I'm looking for any user/owner opinions, good or bad, on the Karat
motorglider, I'd ideally like to hear first-hand experiences or better
still anyone know of one based in California that I can go look at one
weekend ?

A good approach is to join the Auxiliary Powered Sailplane Assn, an SSA
affiliate, and you'll get the membership list which shows who flies
what, and their phone numbers. When I was trying to decide on a MG some
years back, I found this invaluable. Most owners are quite happy to
tell you what they think of their ships, though I'll admit most loved
what they had. For example, when I talked to the Grob 109A owners, a
number said, "Who'd want a B when they cost almost twice as much?" In
turn, the 109B owners put down the A for its poor climb performance.
This might not be as biased as it sounds: If the A owners live near sea
level and the B owners at higher altitudes, then they're both right
since the A has adequate climb performance at sea level, but is
marginal at altitude.

Good luck with your quest.

Martin