Re: [Paddlewise] Folding Boats

Evans, Gareth T. wrote:
> 
> It will be my first boat, and I'm looking for something that's general
> purpose -- that I can use for day paddles as well as longer trips here on
> the West Coast (Southern California).  I'm leaning towards a Feathercraft
> K-1.  I paddled a Khatsalano in June and loved its speed and the way it
> carved turns, but I recognize that it would probably be too much for me as a
> novice paddler.  The other alternative would be a Klepper Aerius I, which is
> appealing because of its apparent relative ease of assembly, but I would be
> concerned about its speed and being left behind when paddling with others in
> hardshells.  I would appreciate any thoughts or insights you may have about
> these boats.

When the Khats was still in prototype stages and was planned to be sold
without sponsons (as it was for the first year), it was run in speed
trials against the then K-1.  The top speed differential if I recall
correctly was about 7 percent.  The Khats now comes in two forms, one
with full width sponsons and one with smallish sponsons.  Both of these
models are wider than that prototype Khats.  Meanwhile, the K-1 has been
totally revamped so that it is almost a new model in a sense.  The bow
took on the sharp entry form of the Khats, the boat was lengthed about
half a foot and the boat underway has a tighter skin (the earlier had a
cordura deck that stretched when wet loosening the skin a bit; the
current Polytech doesn't stretch when wet meaning a consistent tension
of the skin).  My guesstimate is that the differential in top speed now
is probably 4% maybe.

This is a long way of saying that the K-1 would probably give you all
the speed you need and feel more comfortably stable and less tender than
the Khats.

As for the Aerius I, it will keep up with most paddlers in most
hardshells.  When I had one, I often had hardshellers comment how fast
it was.  I once was paddling with a group that included some pretty good
paddlers.  There were well ahead of a slower pack.  I had hung around at
the back to stay with a newbie who had never paddled before and was in a
borrowed Nordkapp; when someone came back to take over babysitting I
took off, flashed through the slower pack and caught up to the lead
group.  They were paddling pretty fast but I kept up (albeit a bit
winded for the catching up phase).  When we got to our destination, I
walked down the beach to get something from my wife.  When I went back
to my Klepper Aerius I, several of those lead paddlers were peering into
my Klepper as if they were looking for a motor!!!  Actually they were
looking for how I had braced myself in the boat as they knew that the
kind of speed I was developing with the boat (which had impressed them)
could only be accomplished if I had my feet well braced to transfer the
power of my stroke to the forward speed of the boat.  It so happened
that, while the boat did not have foot pegs, my feet hit a crossrib at
just the right angle to provide a good bracing position.

This is a long way of telling you that if you are well braced in one of
the better full sized folding singles, K-1, Aerius I, or Nautiraid Raid
I and have a level of efficient paddling stroke, you should be able to
keep up with most hardshells and most hardshell paddlers.

>  Also -- and here's where I realize I'm opening up the
> pandora's box -- can I do without the rudders on the K-1 and the Klepper?  I
> generally don't like rudders, and they appear to add an extra level of
> difficulty in assembling and taking down these boats. 

Skip the rudder.  As you said it adds to assembly (and weight--3 pounds
or so in the Klepper), it is one more thing to go wrong and it causes
drag.  Learn how to paddle without a rudder and use all the body english
and other tools of the corrective tracking skills to keep the boat on
course.

ralph
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************