The heat finally cooperated. The wife and I carted the Saturn FK396 to the lake (300 yards) and launched. Here are my impressions.
Light, easy to transport, tough material, lots of D-Rings and two removable benches (that get hard after a while...).
The removable "Keel/Fin" could be larger, but really it offers enough lateral hydro-resistance to do its job, but tracking could be better.
The large flotation tubes make the craft a bit Beamy, so paddle strokes may not be as intuitive as with a kayak or canoe, but the learning curve is quick. Use adjustable paddles to get the right length.
The craft is more of a hybrid between a kayak and canoe. With my wife up front to offer a load (125 pounds - lest anyone suggest I was indicating she's a load) the craft is easily paddled solo as one would paddle a canoe. Stroke and guide with one paddle, or using the traditional kayak stroke of alternating paddle tips.
Being only 40 pounds, it is subject to a little wind, but I've canoed with 60 pound canoes and it doesn't seen to be that bad. Both the canoe and the inflatable will only drift as fast as the wind is blowing...
The rigid, inflatable floor (removable) allows for easy standing and fishing. This company makes stand up inflatable paddle boards as well and the technology is the same. It's like standing on a hard synthetic running track.
Solo, without a load, the front end is ever-so-slightly raised if the pilot sits on the rear bench. There is no water resistance noted. Tandem or with a load up front, it pushes a little water, but the front end is pointy and the floor in between the float tubes is recessed, so there is a slight pontoon profile. So, it paddles easy.
I plan to do a little fly fishing with it this week to get a feel for its fishing utility.
If you check out youtube for the company videos, note that the guy doing the paddling appears to be a total neophyte, particularly when he starts to fish with an upside down spinning rod!!!
Light, easy to transport, tough material, lots of D-Rings and two removable benches (that get hard after a while...).
The removable "Keel/Fin" could be larger, but really it offers enough lateral hydro-resistance to do its job, but tracking could be better.
The large flotation tubes make the craft a bit Beamy, so paddle strokes may not be as intuitive as with a kayak or canoe, but the learning curve is quick. Use adjustable paddles to get the right length.
The craft is more of a hybrid between a kayak and canoe. With my wife up front to offer a load (125 pounds - lest anyone suggest I was indicating she's a load) the craft is easily paddled solo as one would paddle a canoe. Stroke and guide with one paddle, or using the traditional kayak stroke of alternating paddle tips.
Being only 40 pounds, it is subject to a little wind, but I've canoed with 60 pound canoes and it doesn't seen to be that bad. Both the canoe and the inflatable will only drift as fast as the wind is blowing...
The rigid, inflatable floor (removable) allows for easy standing and fishing. This company makes stand up inflatable paddle boards as well and the technology is the same. It's like standing on a hard synthetic running track.
Solo, without a load, the front end is ever-so-slightly raised if the pilot sits on the rear bench. There is no water resistance noted. Tandem or with a load up front, it pushes a little water, but the front end is pointy and the floor in between the float tubes is recessed, so there is a slight pontoon profile. So, it paddles easy.
I plan to do a little fly fishing with it this week to get a feel for its fishing utility.
If you check out youtube for the company videos, note that the guy doing the paddling appears to be a total neophyte, particularly when he starts to fish with an upside down spinning rod!!!