tell you how much I love my new Illusion (CV -.789"). It is just the best boat ever! I was a little nervous about the price of the kayak but now that I have it I am completely sold! It is so manueverable and yet tracks like a dream. The boat fits me just beautifully. I have struggled with finding a boat that was comfortable enough for me to paddle and didn't put too much pressure on my bad knee. Now I don't have to wear a knee brace when I paddle. How great it that?! This boat takes almost no effort to paddle. Its like a hot knife through butter! Plus, it is so light I can car top it myself. I have had so many people ask me if they can paddle it because they have heard so many good things about the Illusion. Thanks you so much for the great service and helping me choose this awesome boat!" E.H., Belfair, WA

"I used my Illusion CV -.385" while teaching this year's High Wind Training at the Columbia R. Gorge near Hood River, OR, and it made everything so easy! We had winds over 20 knots opposing the river current kicking up steep breaking seas. The Illusion catches waves with little effort and makes staying in control on them unbelievably easy. Over the years, I've tested a lot of sea kayaks in the Gorge, and nothing compares to the ease of handling or the pleasure of surfing a custom sized Illusion." G.G., Issaquah, WA

We had three Illusions on this year's Exposed Coast Training Trip in Sitka, AK, and all of them performed beautifully. One day I swapped kayaks with a student using a Tempest 170, and the contrast between kayaks was profound. Until then, I'd always felt the Tempest was a good fitting and comfortable kayak, but after a week of paddling the Illusion, the Tempest seat actually felt hard (Love that custom foam seat in the Illusion). The Illusion also took noticably less effort to paddle.

The Illusion was the buzz at the demo beach at the 2008 West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium. People couldn't believe how easily they rolled, how well they tracked, how maneuverable they were, and that foam seat! We had four demo Illusions representing four custom deck heights from High Volume down to 1.25" lowered deck height/volume and everything in between, and they all got used a lot. Most women fit the -1.00" or -1.25" CV (custom volume/deck height), and guys fit the full size CV -0.00" to CV -1.00"

© George Gronseth 2008, all rights reserved.