Re: [Paddlewise] Feathercraft Khatsalano, S and Expedition K1

In a message dated 3/29/00 6:57:28 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
vincedalrymple_at_home.com writes:

>  
>  My weight (at the time) was 165 lb.  The boat weighed in at
>  47 lb.  The gear load minus the boat which I packed over to Japan was in
>  the range of 40 lb.  To that was added about 3~4 lb. of food, 3~4
>  gallons of water/beverages (24~32 lb.as stated by Dave Flory), about
>  2~3 lb. worth of camp stove, fuel, and camera.  Don't remember the other
>  odds & ends added there.  About 250 lb. total weight for that trip.
>  
Looking at Doug Simpson's very detailed list for his shakedown cruise (which 
was done in the original S-less Khats) shows that he had about 140 lbs of 
gear aboard.  I guess Doug is around 180 lbs, so his total weight was 320 lbs 
-- 20 lbs heavier than the suggested maximum for the current Khats or Khats 
S.  So, you weren't all that heavy, though I wonder if you figured in the 
weight of your paddling clothes, paddles, rescue and other paddling gear 
(people often overlook some of these items).  I did a little math and found 
that Doug had only 19.6 lbs/19.7% of his gear wt forward of his knees, 44.8 
lbs/32% between his seat back and knees, 41.2 lbs/29.4% between the seat and 
rear hatch, 15.9 lbs/11.4% in the rear hatch.  This adds up to 48.8% behind 
the seat, and a whopping 80.8% behind the knees.  This confirms my 
experience.  I ordered the removable skeg for my new Khats, but I have found 
that the boat tracks and turns fine if the weight is centered far enough to 
the stern.  I usually put about 10 lbs. ballast in the back of the boat when 
paddling without gear.
 
>  BTW, the 3 gal. water bag was strapped between the chine bars to the
>  keel as ballast.
>  Correction:  The 3 gal. water bag was strapped directly behind the seat 
between the chine bars to the keel as ballast.

My water gradually migrated aft during my Palau trip until it was beneath and 
behind the rear hatch, to balance my boat for weather helm.
.
> 
>  HTERVORT_at_aol.com wrote: 
>  > I personally didn't feel the Khats S tipping hard onto one chine the
>  > way Vince describes, though I know what he is saying -- I felt the same
>  > thing with the Nordcapp and could never warm to the boat because of that
>  > feel.
>  
>  I was referring to the original no-sponson Khats (what Ralph referred to
>  as their prototype).  My standard (small sponson) Khatsalano sits pretty
>  flat with almost no air in the sponsons.  The Khats S would only sit
>  flatter still.
>  This was my first time in the Khatsalano series and may have been my
>  first time in a hard chine design.  Paddling the standard Khats (sm.
>  sponsons) immediately afterwards, it felt as though the (no sponson)
>  prototype original Khats was slightly narrower with a more pronounced
>  v-bottom.
>  

I went over like a shot duck when I tried Doug's boat (original no-sponson 
Khats).  It compares to the Falcon 16 with its infamous negative stability 
curve.  The Khats S has lots more initial stability.  When I tried the 
small-S Khats, I fell in love with it because it felt so much more lively 
than my Khats S -- that's when I decided to sell my boat and get the newer 
Khats.

>  Wendy,
>  
>  _If_ you decide on the Khats and are currently comfortable paddling w/o
>  a rudder, you might want to consider ordering the boat
>  "clean"(rudderless).  The Khats has almost no use for a rudder for a
>  paddler of my size and weight (180 lb. _at_ 6'), and would still have
>  little use for a rudder (as opposed to the removable skeg) for a paddler
>  of your size and weight (going out on a limb here - i.e.., guessing).
>   
>  My advice (for what it's worth); go with F-craft's removable skeg. 
>  It's cheap and effective in most windy condition situations. 
>  Admittedly, I still need to work out some bugs on fore/aft skeg
>  placement after a windy paddle a couple of weeks ago.
> 

I agree, both comments.  The rudder is easy to install after-market if you 
decide it is needed and there is no real penalty in trying it clean before 
ordering a rudder.

Good luck Wendy

Harold 
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