K-1 to C-1 Revisited
by John Frachella
With a bit of tinkering, almost any plastic K-1 can be converted
for C-1 use. You can purchase a new K-1 sans outfitting or remove the K-1
outfitting from a previously purchased boat. You can install a homemade,
foam or fiberglass saddle or you can purchase a pre-made saddle.
After-market saddles can easily be installed in almost any K-1 with a large
cockpit. This article (like the one I did in June '95) is intended to help
C-1 die-hards understand they don't have to be limited to the few plastic
C-1s commercially available.
In the last round of testing I tried the Perception Pirouette,
Prijon Hurricane, New Wave Cruise Control and Dagger Freefall Lt. Of those
boats, I still like the Pirouette for big, fast water and the "Canoe
Control" (AKA Cruise Control C-1) for general river-running and stern
squirting. For this round I chose the Pyranha Acrobat 270, Dagger RPM,
Prijon Rockit, Perception Whip-It, and Wave Sport Godzilla. If you're
bummed because there's only one new C-1 shape to paddle (Dagger's Atom,
Paddler, April '98), try converting a K-1. It may take the edge off your
frustration and I guarantee you'll have more fun than you'd probably
imagine.
First Trim It Out:
Before you glue- or bolt-in a saddle, decide where you want your
body to be in your boat. That's called trim. Too far forward and your boat
will have a tendency to pearl (nosedive). Too far back and the boat falls
off the back of surf waves and rear-enders over steep drops. On my "Canoe
Control" I made an adjustable saddle so I could move the pedestal back when
I wanted to do a squirt session and forward when I wanted to paddle creeks.
If you want a stationery saddle, you'll have to decide where it goes, which
will depend upon paddling style, ability level, boat design, weight and
comfort level. Before you permanently affix your saddle take the boat into
some flat water and bring a friend. Slide your saddle back and forth and
have your friend tell you if you're bow or stern heavy. Mark a spot on the
inside of your hull with a felt tip pen when your friend says you look
balanced.
How to rig a saddle:
Now that you're trimmed, either glue in a homemade foam saddle or
bolt in an after-market one. No matter which type of saddle you use,
securely attach the foam walls of the boat to the front and rear of your
saddle so you have structural integrity across the floor of the hull.
Without this your boat is more likely to buckle and fold if you broach. In
my last article, I mentioned that New Wave was developing plans for an
interchangeable K-1 to C-1 conversion kit. That never materialized. I now
make my own "conversion" outfitting by using a Dagger C-1 saddle with as
few securing bolts as possible, so I can quickly pop the C-1 saddle out and
install the manufacturer's K-1 outfitting when I want to "switch hit." Be
sure to plug all holes with bolts and rubber washers.
Which K-1s work as C-1s?
The next trick is to choose a K-1 design that performs well as a
C-1. I choose boats based on: cockpit size (larger = better); mid-section
depth (deeper = more comfort); width (wider = more stable); rocker (more =
better surfing); and popularity (if a lot of K-1ers like it, it's probably
going to make a fun C-1).
Stability and comfort:
C-1 stability and comfort are often inversely related. The lower
your saddle, the more stability you have, but at the expense of knee
compression. Comfort in a C-1 is often a personal issue influenced by
things like age, skill and body shape. Obviously, C-1ers with big legs
don't fit well in small boats. I'm an average 160 pounds. I have smaller
legs with a proportionately larger upper body. I use a seven-inch-tall
saddle--high compared to the preferences of others--because my knees can't
tolerate a lower stance.
Skirts:
The Mountain Surf Monster Key Hole and/or Large Key Hole K-1 skirt
fits all of the boats tested except the Whip It. With the Whip It, I use a
Perception Harmony C-1 skirt. The further forward you're trimmed in your
boat, the more you may need a custom skirt with a centered chimney.
Mountain Surf (301-746-5389) and WildWasser Sport USA (303-444-2375) will
do custom work.
Creek-worthiness of C-1 conversion boats:
In my original article I evaluated the boats for Creekability. The
Pirouette worked pretty well, but was a bit too pointy in the bow and I
pinned more than once. The "Canoe Control" did too many unpredictable stern
enders at the bottom of too many waterfalls. Over the past three years I've
gotten hammered using K-1s as C-1s on hair creeks, so from now on, for
those kinds of runs I'm sticking to my big, safe Cascade C-1. The Prijon
Rockit shows a lot of potential as a short, light, stable C-1 creek boat,
but probably not for anything over 250 feet per mile.
The Tests:
Length: 8' 7"
Width: 23"
Weight: 37 lbs.
Volume: 44 gallons
Distance from inside cockpit rim to back of saddle as tested: 3"
Stability: Poor, probably due to the boat's narrowness and the bi-concave
hull.
Hull speed: Slow, probably due to shortness combined with low volume.
Comfort: Adequate, but not great.
Surfing: A fun surfing boat, although difficult to paddle up onto big waves
because the boat is so slow. Once on a wave, the Acro slices and dices but
is unpredictable, probably due to the bi-concave hull. Choppy water on a
wave face throws this boat into minor seizures.
Waves on the fly: Fine, especially if there's a foam pile.
