Hey all, well the new boat arrived with Steve the UPS guy yesterday. It's a Feathercraft Khatsalano regular. I assembled it in my studio which I am really enjoying as I live on the 5th floor with no way to get any of my other boats up here. Now I can play around with packing scenarios before I get to the beach. A couple of questions: Any tips for assembly? It went together fairly easily, though lining up the expanders was kind of a hassle. I ended up scoring them with a pen so I can tell when they are aligned correctly. I'm sure some of you have some secrets. I think I'll get a light tarp for onsite assembly. I won't get to paddle until Monday, but I am pretty sure I am going to want some padding. Does anyone know who makes those new inflatable hip pads? How do the fit the Khats? Who sells 'em. Any packing tips? I primarily pack with #15 and #25 light nylon Seal Lion Kodiac drybags. I have a copy of Doug Simpson's packing list and will go over that. Any other tips? Now I have to pay for the thing. Anyone want to buy my car? -Patrick *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
First Patrick, congratulations, and please accept my envy. Now you can sit in your new Khatsalano while watching TV (I can only hold my paddle)! And you should definitely hang it on th wall, assembled. It is a work of art. As for assembly tips, ask Ralph Diaz, and consider subscribing to his Folding Kayaker. As for hip pads, they were reviewed in Sea Kayaker a few issues back. Look like a good idea. As for your car, can't help you... Best, Josh On Sat, 28 Apr 2001, Patrick Maun wrote: > well the new boat arrived with Steve the UPS guy yesterday. It's a > Feathercraft Khatsalano regular. I assembled it in my studio which I > am really enjoying as I live on the 5th floor with no way to get any > of my other boats up here. Now I can play around with packing > scenarios before I get to the beach. ============================================================================== Dr. Joshua Teitelbaum Tel: [972] 3-640-6448 Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and Fax: [972] 3-641-5802 African Studies E-mail:teitelba_at_ccsg.tau.ac.il Tel Aviv University Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978 Israel ============================================================================== *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Hey Patrick, Congratulations. I recently bought a used regular kaht. It took me quite a while to figure out how to get the thing together. I had a more fundamental problem than the alignment of the expanders. I didn't get the concept at all. Only after over an hour did I realize that I was supposed to put the two tubes together and then stretch them until the dimple popped out, rather than stretching them to their fulll extent to get the tubes together. Sort of silly I know. One trick mentioned by Ralph Diaz that helped me was to think of the initial bow and stern assemblies as the frames of an umbrella and to pull them into a tighter cone as you put them into the skin of the boat. To your question about hip pads: you should paddle the thing to see whether you think you need them. The boat fits me tightly enough that I am not going to get them for a while. Feathercraft has them listed as an accessory (with no price) on their web site. Folding kayak adventures http://www.foldingkayak.com/accessories.htm lists them for $50. I will be interested in getting your first impressions of the boat after you get it into the water. I was astounded by its lack of primary stability. I literally wore myself out flicking my hips back and forth trying to fight it. On subsequent outings I learned to trust the boat's secondary stability and to let the thing wobble a bit. I find that the boat takes on a lot of water after a wet exit and that it is difficult to drain through an assisted "T" rescue. I think this is a combination of the fact that it has no bulkheads and that it flexes a bit when lifted from one end. So I suggest you use the sea sock, annoying as it is, along with the float bags. I have a follow up question for any kaht owners out there. My boat takes on more water than I think it should when the coaming is below the water line (as when I am skulling). When I do this I can feel the water coming into the boat Is my sprayskirt not tightly enough attached to the boat? Is there something about the folding of the skin into the coaming or the attachment of the sea sock that I am missing? Is there a difference between the seal made by the neoprene sealed sea sock and the nylon one? Or are my expectations wrong about what the tightness of the seal of the cockpit should be? Best, Grant P.S. I work for Banta Integrated Media across the street; do you want to hire a project manager for your development group? But seriously... I'd love to go paddling in the Charles