The Kleppers are beautifully made and very stable, but they are also heavy and a little slow, a basic tradeoff for stability. I have a lovely single-seat fiberglass sea kayak (Seaward Navigator), but I obviously can't bring the family along in it; my wife also likes to paddle it. I've thought of buying an open-cockpit double folder so I can paddle the 2 kids and she can paddle the Navigator; I could also use it as an expedition single for trips out in the wild places, many of which are impossible to get to with a 17-foot hardshell kayak - land travel can be dicey in this country. The Navigator tracks beautifully, though, and is very fast - it flies with almost no effort at all - and I have to be paddling something that I can keep up in, even with the kids. The one I'd really like is the Feathercraft Klondike, which is a superb boat, but by the time you throw in the accessories it would run upwards of 5k, which is a lot for a kayak, especially when I've bought three in the past year. So it will have to wait for a bit; we'll knock around in the Navigator and a friend's double until the whitewater season starts. Maybe next time flatwater season comes around I'll think about the Feathercraft, unless the Folbot really does look like a reasonable alternative.
I can imagine how you must feel looking at the Klepper sitting on the floor. On the other hand, I'm not sure I'd want to be paddling in 40 degree weather... it's been a long time since I've felt even that kind of cold. You certainly wouldn't want to dump the boat in that weather, so be careful: even a very stable kayak can feel tricky until you get used to it. My first time in a new boat always feels strange, even if the boat is technically more stable than the one I used before.
Good luck,
Steve |
