RODGER FUNK'S Illusion Purchase Journey

 

I’m sure I drove my friend nuts because all I could talk about was the kayak I am drooling over and hoping to get soon. A Sterling Illusion. A wonderful boat. It handles like a dream and is incredibly well built. I tested one out recently and really loved it. A very lively boat probably not a good beginner boat. But now that I have a few years paddling experience I am really excited about the performance it offers. I was really surprised when I tested it how easy it was to roll and balance brace. I could balance brace it easier than my SOF Greenland boat. I’ll write more once I am able to finally get one. Here are a couple of photos though of the boat that is consuming my thoughts right now.

Thanks to Peter for sending me some photos of a new Illusion that was just delivered to a customer. The paint scheme is identical to what I will be getting with the high white sides. The exception is mine will be high vis yellow instead of the international orange of this kayak. I’ll be working a second job next week that should give me the money to pay it off. Can’t wait. Hopefully I’ll have it next month as I just signed up for a Body Boat Blade class and would love to have this high performance boat to get the most out of the class. The class is Performance Paddling. I have often thought I am a very inefficient paddler. I hope that this class will tune me up.

Here are some photos of the high white Illusion. I was told by somebody that they thought it looked like a gym shoe. Is that a good thing? I love the way it looks. I think the white really pops out.

http://www.sterlingskayak.com/index.shtml

I don’t know why I haven’t done this before now. I just added a new link to my sidebar for Sterling’s Kayaks. There’s not a lot out there on the “Interweb” yet about these fine boats, but I’m sure that will change.

Sterling’s Kayaks makes custom kayaks out of Bellingham, Washington. I have an Illusion on order and am going crazy waiting to get it. I’ll do a full write up on it once I get it, but till then if I have to wait so does everybody else

Sterling’s primary two kayaks are the Ice Kap and the Illusion. He also builds a surf ski a small play boat called the Q Star. Dubside is the owner of a custom Ice Kap. Of course it is black, but has a custom paint job complete with Dubside’s image. I took a class by Maligiaq Padilla last summer and he was paddling Dubside’s Ice Kap. He absolutely loved the boat. Why wouldn’t he. They roll great and are incredibly comfortable. Here are a few photos and of course there will be many more once I get my boat

I recently purchased a new boat. I’ve been talking about getting it for a while and it is so nice to finally have it. Above is my new Sterling’s Kayaks Illusion. So here are some of my thoughts and opinions.

Obviously I love this boat. Why else would I have worked two jobs just to pay for one

?

The boat is an example of the finest craftsmanship around. Sterling takes pride in his product like nobody I’ve ever seen. He is always working to improve his product. So what would I change if I could? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! It looks geat, handles great, rolls great, and is full of great features. So here is a run down:

Length 17 feet

Width 21.5 inches

Joe Greenly Custom Foam Seat

Sea Dog hatches

Round Front Hatch 10 inch

Round Day Hatch 7 inch

Oval Rear Hatch

Skeg (one of the deepest out there)

Recessed Deck Fittings

Under Deck Pump Holder

Radiused Cockpit Coaming (Great for layback rolls)

Sterling took the expertise of several paddlers in the design process. Most notably George Gronseth from the Kayak Academy. Numerous changes were made during the design process until the boat was just right. “Performanced Tuned By George Gronseth” is how they are labeled and who better to help design a boat. George is a leader in kayaking that teaches what works. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience that is very admirable. (Reg Lake is another top test paddler)

Another comparison from a balance brace. Again I see similar lines. For some reason I can balance brace and roll my Illusion easier than I can roll my SOF. The low back deck of the SOF makes it a little easier to come back up onto the back deck, but the bouyancy of the Illusion makes it so the boat wants to roll. Plus it doesn’t get hung up on the chines when rolling over making for a smoother transition.

I love my SOF and hope to learn as many different rolls as I can with it, but honestly I think I will learn the rolls first in my Illusion than carry them over to the SOF. I always thought it would be easier to go the other way.

Up next…. Custom Options….

