Connect with Feathercraft

I hope you are enjoying reading our weekly blog.

We are trying to cover a wide breadth of topics, from local classes being offered, to environmental concerns, to kayaking functions, to our own product line.

We feel a blog is an unobtrusive way of supplying information to the kayak community.

So far, it has been a pleasure to contribute to. We appreciate all the positive Feedback that readers have shown us on Facebook and on Google +.

If you have any kayak related events that you would like us to share on our blog, you can email us at feathercraft.kayaks.vancouver@gmail.com. We would also love to hear about any recent trips or expeditions, especially if they involved a Feathercraft kayak. Send us your photos and your stories and we'll publish them on our blog.

For day-to-day updates, follow us on Twitter or befriend us on Facebook. 

Curious about our skin kayak designs? 

Connect with us.

Feathercraft. Made in Canada. Paddled Worldwide. 

Kayak Spotlight: "Khatsalano"

kat-sa-la-no - A Coast Salish term meaning "Lord of the Lake"

If you love speed, graceful lines and Greenland-style paddling, the Khatsalano is the kayak you belong in.

Built around the traditional skin kayak concept, the Khatsalano is intended for kayakers with good rolling and bracing skills. It carves turn with only a slight lean and has a fast cruising speed.

The lines of the boat are reminiscent of a Lawren Harris painting, sharp but fluid angles that reflect the environment they travel over.

With its narrow fit, the paddler and the boat become one.

For the intermediate paddler, Feathercraft has produced the Khatsalano-S. This kayak is cut fuller than its skinnier sibling. The sponsons sit higher, making for a slightly wider beam for increased stability. You don't have to have a black belt in rolling to paddle this boat.

Interesting Fact: Greenland-style paddling reflects the original needs of the Inuit people. 

In case of a harpoon line entanglement, Inuit paddlers needed to be able to roll their boats with ease. 

Feathercraft. Made in Canada. Paddled Worldwide. 

Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup

Started in 1994 by the Vancouver Aquarium, The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is a national project aimed at mobilizing the public for a weeklong garbage pick-up along Canada's sprawling shorelines. 

This week, the call went out for previous participants to register for  this year's event. By registering early, companies or single participants can claim sections of local shoreline that they want to be responsible for. The 2012 cleanup is scheduled for the third week in September.

Last year, the cleanup netted 147,637 kgs (325,483 lbs) of trash. There were over 50,000 participants working at over 1,600 sites, with a total distance of 3,144 kms (1,954 miles) of shoreline cleaned. Impressive!

Participation in this year's event can be done in two ways; volunteers can choose to take on a role as a cleanup participant or lead a group as a site coordinator. Sites are designated on a first come first serve basis. So if you have a patch of shoreline that you would like to focus on, register early.

If you are a teacher hoping to incorporate some of the lessons from the Shoreline Cleanup into your units, check out the online resources for elementary school lesson integration.

For yearlong cleanup initiatives, try taking responsibility for a section of shoreline and visit it bi-weekly to remove trash. You can also implement gorilla tactics by painting fish symbols above your local storm drains. This reminds the public that all our drains eventually empty into our waterways. Recycling, reusing and respecting the environment are three other ways of helping keep our waterways clean throughout the year.

Shore cleanup is a conservation effort that Feathercraft Kayaks is deeply connected with. We want to protect the wildlife and ecosystems that share our shores. Cleanup programs are an excellent way to help.

Staggering statistic: last year the Shoreline Cleanup retrieved 351,238 cigarette buts. 

Feathercraft. Made in Canada. Paddled Worldwide.

Innovation Rewarded

In 2011, Feathercraft Kayaks was honoured with the British Columbia Creative Achievement Award of Distinction. It was a honour that we received for our innovation in kayak design.

Innovation requires a leap. It builds on a present solution and offers a superior process for engagement. It can be tedious work that leads to dead-ends, long nights and grey hairs. Years of asking, 'what if we did it this way,' can end in, 'well, I guess it can't be done.'

The Feathercraft Company is built on innovative thinking. We began making kayaks in a time when fiberglass boats dominated the market. We knew that the Inuit had succeeded in making skin kayaks, but their design needed a new spin.

We asked the question, "Why can't we make a modern skin kayak with an aluminum frame and a welded urethane skin? And if we can, why not make it collapsible?"

After years of experimenting, Feathercraft created the first modern collapsible kayak.

In 2012, we are still designing new boats. We are the leader in the folding kayak industry because of our commitment to innovation.

Thanks to all the wonderful people who supported our dream and bought our kayaks. We hope you're having as much fun paddling them as we have designing them. 

