Ross,

The Khats is a great boat. It's the S-version. I would have preferred the sportier set-up, but my wife gave it to me as a surprise wedding present and I wasn't about to complain plus, it's a great compromise for my 19" beam skin on frame. For the record, I'm 6'1", 205#s and have size 12 feet. I can't wear footwear in any of these boats. I'll start with my complaints--it's a pain to put the Khats together, and it's a lot heavier than the 47# advertised weight (an issue I'm currently discussing with Feathercraft). It usually takes about 45 minutes to assemble, but if I hurried I could do it in 35.

Paddling it is great. The frame really flexes with swells and waves. It makes me feel a bit more connected to the water. In comparison, my Greenland SOF is much more rigid and I hardly notice any flex of the frame. The Guillemot, like any hardshell kayak, slaps the water.

I've never used the rudder provided with it, but it tracks straight. It tends to weathercock a tad, but nothing that can't be fixed with a lean. It doesn't respond to a lean like the Guillemot, though, but, as I'm sure you know, the Guillemot is a bit loose in the rear (which I happen to think is a admirable quality in the Guillemot).

Rolling is easy, but interesting b/c the bouyancy of the sponsons tends to help keep the boat off its side--especially when sculling. I've learned to dislike a tight fitting cockpit--that is, I like wriggle room for my hips. As long as I have a solid thigh brace, being able to move and shift my hips helps me to perform various rolls and sculls better. The Khats and Greenland SOF have no hip pads, but solid thigh braces, and the Guillemot has hips pads (but that's my wifes boat and she can have anything she wants:) ). The Khats has the most comfortable seating arrangement I've ever sat in as well (my legs almost never fall asleep).

I spent Thanksgiving in Mayport, FL (aka Jacksonville) and was lucky enough to have 6 ft waves my last day there. The Khats handled the rough surf in style. I surfed with my stick and storm paddle the entire time and had a blast. I really put the frame to the test. At one point, a wave hit me and sent the boat vertical. I could feel the stern being dragged along the bottom before I was cartwheeled end over end. The boat survived no worse for wear. I enjoyed feeling the skin skimming over the water as I picked up speed on waves faces too. When I surf the Guillemot, the bow tends to get buried in the wave, but I did not have that problem with the Khats (I don't know whether that's due to experience or cleaner waves or what).

In all, the Khats is a great boat, the Guillemot a great boat and the SOF a great boat, but they're all different. Despite the Khats' greater beam, it seems like you still need a better sense of balance to paddle it than the Guillemot. The Khats would be better for a long paddle or multi-day paddle and the Guillmeot more of day tripper.

Finally, since the Khats is such a pain to lug around in a bag (or by shoulder) and takes so long to put together, I decided to build my own folding kayak. I'm going to CLC this weekend to pick up the plywood and have ordered all the hardware from McMaster-Carr. I'll keep the list informed on my progress. Hope this helps. Feel free to ask anymore questions.

Lew

: Lew,

: I've sometimes wished I had a foldable boat, and I've always liked the
: Greenland style lines of the Khatsalano. Could you share a description of
: how it paddles and perhaps compare it to your other boats? Do you have the
: standard or the 'S' version? What's the setup/tear-down time? Thanks for
: any info.

: Ross