Is there a classified source for kayaks?, I,ve been trying to learn and after a ton of reading I decided on a Featherlight Aironauts just to find out they went out of business. I’m hoping somebody wants to sell me one.
Thank you
Mike Lynch
I see you have a classified here…
I guess you mean Feathercraft Aironaut Single?
Hello Mike.
Posting your State is helpful.
I have bought and sold over 3 dozen kayaks in the last 5 years or so, and I have learned that location is important. I am in the middle of Wyoming so touring kayaks within a reasonable distance of me are much harder to come by then they are in costal reasons.
Finding a “great deal” which is 1000-1500 miles away takes it out of the “good-deal class” when you factor in gas to go get it. I have driven some pretty long distances to get kayaks in the past, but usually when I was heading that way for some other reason so I use Craigs List to see what is available there before I leave. I have gone as far as Lake Tahoe on the California side, New Mexico, and Oregon/Idaho border and if the price was right I’ll pay the money and bring them back.
But the gas I was burning in most of my long trips was going to get used anyway for other reasons. The kayaks were bonuses.
Things to consider…
Hello, I’m on the Texas coast. The aironauts is a solo or double, the seats are moveable and I would think it has different deck cover for the transition. I am an experience adventure traveler but I’ve only done minor kayaking…the truth is I don’t like water that much, I can swim but I hate putting my head underwater and I hated the rollover. But I’m 70 now and I’ve noticed that I don’t care as much about the adventure trips that I once took. But I started dating a young lady who is very capable and she kayaks…so I said to myself, with a sea kayak you are not expected to rollover and there is a ton of waterways within a few miles of my house. And, there is a lot I can’t do but I can damn sure paddle a boat.
I don’t like inflatables, I like sleek, fast graphite. But I also still have all my gear and why not spend a few nights on the paddle which means a pakboat would work. I prefer solo but there will always be some girl I want to take on a paddle and I can’t afford 2 boats so a solo/tandem is good. I used a whitewater kayak on my first trip (50 years ago)I don’t like my legs feeling trapped but the open takes on too much water and it’s a lot of problem packing to keep things dry, therefore a removable deck/skirt sounded good.
I was reading and the Puffin Saranac sounded good but I read multiple people saying the featherlight had a stronger build.
Thank you for your help
Mike
First off, a sea kayak is not going to assure that you won’t capsize (which seems to be what you mean by “rolling”). Preventing a capsize is more about the paddler’s skill and selecting a boat that is the appropriate size for you. There is always the possibility of being flipped out of your kayak and you do need to be prepared to deal with that by wearing a PFD and practicing getting back into your boat in water over your head.
As to what you are looking for, I have a lot of experience with both Feathercraft and Pakboat folding kayaks, having owned 4 FC’s and 5 Pakboats in the past 23 years (and I’m 5 years older than you, btw). If you want one that can convert from solo to tandem, the Puffin Saranac will do that. If you want a sleeker and faster solo, the Pakboat Quest 150 is more similar to the Feathercraft models. Both Pakboats have the advantage of being usable with the deck or without it, as an open boat.
You are highly unlikely to find a used Aironaut – FC only made them for less than 2 years and did not make a lot of them. When they do show up they are costly and get snapped up quickly.
You would have better luck looking for a Feathercraft Java, which is a hybrid folder/inflatable sit on top that can be set up as a solo or tandem and at 15’ long it is quite a bit faster than other inflatables and also more durable. It has both a drop down skeg and a full rudder for tracking in strong currents and wind. The Java weighs under 35 pounds and can be easily set up in about 15 minutes with practice. I bought a used one 2 years ago and have been impressed with the performance. I also still have a Feathercraft Wisper, which is a 15’ solo sit inside kayak that performs very much like a similar sized hardshell, but it is a pain to set up. All Feathercraft and Pakboat kayaks have inflatable sponsons on the inside that tighten the skin and add buoyancy.
Feathercrafts were kind of the Rolls Royce of folding kayaks during their years in production and ran from $3000 to nearly $5000 new., 3 times what PakBoats cost.
Don’t dismiss all inflatables. Swedish kayaker Patrik Vuorio has been traveling around Europe and Scandinavia paddling his Itiwit Strenfit X500 inflatable, mostly in coastal waters and large rivers and bays. The first link below has many clips of the kayak in use and most of the shots seem to be Patrik. It seems to be a nice kayak, not as bulgy and raft-like as a lot of the other inflatables and he seems to be able to keep up with other paddlers in hard shells.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frG3oNB8d48.
You may have difficulty getting these kayaks though, since they are all imported by companies outside the US and may be impacted by tariffs and embargos now.
One aspect that gives you more leeway in looking for used folding and inflatable kayaks is that you can usually persuade out of state owners to ship them to you if you pay a fair price and pick up the shipping cost.
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I would add that if you could find a used Pakboat XT 16, it was a model that they made for a while that was more structurally solid and faster than the Puffin Saranac tandem and it could be set up as solo or tandem by using two different removeable decks. The XT models could not be set up without the decks like all the current Pakboats.