Former Premier Gordon Campbell, Doug Simpson and Keith Mitchell,  Chair of the BC Achievement Foundation

-Previous winners of the British Columbia Creative Achievement Award of Distinction include, John Fluevog, Karl Stittgen and Toni Cavelti.

Feathercraft. Made in Canada. Paddled Worldwide.  

Forest Ethics: Putting the Environment First

Causes and Organizations Important to Feathercraft

Last Monday, a rally was held outside the Vancouver Art Gallery to protest the presence of oil tankers in the Vancouver harbour and Enbridge's proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline. Hundreds voiced their concern for the safety of Canada's wild interior and the Pacific Coastline.

One of the leading non-profit organizations spearheading the rally was Forest Ethics.

Forest Ethics is an environmental organization dedicated to the protection of Canada's forests, waterways and the wild animals that inhabit them. They work to ensure the communities affected by corporate resource depletion are treated justly and are given the proper platform to voice their local concerns.

One of Forest Ethics' main initiatives is corporation accountability. They target businesses that profit from resources taken from Canada's natural spaces.

When corporate bodies look to improve their environmental practises, Forest Ethics offers 'Market Solutions' to implement effective policies for change.

Their Green Grade Report Cards document corporations that are succeeding in preserving wild spaces and corporations that are profiting from the unnecessary depletion of the environment.

In 2010, two of their highest grades were given to Walgreens and Whole Foods, two companies that both chose to avoid using fuel from refineries connected to Canada's tar sand industry.

Feathercraft views Forest Ethics as a powerful champion in the fight to save Canada's wilderness. For more information about this organization and their current initiatives, visit their website at: http://forestethics.org/

Feathercraft. Made in Canada. Paddled Worldwide.

The CycoPod Bike Bag

What cycling accessory can you buy for your friend's birthday that will have them singing your praises as they ride across town?

The answer is the CycoPod. The CycoPod is a detachable storage compartment created by the intrepid inventors at Canada's foremost kayak company - Feathercraft Kayaks.

It will hold your books, lunch, a six-pack, a change of clothes or even your laptop computer.

The storage unit fits just below the average touring seat and extends over the back tire of the bicycle. It comes in two handy sizes, large and small, with the large version having a 13 litre volume capacity.

The seams on the CycoPod, like our kayaks, are welded for maximum water resistance. The exterior case is a double urethane coated fabric, again, the same material and construction used to make our kayaks.

It will keep your textbooks safe and dry, it won't pull you to one side like a one-sided pannier and it will make an excellent gift to the roadie who seems to have it all.

Feathercraft. Made in Canada. Paddled Worldwide.

Knoydart Sea Kayaks

After a long and healthy partnership with Knoydart Sea Kayaking, Feathercraft is parting ways. Knoydart will no longer sell our products. The company is currently developing a line of kayaks and will be focusing on the manufacturing of their own boats.

We are sad to lose Knoydart as our UK dealer, but we are excited to see their new products.

For our UK customers, boats can be purchased online at our website or at our dealers in Germany, Sweden, Austria, Denmark or Switzerland. For a full list of our European dealers, please contact our website. 

Parting is always bittersweet, but It paves the way for new beginnings and offers a moment for nostalgic reflection.

Thank you Knoydart, for all your business and support over the years.

*For customer enquires and warranty issues, please contact the Feathercraft factory directly.

**All oversea purchases are subject to taxes and import duties. Please factor these into your pricing when ordering directly from Feathercraft.

Contact Info:

4-1244 Cartwright St.

Granville Island

Vancouver B.C.

V6H 3R8

Toll Free: 1-888-681-8437

Local: 1-604-681-8437

Email: info@feathercraft.com

Website: feathercraft.com

Feathercraft. Made in Canada. Paddled Worldwide.

Space Saver

The world population grows, housing prices rise and our private spaces shrink. The room we have to store our outdoor toys is constantly being reduced. We crave the exhilaration that comes from our outdoor activities, but the biggest burden becomes storage.

Skis, harnesses, wakeboards, bikes... they all take up room. Add a canoe or kayak into the mix and your living room space could quickly be a thing of the past.

Enter Feathercraft. A Feathercraft kayak is designed for those people with a passion for outdoor play. Feathercraft knows that outdoor gear quickly adds up (you should see our bike locker), so we designed a kayak that can be folded neatly into a backpack. This bag can then be stored in a closet, in an apartment storage locker, or underneath the stairs.

You don't need to fill your carport with a cumbersome boat or rent a drydock slip at the marina. You can own a boat and store it next to your shoes.

Crazy, we know – but it’s true.

"See that space between the pillow and the shoes...? 

You could fit a kayak there!"

