As you can see from Vince's answer, there are paddlers and there are paddlers. Vince is a more skilled one and will look at the varying forms of the Khats in a different way then someone coming from the other side might. A few of my own comments: Vince Dalrymple wrote: > > Wendy Ogaki wrote: > > > > I'm planning to buy a folding boat to complement my hardshell. I'm just not > > sure what would be the best model to buy as trying out a boat will most > > likely be impossible since most of these boats would be special ordered in > > my area and unfortunately I don't know anyone with these particular models > > of folding boats. One decision I've made is that I would like to get a > > Feathercraft, now just what model, although I think right now I'm leaning > > toward the Khatsalano S. > > Experience: > > > > - have paddled sprint racing flatwater kayaks & canoes, so balance is pretty > > good. I'm not sure what the kayak beam is across but probably 18 inches or > > less, rounded hull. Have paddled about 10-15 years. > Don't even think about buying the Khats S. It'll feel like driving a > bus (other than the speed). I personally feel the Khats S was designed > for folks who shouldn't be in a skinny boat to begin with, overly > relying on the sponsons to keep them from tipping over, but in a boat > that with sponsons inflated would be a difficult boat to roll back up. > How many Khatsalanos do you see come up for resale compared to the high > number of Khats Ss? Food for thought. Given your background, Vince is absolutely right. If you have the balancing skills to go in a skinny boat, then by all means go for the skinnier version of the Khats. I would agree with Vince only in part. _Both_ versions, the standard (in which you can elect to inflate or not inflate the smallish built-in sponsons, is in itself a compromise boat that was redesigned up from the non-sponsoned version because paddlers seem to want something very skinny but couldn't handle it) and the Khats-S in which you must use the sponsons all the time (these are medium sized), are meant to give a measure of training wheels to a skinny boat. One is just more training wheels than the other. As for who has a right to be in a skinny boat, I don't see how anyone should be denied going skinny or seemingly skinny. A boat like the Khats-S actually bridges a lot of worlds quite nicely. It is not a barge or bus. As for the numbers of Khats Standard vs. Khat-S's for resale, the numbers reflect to some degree the number of sales of one versus the other. But it is true that some paddlers who bought the Khats-S as an excursion into the realm of skinny, found that it wasn't to their liking nor did it make them better paddlers. Something akin to this happened in the late 1980s when many a paddler was conned into buying a Nordkapp as a boat to grow into and it did not turn out to be that easy. The glut of used Nordkapps on the market was astounding but a blessing to good paddlers who could get used ones for a song from sellers desperate to get rid of them. I know of one determined paddler here who went out some 50 times with his Nordkapp until he finally felt one with it and confident and comfortable. In the Khats-S I have known people who really wanted it no matter what and opted eventually to put in ballast for the security it gave them. > > Even the Khats (standard) will feel big in terms of boat fit and overly > stable for you (without the sponsons inflated). At 5'3", you'll find > the rear deck very high for layback rolls (for when you do decide to > work on skill building). The trouble in the Khats is not so much the high rear deck but rather the high seatback. It is relatively easy to resolve this...cut down the plastic board used for back support within the seatback cushion. It is something I am recommending this fix in my next issue for those who want to roll any of the Feathercrafts with a sweep, layback roll. > > I personally feel Doug Simpson, head of F-craft should try his hand at a > Khatsalano Sport model with about a 20~21" beam and lower deck for > easier layback. Pick up some of the lost volume by adding another half > foot or so in length - maybe split the bow float bag to fit around the > bow keel frame to add more bow volume. But keep it designed from the > outset for paddlers > in the 120~170 lb. range. I have too many friends in that weight range > interested in my Khats but who feel the boat is on the large side for > them. Any PaddleWisers want to add their two cents to this - or > challenge it? I might forward the results on to Doug. If you are forwarding requests to Doug ask him for me and a lot of others to make a longer version of the K-Light. The world is waiting for a 15 foot K-Light. It would blow the socks over any other conventional folding single. Adding two feet would still give us a 40 pound nice single for the way most of us paddle, i.e. not like Doug (...Lloyd not Simpson) or Vince, the hurricane chasers respectively (and respected) of the West and East Coasts :-) Incidentally, at your weight and need for stability, you may want to opt for the K-Light even at its present 13 foot length. It is a speedy enough boat, very agile and sporty feeling and accelerates well. Sometimes smaller paddlers actually can do better in a smaller boat than a longer boat. At least give it a try. 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 - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Mar 27 2000 - 15:30:50 PST
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