I also wanted to mention that Feathercraft had a new boat at the Wsst Coast Kayak Symposium called the "Kahuna" (which is a pretty lame name, evoking images of Hawaii and surf dudes) that is the successor to the K-Light. The boat is merely a stretched version of the K-Light. According to what the dealer said, the Kahuna has two more feet of length, which would put it at about 14.5' in length. Feathercraft also had a variation on the Kahuna, called the Big Kahuna which had a larger cockpit. The price for the boat went up about $50 or so, and the weight went up only a few more pound. Alledgedly, they are coming out with inflatable waist pads for the seat. The dealer described it as a one-piece accessory that fit around the seat and could be inflated for a better fit. It's supposed to be in production now. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
elias.ross_at_software.com wrote: > > I also wanted to mention that Feathercraft had a new boat at the Wsst > Coast Kayak Symposium called the "Kahuna" (which is a pretty lame name, > evoking images of Hawaii and surf dudes) that is the successor to the > K-Light. The boat is merely a stretched version of the K-Light. > According to what the dealer said, the Kahuna has two more feet of > length, which would put it at about 14.5' in length. Feathercraft also > had a variation on the Kahuna, called the Big Kahuna which had a larger > cockpit. The price for the boat went up about $50 or so, and the weight > went up only a few more pound. The Kahuna is somewhat a stretched K-Light but there are marked differences that hold a lot of promise. The length went from 12 ft 10 inches to 14 feet 9 inches. The weight is the virtually the same as the pre-2000 version of the K-Light (35 pounds the Kahuna; 34.5 pounds for the 1994-1999 K-Light). The price differential is actually $80. The boat clearly will have more capacity in terms of volume and weight. It will track well and, with a more sharply tapered bow, will do better in the water. Basically when Feathercraft managed to get the K-Light down to 31 pounds this year (a combo of new deck and hull material and RF-welding of seams), it made the obvious decision of "why not take the weight reduction gain and throw it back into the hopper to make the boat longer". Thus the Kahuna. Also borrowing from the situation the company faced in 1996 or so, it opted to offer two cockpit sizes. In that year, the company changed the K-light from the cockpit size of the K-1 down to that of the Khats. People were clamoring for the older size and the company was forced to make a few more. Now there is the Kahuna (Khats size cockpit) and the Big Kahuna that has the K-1 size, about 7 inches longer and an inch wider if I recall correctly. > > Alledgedly, they are coming out with inflatable waist pads for the > seat. The dealer described it as a one-piece accessory that fit around > the seat and could be inflated for a better fit. It's supposed to be in > production now. Generally the seats in all the Feathercraft singles are the same in setup. So I can't imagine why any improvement could not be fitted into any of them with a bit of savvy and adjustment. The company is phasing out the K-Light. I could write a long ode to the K-Light but I will spare you plowing reading through one. But the K-Light remains a terrific boat and one should not hesitate to buy something of its magnitude in just a 31 pound weight form. Its speed and the ability to keep up with all but the most determined person in a much longer hardshell has always surprised both the K-Lighter and the guy in that sleek boat. It is manueverable, easy to assembly (if you have the knack), light to carry. Just a great boat whose performance belied its smallish size. The Kahuna is likely to be better yet. I saw one over the weekend but didn't get a chance to paddle it (it was at a hugely successful swim escort support a number of us were doing on the Hudson in a 7.8 mile swim along Manhattan's shoreline). But I will. 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/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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