A review of the Feathercraft Heron folding sea kayak from Adventure Kayak magazine.

Feathercraft’s first new long haul tripper since launching the K1 Expedition in 1981, the Heron is for paddlers “with a weeklong or multi-week expedition in mind who want a high performance boat in terms of speed and agility,” says designer and company founder Doug Simpson. Hand built on Granville Island in Vancouver, B.C., it’s positioned as the new premier choice for travelers needing a fast, high volume folding kayak capable of handling the world’s most demanding environments.

With tent pole-style, aluminum bow and stern frame assemblies, six donut-shaped crossribs, nine additional frame poles and a myriad of subsidiary pieces, it isn’t the quickest to assemble folding kayak on the market. Nor is it the cheapest. But the Heron does benefit from the same full-featured outfitting and durable construction as the legendary K1.

Three dry bag-style, roll closure hatches access two cavernous storage compartments; there’s enough capacity for several weeks worth of food, fuel and gear. No day hatch means you’ll likely want a deck bag for on-water essentials. Like its Feathercraft forebears, the Heron doesn’t have bulkheads and utilizes a sea sock—a waterproof cockpit cocoon that attaches to the coaming—to keep the storage areas dry, and an unloaded boat floating in the event of capsize.

Our six-foot-plus testers enjoyed the roomy fit and accessibility of the deep, extra-long cockpit and found the slender thigh brace tubes adequate for a dialled in fit. At 5’6”, the high coaming and backrest hindered my torso rotation, and just my kneecaps made contact with the thigh braces. Adding foam or an inflatable booster seat improves fit for smaller paddlers, but this is really a big-boy boat. Simpson recommends the capable, lower volume Feathercraft Wisper for petite paddlers (see Inside Out, Spring 2006, www.adventurekayakmagazine.com/0035 for a full review).

The long waterline combined with a Swede form shape and clipper bow make the 17’7” Heron significantly faster than the shorter, beamier K1 Expedition. It accelerates quickly to a cruising speed comparable to many composite touring kayaks.

The hard-chine, V-shape hull provides less initial stability but edges with aplomb. Rock solid secondary stability is enhanced by small-diameter, integrated sponsons above the chines. When inflated, the sponsons fill out the skin, stretching it drum-tight and adding a cushion of support when the boat is edged aggressively.

Dropping the rudder or heeling the hull onto its windward edge easily corrects weathercocking. Rough water paddling is a pleasure, with the generously rockered hull dampening rather than slapping the waves. For those coming from a plastic or composite kayak, paddling a Feathercraft is a unique way to experience an even closer connection with the water.

The capacity of the Heron favors long distance touring over day paddling. It’s ideal for medium to large paddlers whose travel plans demand mile-chewing performance, proven durability and unparalleled portability.

ELBOW GREASE
Assembly is straightforward, but significantly easier with a helper. Our first attempt took one and a half hours. Practice and watching the provided DVD—which we neglected to do in the spirit of a remote field assembly—would cut this in half.
MISSION CONTROL
Gas pedal-style rudder controls adjust to a wide range of leg lengths and provide a solid platform for power transfer and bracing. Comfort touches include an inflatable backrest and calf plates for under-leg support.
TOTALLY TUBULAR
A combination of long waterline, Swede form shape, pronounced V hull, hard chines and internal sponsons stretch the cruising speed of the hardwearing, reinforced welded urethane hull while enabling aggressive edging and surprisingly nimble turning.

A VIDEO REVIEW OF THE FEATHERCRAFT HERON FOLDING SEA KAYAK

FEATHERCRAFT HERON SPECS

LENGTH: 17′ 7″
WIDTH: 24″
WEIGHT: 54 LBS
PACKABLE SIZE: 36″ x 18″ x 12”
MSRP: $6,200 CAD / $6,112 US
www.feathercraft.com

This article originally appeared in Adventure Kayak, Summer/Fall 2012. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Ten years ago I met Maxwell Johnston testing a prototype of the Maxim. He told me that Mohawk Canoes was going to build a production model. I should have jumped in it then, I had no idea how much fun it would be and how long I’d have to wait for another chance.

Before the Prelude, Taureau and L’Edge came along, Johnston was paddling the Gull River, a pushy technical run.

“I loved catching the very last eddy right at the top of Whitehorse Falls, but it’s a tiny eddy, requiring a very fast entry and exit,” remembers John­ston. “I wanted a boat that was quick to roll so I could play in Earl’s Hole above the falls. It needed a high-volume, blunt bow to keep dry when running the dam and the first drop.”

At just under nine feet with sharply rockered ends and a flat bottom, the Maxim’s top speed doesn’t begin to approach that of, say, an XL 13, but it gets there so much faster. The Maxim takes only a stroke or two to reach its top speed. It also hops on small waves and planes across small currents, giving you the illusion of greater hull speed. On steep creeks, all of these elements are more important than speed, which just slams you into micro eddies harder.

Our Maxim came ready to go with Mohawk’s factory outfitting includ­ing a Mohawk saddle, lap belt, thigh wedges, knee pads, foot braces and PVC bags and lacing. Mohawk told me that 95 percent of the boats they sell are ordered with factory installed outfitting.

This was my first go with Mohawk outfitting and I’m afraid I’m not a big fan, especially in a high performance boat like the Maxim. I’m not weirded out by a lap belt for safety reasons, I’ve used a similar rig in my C1 outfit­ting for 15 years. I have long legs and this lap belt system didn’t keep my hips or knees down in the boat. To take advantage of the performance of the Maxim, I’d suggest spending the extra $80 and an afternoon to install Mohawk’s Extreme Outfitting or another double strap system.

I asked Richard Guin, the production manager at Mohawk, why they install such ridiculously beefy thwarts and deck plates in the Maxim.

“I build boats to take a licking and keep on ticking,” Guin explains. “I am a class V creeker and if my boat won’t handle what I like to paddle, then it’s a sucky boat.”

Okay, time for full disclosure. I love the Maxim, but you may not. At least not at first.

The secondary stability is awesome. You can hang it out there with the gunwales in the water. The bad news for some is, with very little primary stability, that’s the way the Maxim likes to be paddled; you’re either carv­ing one way or the other.

The sharp chines are wicked for snapping offside tilt turns to kill for­ward speed and sticking small eddies. The rocker profile allows you to boof almost anything and, combined with the carvey edges, makes the Maxim one of the most fun boats to surf.

The boys at Mohawk know they have a winner and are working on another—the Phiend. Guin stretched the Maxim four inches longer and two inches wider in the center, and softened the chines to make it more user-friendly. Mohawk plans to blow-mold this polyethylene boat, which they say will be stronger and lighter than rotomolded boats like the Pre­lude and L’Edge.

“I feel that the canoe has not hit the limit of what it can do but has been restricted by the manufacturing process,” says Guin. “We plan on chang­ing that.”

MOHAWK MAXIM

MATERIAL: Royalex

LENGTH: 8’10”

WIDTH: 27.6”

HULL/OUTFITTED WEIGHT: 32/41 lbs

ROCKER: 4.5”

DEPTH: Center 15.5” Ends 18”

MSRP: Hull only $1,233 Factory outfitted $1,563

www.mohawkcanoes.com