Re: [Paddlewise] Klepper Alu-Light

Miguel Jorgensen Arboleda wrote:
> 
> I have been searching for a light, one-backpack folding sea-kayak that I
> can use for weekend trips, weeklong journeys, and short trips abroad,
> for a variety of places, from rivers and lakes, to coastal kayaking. I
> live in Japan in a tiny apartment and must use trains that have little
> storage space, and I already own a Nautiraid Raid 1 MK1, so there isn't
> much space for another full-size folding kayak. I've been hearing a lot
> of great things about the Feathercraft K-Light Plus, but recently have
> been hearing a few things about the Klepper Alu-Light. Not enough to
> really get an idea of what it is like. Does anyone out there have any
> experience with it? How would it compare to the K-Light Plus?

I have not tested the Klepper Alulite yet but I have tested the newest
Nautiraid single (the Nautiraid 416 ALU) which now has an aluminum frame
(really aluminum long pieces and polyethylene cross ribs).  This
Nautiraid follows the radical way of assembly seen in two other models I
tested earlier (the third generation Greenlander and the Raid 14) that
has you making the entire frame outside the skin, slipping it into the
hull via the wide opening of a zippered rear deck and extending the
frame insided the skin using a wedge that pushes the stern piece to the
rear.  (Nautiraid also has two other models with the same aluminum frame
of the 416; these are a very small single and a small double).

The Klepper Alulite makes the same way as these new series of
Nautiraids, i.e. do the whole frame outside the skin and slip in through
a zippered rear deck.  The difference is that the crossribs are also, I
understand, of aluminum but I could be mistakened.  I don't know how its
frame is stretched out once inside the hull.

I understand that all three of the new aluminum frame Nautiraids are
being sold into the Japanese market.  The one I tested, the Raid 416 ALU
is 33 pounds, i.e. about a pound lighter than the K-Light and about a
foot longer and two inches wider.  It is a nice stiff boat with little
flex in the frame and allows more of your paddling effort to go into
forward speed. I do not know the price comparisons in Japan but in the
US, the Nautiraid 416 costs $1,450 whereas the K-Light costs $1,800 and
the Klepper Alulite over $2,000, I believe.

The Nautiraid 416 and the K-Light go in one bag.  The Feathercraft bag
is better than the Nautiraid bag in that it has padded shoulder straps
and hipbelt.  The Nautiraid does not have a hypalon skin but rather a
PVC coated polyester.  This is not as strong as hypalon but Nautiraid
has keelstrips on all the high wear areas (as does the K-LIght which has
a hypalon skin).  I don't think the Alulite has keelstrips.  It weighs
over 40 pounds.

I would think that either the K-Light or the Nautiraid 416 would fit
your need in terms of weight and carrying around.  The Alulite would
likely also do too.  The K-Light is easy to assemble but I know people
have problems with it depending on the fit of the skin of their
individual boat and their unawareness of little tricks that make the
process easier.  The Nautiraid 416 is a no-brainer to assemble.

> 
> I am also curious about the discussion on Swede-form versus other forms.
> I am definitely not qualified to argue any points that anyone has made.
> My Nautiraid Raid 1 MK1 has a fish form and in my experience with it, if
> anything, it turns TOO much, too easily. Have to use ballast or a skeg
> in the back when the kayak is empty to keep it from swinging around. Can
> anyone explain why the fish form might be chosen over the Swede form if,
> as most people seem to be saying, the Swede form is so much better for a
> kayak? I've always been curious as to why Nautiraid decided to make this
> particular boat, since it differs from most other kayaks.

Judging by the definition that Matt Broze used to describe fish form, I
don't think that the older Nautiraid is a true fish form as we earlier
thought but I may have misunderstood him.  In any case, Nautiraid
changed from a fish form to a swede form about 6 years ago for the
Nautiraid 1 Exp.  I have a newer one (1996).  It still turns a lot but
not as much as the older one you have.  It is manageable without
resorting to a skeg or stern ballast.  For the record, the Nautiraid 416
and the K-Light track extremely well and don't broach or weathercock
much.

ralph diaz
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
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