Interested in seeing one of our boats assembled? Check out this sped-up video of a young couple assembling one of our kayaks in less than 30 minutes. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g8YWsdpyQI

Feathercraft. Made in Canada. Paddled Worldwide. 

Rudder Envy

Whether at an outdoor exhibition, or on tour in Japan, or on a beach in the Bahamas, our boats attract attention. A kayak that folds into a backpack is a beautiful thing.

Often the item of interest is the rudder, at the stern of our kayaks.

Every Feathercraft we sell comes with a unique rudder system to keep our boats heading in the right direction. Hardshell kayak owners have admired these rudders for years.

Fortunately, for those set in their hardshell ways, we offer adaptable rudder systems for a variety of kayak types. For doubles, we have a large fin design that comes in three mounting options. We make a cotter pin design for a stern mounting bracket, an end pour pin that fits into the stern deck and a threaded bolt mount. For singles, we offer the same options with a smaller, sleeker fin.

The fins and bolting packages can be purchased separately or as a package. These can be bought online at our website or at our factory store on Granville Island, in Vancouver, British Columbia. 

Double Rudder with Threaded Bolt Mounting Pin

Feathercraft. Made in Canada. Paddled Worldwide.

Kayak Destinations on Canada's West Coast - The Southern Gulf Islands

Southern Gulf Islands

Skill Level: Moderate to Novice

Accessible By: BC Ferries

Concerns: Tidal Currents

Our passion is creating handmade kayaks, but when we're not building boats, we're paddling them. British Columbia's southern coastline has some of the most spectacular kayaking destinations in the world. From the Sunshine Coast, to the western shores of Vancouver Island, to the Gulf Islands in between, B.C. is blessed with a coastline full of private bays, sandstone beaches and protected marine and parkland.

One of our favourite areas for a quick weekend paddle expedition is the Southern Gulf Islands. These islands are sheltered between Vancouver Island and the southern coast of British Colombia. They include Gabriola, Galiano, Saltspring, Saturna, Mayne, Kuper, Thetis, Valdes and Portland; along with a host of smaller islands.

The larger islands in this group, can all be reached by BC Ferries.

One of our favourite shorter paddle trips is from Swartz Bay to Portland Island. Portland is a protected marine park, perfect for one or two night paddling expeditions.

If you visit these islands between the months of May and September, there is a strong possibility you will see orca whales. Large pods of resident orca pass daily between the Gulf Islands. These whales survive primarily on fish, unlike their transient cousins.

If you aren't lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a rising dorsal fin, you will definitely be treated with casual greetings from soaring bald eagles, inquisitive harbour seals and docile deer.

Email us your pictures and or stories from your own paddling adventures in the Southern Gulf Islands and we’ll post them on our blog.

Feathercraft.kayaks.vancouver@gmail.com

Feathercraft. Made in Canada. Paddled Worldwide.

The Stable Life

Sponsons, on a Feathercraft kayak, are the urethane compartments filled with air that give our boats stability. They also stretch the deck and hull fabric of our kayaks, providing a necessary tension between the aluminum frame and the exterior skin.

Like the top layer, the urethane components needed to create the sealed sponson chambers are welded together seamlessly.  

The sponsons of a Feathercraft can be blown-up with a few hard breaths; no additional hand or foot pump is needed.

For patching a sponson, use an Aquaseal adhesive with a Cotol accelerant.

If you plan on storing your Feathercraft kayak in its built format, always remember to release a portion of the air held in the sponsons. This is especially important if you are leaving your boat in the sun.

You can see the rounded sponson compartments on either side of the kayak, just above the foot pedals.

Feathercraft. Made in Canada. Paddled Worldwide.

Kayak Spotlight: "Klondike"

The Klondike is one of our most adaptable boats that we make. It can be used as a single kayak, a double or a double with a smaller third party option, for a child or pet.

Its unique open deck design allows you the flexibility (there's that word again) to alter your boat’s structure with a simple seat adjustment, crossrib move and a change of spray skirts. 

The open deck design gives you easy access to edible items, fishing gear or camera equipment.

The Klondike is considered a medium volume kayak, with a recommended max trip length of two weeks.

Klondike's Specs:

Skill Level: Intermediate

Assembly: 45 min

Length: 5.43 m x 77.5 cm (17' 10" x 31")

Weight: 34.25 kg (75.5 lbs)

Cockpit Size: 209 cm x 53 cm (83" x 20.75")

Rudder: Included

Borrowing a certain slogan from a delicious ice cream bar company - we ask the question:
"What would you do 'with' a Klondike?"
We would paddle the world. And we have. 

Feathercraft. Made in Canada. Paddled Worldwide.