[Paddlewise] Khatsalano kayak: personal experience

Hi!

I'd like to share with you my personal impression. (I took Khatsalano-S this
weekend for testing.)

Usually I'm paddling different types of NDK (explorer, greenlander pro,
...). Recently I made a trip on Prijon SeaYak.

Well, frankly I was very disappointed from the kayak. Except for it being
beautiful and transportable, it found it being hardly compared to any of the
hard-shells I paddled.

Besides the problems that I expected in this type of kayak (like little
luggage space), I found it:

1. Slow (comparing to the greenlander-style boats).
2. Rolling: I needed to use quite aggressive high-brace at the end of the
roll. Comparing to NDK kayaks that can be rolled by slow sweep stroke,
sculling or even hands, it was disappointing. During the first roll the sea
sock accidentally pulled out of the kayak, the kayak was flooded (I didn't
take the air bags) and started sinking. Fortunately I was near the shore.
3. The sitting inside is very uncomfortable, the sea sock is probably the
only solution for the folding kayaks, but it is very inconvenient.
4. The surfing was bad: the kayak dangerously bended after taking a moderate
breaking wave (~1.5 meter): the bow was directed to the wave, I paddled back
until the wave braked on me. Yet, taking breaking waves aside was much
better. Anyway, I wouldn't risk to take more than 2 meters breaking wave in
this kayak.
5. The rudder accidentally opened and bended during surfing.
6. The stern hatch accidentally opened during surfing, and the water started
entering the kayak.
7. Any change in kayak load (even small amount of water) changed its
behavior. It could be difficult to predict its behavior in trips (where the
weight can be changed).
8. I was told that the kayak should be lifted by lifting both rear and front
sides simultaneously. I can hardly imagine how should I land with the kayak
during the trip (fully loaded). Should I ask 2 more people help me carrying
it to the beach?
9. Rescue: how exactly can you risqué a Khatsalano with help of another
kayak? You can't lift it, right? You have two choices: get the sea sock out
of the kayak and empty it, or use a pump. Remember that you really need a
risqué only in rough conditions where you can't exactly use the pump. Also
pulling a sea sock doesn't seem to be a good idea: the kayak will be flooded
with the first wave.

Bottom line: it could be not bad for calm traveling (lakes, calm seas).
Especially because it is transportable. It is beautiful. I wouldn't wish to
myself to get stuck in it in rough, cold sea 5 kilometers from the beach. In
general I would definitely prefer paddling a simple ugly plastic Seayak (you
can rent it almost anywhere in the world), rather than a sophisticated
Khatsalano.

Again it is my personal experience, I could agree that my skills are limited
or the specific kayak was bad.

Regards,

Michael Hoichman

http://www.envy.nu/hoichman/

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