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 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. Just curious. ~~~<__Py___>~~~ -- Miguel Jorgensen Arboleda Talking Tree Journeys butuki_at_gol.com eyes to see, hands to touch, legs to walk, and a mind under the sky *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
I can't recall seeing much discussion on this, and so would like to solicit some advice from the good folks on this list. I have used one of the roll-top backpack/drybag things without problem for flatwater pursuits. However 5 or 10 minutes immersion in flowing water and exposure to sundry accompanying riverine forces allowed enough river into my bag to dampen the contents, which included some sthuff which I had REALLY hoped to keep dry (that's why I put it in the drybag in the first place, right?). No real problem THIS TIME, but . . . So. Question then: when it really must stay dry, wadda ya do? Must I "double-bag" everything for insurance? Any drybag style clearly superior? Any dryness prayers or appeasements to the river gods I need to invoke? TIA! ByeBye! S. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
On Mon, 24 May 1999, Steve Jernigan wrote: > I can't recall seeing much discussion on this, and so would like to solicit > some advice from the good folks on this list. I have used one of the > roll-top backpack/drybag things without problem for flatwater pursuits. > However 5 or 10 minutes immersion in flowing water and exposure to sundry > accompanying riverine forces allowed enough river into my bag to dampen the > contents, which included some sthuff which I had REALLY hoped to keep dry > (that's why I put it in the drybag in the first place, right?). > No real problem THIS TIME, but . . . > So. Question then: when it really must stay dry, wadda ya do? Must I > "double-bag" everything for insurance? Any drybag style clearly superior? > Any dryness prayers or appeasements to the river gods I need to invoke? > TIA! > ByeBye! > S. cascade designs bags work for me ;-) from a few "wet incidents" myself, i have learned: while many folks pump air into their bags, for extra flotaion, this seems to suck in the water, as the cold water "compresses" the air in the bag, causing a sucking in of water. If I burp the bags, and later have an incident, rarely ever does water leak in. don't over fill the bag, you want _several_ folds over to be secure... mark #------canoeist[at]netbox[dot]com----http://www.diac.com/~zen/mark ---- # mark zen o, o__ o_/| o_. po box 474 </ [\/ [_| [_\ ft. lupton, co 80621-0474 (`-/-------/----') (`----|-------\-') #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~ http://www.diac.com/~zen/paddler [index to club websites i administer] Rocky Mtn Sea Kayak Club, Colorado River Flows, Poudre Paddlers The Colorado Paddlers' Resource, Rocky Mtn Canoe Club Trip Page -- Fortune: Nothing pains some people more than having to think. --Martin Luther King, Jr. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Steve Jernigan wrote: > > I can't recall seeing much discussion on this, and so would like to solicit > some advice from the good folks on this list. I have used one of the > roll-top backpack/drybag things without problem for flatwater pursuits. > However 5 or 10 minutes immersion in flowing water and exposure to sundry > accompanying riverine forces allowed enough river into my bag to dampen the > contents, Never put any of my drybags to the surf test, but it is tough for me to imagine much leakage IF the closure has at least three full wraps. Only if it is "pressure cycled" in the water deeply enough to "burp" and "inverse-burp" can I imagine more than a teaspoon getting inside. Check the bag for leaks. Gotta have a second hole to get much inside. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Attention Mr. Diaz, You are being paged! - Scott 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 ..., 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... Does anyone out there have any > experience with it? How would it compare to the K-Light Plus? ssives_at_erols.com - avid father, husband, photographer, kayaker, jet skier and Mustang Cobra convertible owner *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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