----- Original Message ----- From: "Matt Broze" <mkayaks_at_oz.net> > Again, our top speed observations might be confusing to someone who thinks > they relate directly to paddling ease. I think the Khats slips through the > water with considerable more ease than the K-1 due to among other things its > narrowness and lower wetted surface. However, its finer ends combined with a > similar waterline length to the K-1 mean that in a sprint the Khats > effective waterline length is less and therefore its top speed isn't as much > faster as it could have been (with some sacrifice to its cruising ease) if > it were longer or had fuller ends. The Khats is one of the few folding > kayaks I have found that has the same great glide between strokes as a good > hard-shell kayak. The only boat that I ever felt would glide what seemed forever between strokes was the Klepper Aerius 2000 in its early form. I was the first person (other than one guy in the factory) to paddle its prototype back in 1993 in Bavaria and I couldn't believe what was happening in so much glide between strokes. I tested it in different directions to make certain that it wasn't wind or anything else effecting this. I would have chaulked it up to too much bratwurst and beer consumed in copious amounts before paddling but when the boat later went into production, I kept getting feedback from users about the phenomenon. That boat had an extremely tight skin to frame fit, painfully so for anyone assembling the thing. The only way to compare it would be the feel of a perfectly waxed XC ski when you got the wax just right. 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 - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri Mar 02 2001 - 12:33:40 PST
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