or the Harbor if you're interested. > well the new boat arrived with Steve the UPS guy > yesterday. It's a > Feathercraft Khatsalano regular. I assembled it in > my studio which I > am really enjoying as I live on the 5th floor with > no way to get any > of my other boats up here. Now I can play around > with packing > scenarios before I get to the beach. > > A couple of questions: > Any tips for assembly? It went together fairly > easily, though lining > up the expanders was kind of a hassle. I ended up > scoring them with a > pen so I can tell when they are aligned correctly. > I'm sure some of > you have some secrets. I think I'll get a light tarp > for onsite > assembly. > > I won't get to paddle until Monday, but I am pretty > sure I am going > to want some padding. Does anyone know who makes > those new inflatable > hip pads? How do the fit the Khats? Who sells 'em. > ===== Grant Emison Cambridge, MA gemison_at_yahoo.com Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/ *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 4/29/01 6:28:26 PM Eastern Daylight Time, gemison_at_yahoo.com writes: > ... My boat takes on more water than I think it should when the coaming is > below the water line (as when I am skulling). When I do this I can feel > the water coming into the boat ... Is the water entering the hull itself or the seasock? Are both seasock and spraydeck wrinkle free around the coaming? Is the bead around the edge fo the deck material fully seated in the coaming all the way around? Best regards, Ralph Ralph C. Hoehn Ralph_at_PouchBoats.com www.PouchBoats.com *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
----- Original Message ----- From: <FoldingBoats_at_aol.com> > > ... My boat takes on more water than I think it should when the coaming is > > below the water line (as when I am skulling). When I do this I can feel > > the water coming into the boat ... > > Is the water entering the hull itself or the seasock? Are both seasock and > spraydeck wrinkle free around the coaming? Is the bead around the edge fo the > deck material fully seated in the coaming all the way around? > There have been discussions on this in my newsletter. Basically, a paddler using a sea sock needs to bleed air out of the hull or face having the sea sock cling to him. But that creates a bit of negative pressure in the hull and when you tip over that negative pressure or small vacuum tends to suck water in. The solution that has been worked out by Feathercraft is to improve the seasock. It is now available with a neoprene rim. That, mated with a neoprene sprayskirt (or a combi skirt with a nylon tunnel and neoprene deck), tends to minimize the amount of such water entry. You also may be getting leakage through the seam. It was only in the year 2000 that Feathercraft finally introduced the welded seams. 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/ ***************************************************************************
Ralph Diaz: ... a paddler using a sea sock needs to bleed air out of the hull or face having the sea sock cling to him. But that creates a bit of negative pressure in the hull and when you tip over that negative pressure or small vacuum tends to suck water in. ... Ralph Hoehn: It's exactly this phenomenon, with which I've been trying to come to grips: If "burping" the seasock is only a temporary measure due to leaks in the hull or between the sea sock and the coaming, then aren't we faced with a clingy seasock again? Or is the leak in the original question so small that it was really a "red herring" to worry about the tiny amounts of water that would have come in by the time the seasock would have long "deflated" already? Was the "new" Khatsalano already equipped with neoprene reinforced seasock rims? Best regards, Ralph Ralph C. Hoehn Ralph_at_PouchBoats.com www.PouchBoats.com *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 4/30/01 9:34:55 AM Pacific Daylight Time, FoldingBoats_at_aol.com writes: > > Ralph Hoehn: It's exactly this phenomenon, with which I've been trying to > come to grips: If "burping" the seasock is only a temporary measure due to > leaks in the hull or between the sea sock and the coaming, then aren't we > faced with a clingy seasock again? > > Or is the leak in the original question so small that it was really a "red > herring" to worry about the tiny amounts of water that would have come in by > the time the seasock would have long "deflated" already? > My sock stays off me for the day. I don't experience any "deflating sock syndrome" in my Sealskin Khats or in the old stitched-skin version. However, I do have a foam plug (like a bulkhead) inside the sock which keeps the sock open at the footpegs. I found that my footwear would sometimes hook the sock and pull wrinkles in it during hasty exits, so the plug was added to solve