One could argue that all kayaks have some influence from the traditional lines of the original Inuit kayaks. Look above and compare my Illusion with my SOF replica Greenland boat. Obviously the SOF is a lower profile, but I chose to have a full volume Illusion that wasn’t cut down. If you seek a Greenland style boat do like Dubside and have it cut down as much as you can. The Illusion has a lot of rocker. The high white sides take away some of that effect, but it is there. This boat dances because of it. Yet some how it still tracks great. I went out on the water with another Illusion owner a couple of days ago. The wind was howling. We purposely went out to see how we would be effected. I never deployed my skeg and never felt the need to. When I stopped paddling and just let the wind take control I expected with the high rocker I would quickly be turned sideways to the wind, but was not. It baffles me how this boat can not be effected more by the wind. With the skeg down it is rock solid.

An all around great boat that was designed right!

Another option I added was a keel strip. Color matched white to match the hull. I also had the boat made using Sterling’s Infused process making for a stronger lighter kayak. Mine finished at 43 pounds. Not bad at all for a fiberglass boat.

The photo above also shows the Joe Greenley custom foam seat. All I can say about this seat is WOW! Absolute comfort. The photo above is the basic set up. I’ve seen several variations of the back rest customized by each paddler for their desire.

Paint options are pretty cool as well. The normal white hull yellow deck with a black seam like you see on so many kayaks is obviously available. But if you want something different there are lots of choices.

 

 

 

Custom deck height. I went with the full size. I’m tall and plan to do trips in my boat. So I didn’t have it cut down at all. The thigh braces are the best I’ve seen on a stock boat. So even at full volume the boat fits me great. Are you a Greenland rolling enthusiast. You can have a super low volume boat similar to Dubside’s custom Ice Kap.

Sterling will add or remove features to fit your needs. Some people for example choose not to have foot pegs. So instead the bulkhead is placed to fit the paddler. Maybe you don’t want a skeg so you can have more storage. I wanted to have the bulkhead behind the seat as close to the coaming as possible to make dumping water easier. However I was worried about losing the ability to grab the coaming for a reentry if I had to wet exit. Sterling created a grab recess for me that solved the problem.

Looking at Canoe Pass (Deception Pass)

To test out my new boat in some rougher conditions I ventured down to Deception Pass on a light ebb current day. Starting near slack letting the conditions build I was greatly impressed with the superb responsiveness. With my Impex I often would be forced to be hit by conditions in a way I didn’t want because it was slow to respond. Not so with the Illusion. It turns on a dime. The bow rises up and over waves giving a really nice dry ride. The edge control is extremely comfortable. I’ve always thought my edge control was pretty weak. Something I’m working on.

Then I decided to try a few new things. I had heard that the boat handles well even when swamped with water. I didn’t believe this when told, but it is true. This is cool because I hate the paddle float self rescue. I prefer to re-enter and roll as my preferred rescue (second of course to a successful roll). However a re-enter and roll scoops a lot of water. It is comforting to know that the boat still handles fine with the cockpit full of water. My Impex was all over the place when swamped. This became useful a couple of weeks ago during a Body Boat Blade class. Leon had us doing a balance drill where we were attempting to spin around on our boat then kiss the bow. I did not do well on this drill and capsized quickly. Rolling wasn’t an option since I was not in the cockpit. I was back upright and out of the water quickly thanks to a re-entry and roll. I would much rather be upright in a swamped boat then out of the boat in the cold water. Also during that same class I capsized twice on accident. I can’t remember the last time I capsized on accident. No problem the boat rolls so easy.

The next thing was purely for the fun factor. I had read on Dash Point Pirate about flying under the bridge while in a balance brace. It was strangely peaceful watching the scenery go by while laying in a balance brace. Have I mentioned that I can balance brace and roll this boat way easier than my Greenland SOF?

I love this boat. It isn’t the fastest boat, but is by no means slow. It fits my all around needs. I can tour, camp, play in rough water, practice new Greenland rolls. It has been worth every penny. I can’t wait to get back out on the water with it some more. Although this is the last part of my review of my Illusion I’m sure I will keep spreading the praise for it. Thank you Sterling for a great boat.