Mark said > Seems like Mike and Paul and I are the only ones here > who disagree with the idea of AGW Thanks Mark - I think your last post sums it up pretty well for me too. After my post, I decided I was a bit too new in the neighbourhood to raise a ruckus ;-) I'll try and stick to stuff I can back up with personal & hands-on experience - and save the religious debates for around campfires (no CO2 intended) and/or sessions with more beer to lubricate the debate. Big day tomorrow ! Driving a couple of hours to pick up a 10 year old Feathercraft K2 to give our home fleet a more mobile 'wing'. Was hoping to find a couple of single FC (that we could afford); but I only know of 8 FC in New Zealand - so they don't pop up for sale often. This was too good of a deal to pass up - and we have paddled without bloodshed in other doubles - so we will rein in our individualism and work on accentuating the pluses that a double can offer in unfamiliar & cold waters. It has spent most of its life on a Swedish yacht (before jumping ship here) and it's actually already been to both Glacier Bay and to New Caledonia - so hopefully it will remember what to do if we take it back... Best Regards Paul Hayward, Auckland, New Zealand *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 3:13 AM, Paul Hayward <pdh_at_mmcl.co.nz> wrote: > Mark said > > > Driving a couple of hours to pick up a 10 year old Feathercraft K2 to give > our home fleet a more mobile 'wing'. Was hoping to find a couple of single > FC (that we could afford); but I only know of 8 FC in New Zealand - so they > don't pop up for sale often. > > They don't pop up that often anywhere, Paul. Especially the K-2 version. I have seen perhaps 4 or 5 FC kayaks on the market over the past 4 or 5 years. I have not been looking very hard but, like many paddlers, a FC has been in the back of my mind and I've noticed them - and been tempted - when they've appeared. Congratulations!! Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Craig said > FC...don't pop up that often anywhere...Especially the K-2 version I guess I've been tracking various second-hand sites for about a year - in NZ, Australia, Europe and North America - and you are right that perhaps only a hundred FC boats a year seem to come up for re-sale. That is after weeding out the amazing number of Craig's List scams. Seems like FC are one of the more popular items for scammers - with the same pictures regularly cropping up across the US & Canada. Certainly makes it invaluable to have a 'mate' in the right city - who can toddle round and run an eye over the merchandise. There seems to be a flow of used K2s through the Alaska rental fleet and some universities - but these get snapped up fast. Then there seem to be a number of Khatsalanos being sold by people who's 'power of positive thinking' has let them down when it comes to getting comfortable with the challenge of what appears to be an expert's boat. K1's & Kahunas show up most often - I guess those are FC's most popular models. The Wisper (no 'h' in Wisper ;-) must be a truly amazing kayak. No one on-sells them and no one writes about them on the internet. Owners must all be too busy paddling them. I know Dubside has one. If I google 'Feathercraft wisper' (limiting results to the past year), I get only about 120 hits and many of those are about bird-art. Makes me keen to try one out, but I don't know of one within 10,000 km ;-( Last weekend, we took the K2 out for a brief 'can we try it before we buy it' spin (on calm water) and it confirmed what we expected it would feel like. Comfortable, not too much of a battleship, very responsive to rudder and not bad control with the rudder up (responsive to a bit of edging and a sweep stroke or two). 6 months ago, we each had a go with a K1, out in wind and surf and were mightily impressed with its capabilities. The K2 is clearly from the same stable (pun intended) and we shall be looking for a good opportunity to take it out for some adrenaline testing. Also looking for any good solutions (again pun intended) for re-coating a couple of small areas of nylon which are shedding their internal waterproof layer (old-age). The Sea-socks and spraydecks can be replaced, but there are some small areas of the fabric which form risers from the deck at the hatches. Not critical, but if you have had good results with something - I'd love to hear of it. Best Regards Paul Hayward, Auckland, New Zealand *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 7:16 PM, Paul Hayward <pdh_at_mmcl.co.nz> wrote: > > > Also looking for any good solutions (again pun intended) for re-coating a > couple of small areas of nylon which are shedding their internal waterproof > layer (old-age). The Sea-socks and spraydecks can be replaced, but there > are > some small areas of the fabric which form risers from the deck at the > hatches. Not critical, but if you have had good results with something - > I'd > love to hear of it. > > Aquaseal and a patch? I've never tried it but Aquaseal does seem relatively sturdy on my drysuit booties (which came with leaks... but for $50 I'm not complaining - they did warn me after all). You could use it as a sealant/glue perhaps? FC did come out with a new covering material not too long ago. I wonder if an email to them would give you good results. I had no idea that FCs were so prominent in the scam department. Interesting. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
I said I was " looking for any good solutions" and Craig kindly responded "Aquaseal and a patch?" and suggested talking with FC I have already had a (very quick) response to an email to Feathercraft - but they have no products for re-sealing that which I want to re-seal (not ones that they feel like promoting, anyway). I do completely understand that there may be many issues - to do with liabilities, nasty smells, lack of total success, etc - that might make a reputable company reluctant to advise customers to undertake some procedures. I'm certainly not upset with FC. You guys have fewer liability concerns ;-) Let me also be very clear that I am not talking about either the hull (Hypalon) or the deck (Polytech) fabrics. Both of these seem to be in very good shape. My boat is one of the (relatively rare) transitional ones with the older hull & newer deck fabrics - sewn together rather than welded as are the newer ones. I have had all that confirmed by FC (from the kayak's serial number). No, the hull & deck are in great shape. What needs a little TLC are the few bits made from a third type of fabric - a tough nylon fabric with a waterproofing layer on the back. As this reaches old age, it starts to flake off in little golden (varnish-like) flakes - not unlike dandruff ;-) I have an old LL Bean backpack which has degenerated in just the same way - so I recognised the syndrome at once. Since the rest of the backpack works well, I just put a big garbage bag inside and keep using it. Cheap of me, I know ;-) In the case of the FC spraydecks and the sea-socks, I can simply buy replacement items (if I can't successfully refurbish the flaky ones). In the case of the fore & aft hatches, about 3" of the rings (that stand up from the deck) are made from this material and it would be a bit of a major job to replace these sections of fabric. (Visualise the whole hull under a sewing machine ;-) It may not leak much - so perhaps I should trial it first - but it's really the only part of the boat that begs for some attention. Given that there are quite a few FC out here - at least as old as ours - I suspect I'm not the first to encounter the problem. So I threw it out in the hopes that somebody has a miracle cure... Best Regards Paul Hayward, Auckland, New Zealand *************************************************************************** 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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