that problem. > Was the "new" Khatsalano already equipped with neoprene reinforced seasock > rims? > Not the first ones out. Mine has the all-nylon version. The Khats does come with an all-neoprene skirt though. This seems to help seal the sock/coaming seam pretty well. I don't get more than a cup or two of water in a four hour paddle even though the coaming edge spends a good deal of time under water. I will get more in when practicing rolls and re-entries. The suggestions about managing the puckers around the coaming were well said and probably the most vital solution. Also, adjusting the tension on the spray skirt could help. Harold Happy Khats owner *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Patrick, To get back to your original questions: In a message dated 4/28/01 5:32:26 PM Pacific Daylight Time, pmaun_at_bitstream.net writes: > > A couple of questions: > Any tips for assembly? It went together fairly easily, though lining > up the expanders was kind of a hassle. I ended up scoring them with a > pen so I can tell when they are aligned correctly. I'm sure some of > you have some secrets. I think I'll get a light tarp for onsite > assembly. Two things that are easy to mix up and which will make hassles for you are: 1. The proper order of assembly, and 2. Which end goes in first. I have made notes to myself on the crossribs and on a small waterproof card which I keep with the boat. You can get to the point where everything is automatic, but I don't build the boat that often. With the expansion tubes, I find it much easier to insert the forward ends into the bow assembly first, then the rear ends. Pull the tubes toward the center of the boat and move around until the proper alignment allows them to slip together easily. If you are talking about aligning them around their longitudinal axis so that the pins align with the ribs, use the lever bar in the tubes to turn them into alignment. > > I won't get to paddle until Monday, but I am pretty sure I am going > to want some padding. Does anyone know who makes those new inflatable > hip pads? How do the fit the Khats? Who sells 'em. > I have the hip pads and like them. They are an easy way to tighten up the fit of the boat. Experiment with the strap installment as well as the inflation to get the proper fit. I run the straps so that the top edge of the bag is tucked up over the reinforcement (truss) bars. To stabilize the seat, I use the 2 binding straps which come around the rolled-up skin. Install one across the crease between the back and bottom of the seat and around rib 4 to hold the seat back and down. Run the other across the back of the seat, forward beneath the seat angle straps, up over the front of the seat back wings, over rib 4 and under the rear deck bar, to hold the set back tight against the rib. > Any packing tips? I primarily pack with #15 and #25 light nylon Seal > Lion Kodiac drybags. I have a copy of Doug Simpson's packing list and > will go over that. > I drilled holes in the plastic at the bow and stern and installed running lines to allow me to pull the bow and stern flotation bags (installed brass grommets) and/or gear bags into place. Stay away from any bags with plasticized exteriors which will stick to other bags or the skin. The see-thru bags are the worst, nylon the best. Long and thin works best, tapers are great in the bow and stern. Pack most of the weight in the aft compartment. Compute Doug Simpson's weight distribution from his packing list and then realize he designed the Khats' rudder system and strap-on skeg after that trip. The boat needs a strong rear weight bias to track well with my 150-lb body weight. I carry about 2 to 2-1/2 gallons of water behind the rear hatch when day paddling without camping gear to trim the Khats for weather helm. When camping, I carry water much further aft than I do in most boats. > Any other tips? > Use the seasock -- it will save the boat from abrasion and corrosion inside and make re-entries/rescues easier. I have a shaped foam plug which I install inside mine to give me a stable, shaped footrest and keep the sock straight (I don't use a rudder). A floor of 1/2-inch minicell foam installed inside the hull between ribs 2 & 3 before you install the sock will protect the sock's coating from abrasion and provide your heals with thermal insulation from the water. Buy a large container of the Boeshield T-9 that was supplied with the boat and coat the entire tube set with it on a periodic basis to protect from corrosion. Lube the mating parts every couple times you assemble if you routinely assemble/disassemble for day paddles. Enjoy the boat and report back anything to discover that we can help you with or that might help us. Congratulations. Harold *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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