Squirting: Stern squirts easily with good control once it's up. Watch out
for unintended stern-endos at the bottom of steep drops. This boat blasts
easily.
General: Not real practical, but fun.
Info.: Impex International (516) 286-1988
Length: 9'
Width: 24.5"
Weight: 37 lbs.
Volume: 60 gallons
Distance from inside cockpit rim to back of saddle as tested: 8"
Stability: Very good primary and secondary stability, which seems to be a
function of the larger cockpit volume, plus greater than normal width as
compared to length and the flatness of the hull. Actually, the hull
provides three large usable flat surfaces--one directly under your butt and
one on each side of the cockpit. The stability of the RPM was a huge
surprise.
Hull speed: The RPM has a planing hull. Initially, you have to get this
boat moving against a fair amount of resistance, then once it begins to
plane on top of the water, it moves with surprising speed.
Comfort: Not great. The cockpit rim pressed uncomfortably on top of my
thighs.
Surfing: Surfs all waves like a dream, never pearls, and cuts back and
forth automatically. The RPM has a sharp edge at the seam just behind the
cockpit all the way to the stern point which causes the stern to slice into
the wave face, where it acts like a fin on a surfboard giving the boat a
directional stability that's incredibly predictable.
Waves on the fly: Fine, especially if there's a foam pile.
Squirting: Stern squirts easily with good control because you can bounce
off the large cockpit volume. It even blasts pretty well.
General: I find it a great river running boat, because it surfs and plays
so well; if it were only more comfortable.
Info.: Dagger Canoe Co. (423) 882-0404
Length: 9'5"
Width: 26"
Weight: 40 lbs.
Volume: 72 gallons
Distance from inside cockpit rim to back of saddle as tested: 4"
Stability: Excellent primary and secondary stability.
Hull Speed: Slow. This boat was not designed for speed or tracking. It was
designed to spin on a dime. Almost no boat on the market has this much
rocker.
Comfort: Very comfortable. This baby has lots of room.
Surfing: Surfs great and back-surfs as well as it front-surfs. It doesn't
carve well because of its full-bodied figure, but for a surface boat it
reacts pretty well to hip movements.
Waves on the fly: Poor, because it's too slow.
Squirting: Nope, this is a pure surface boat.
General: This boat is great fun in medium to large holes. It'll do 360s
almost automatically and it'll do out-of-water enders until you just can't
ender anymore. At 26 inches, it is one of the widest K-1s on the market.
The hull is shaped like a Hurricane, except larger; think of it as a
Hurricane on steroids-or think of it as a K-1 that makes a stable,
comfortable, very rockered, very short C-1. And it's a dry boat--over big
drops you barely get your spray skirt wet. If you're fairly light, it may
make a good creek boat.
Info.: Prijon/WildWasser Sport USA (303) 444-2336
Length: 8'11"
Width: 24.5"
Weight: 40 lbs.
Volume: 56 gallons
Distance from inside cockpit rim to back of saddle as tested: 7"
Stability: Excellent primary and secondary.
Hull Speed: The hull is very flat, so once it begins to plane out it moves
with surprising speed considering how short it is.
Comfort: Very comfy with lots of leg room.
Surfing: Surfs all waves extremely well. The hard chine on the hull is a
precise directional tool, especially when you give it some hip. In fact,
this boat reacts to hip movement more precisely than any boat tested. For
some paddlers, it may react too quickly and seem twitchy, but for those
that like spot-on, hip-to-boat energy transfer, the Whip-It is a dream come
true.
Waves on the fly: Fine, especially if there's a foam pile.
Squirting: Stern squirts fairly easily, especially in a good squeeze. Has
good control once it's up, especially if you keep the boat spinning.
General: This is an excellent all around boat for river running, surfing,
enders, squirting and vertical and horizontal freestyle hole playing. It
changes direction on a flat spin in current with a flick of the paddle.
It's stable even in big water and it's comfortable to kneel in. Damn hard
to beat.
Info.: Perception Inc. (800) 262-0268
Length: 8'11"
Width: 25.25"
Weight: 39 lbs.
Volume: 60 gallons
Distance from inside cockpit rim to back of saddle as tested: 5"
Stability: Excellent primary and secondary stability.
Hull Speed: Similar hull speed as the Whip-It, and it has an even flatter
hull. Once it planes out it can really haul, especially for such a short
boat.
Comfort: Super comfy. It's 12.75" deep. The thing's a couch.
Surfing: Surfs all waves (large, small, steep, flat) extremely well. The
sharp secondary chine under hull allows for mid-boat carves, while the
stern chine makes for crisp, precise cutbacks.
Waves on the fly: Not so good on flat waves. Much better if there's a foam
pile and/or if the wave has steepness.
Squirting: Stern squirts are a cinch and, once she's up, the hang-time is
precise and controllable, with or without a spin.
General: Imagine, a short, deep, comfortable, stable boat that slices and
dices and cuts. Plus, the Godzilla makes a good all-purpose river runner
and she stern squirts like a banshee! Vertical cartwheels in my favorite
rodeo hole were almost too easy.
Info.: Wave Sport Inc. (970) 736-0080