Feathercraft K1 Expedition User manual

THE LEGENDARY PERFORMANCE OF
YOUR ADVENTURE UNFOLDS
Feathercraft Products Ltd. 4-1244 Cartwright Street on Granville Island, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6H 3R8
Telephone: [phone] Toll Free: 1-888-681-8437 Fax: [phone] www.Feathercraft.com [e-mail]
K1 Expedition
with built-in coaming
TM
FOLDING KAYAKS

Contents
K1 Expedition Single Folding Kayak......................................Page 2
Specifications ........................................................................Page 3
K1 Expedition Frame .............................................................Page 4
Care and Maintenance ..........................................................Page 5
K1 Expedition Assembly Instructions ....................................Page 7
Disassembly..........................................................................Page 26
The Feathercraft Sea Sock .....................................................Page 27
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 1

K1 Expedition
Single Folding Kayak
Feathercraft Folding Kayaks are the culmination of many
years of design development and testing. The Feathercraft
K1 is a high volume, ocean touring kayak that performs well
in rough conditions. Due to its modified ‘V’ cross-section and
upswept bow, the kayak tracks well, is stable, responsive and
fast. The kayak is easy to assemble and folds into one compact
pack-bag.
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 2

Feathercraft K1 Expedition 3
Seat: 1/2” closed cell foam back & bottom,
contoured plastic seat bottom,
3/16” plastic seat back with inflatable
lumbar support, inside a 420 denier nylon
seat cover.
Sponsons: Urethane
Standard Accessories:Nylon Spray Skirt
Sea Sock
Adjustable Foot Braces/Rudder Controls
Repair Kit
Travel-style Backpack
Assembly Video and Written Instructions
Flip-Up Surf Rudder
Bow-Line
Shockcord Cross-deck Tie-downs
Perimeter Deck Line
Specifications
Length: 5m (16’6”)
Beam at Cockpit: 64 cm (25”)
Pack size: 92 x 46 x 30 cm (36 x 18 x 12”)
Weight: 24 kg (52 lbs)
Frame:
Main Members: 3/4” O.D. 6061-T6 Aluminum Alloy Tubing
Inserts: 5/8” O.D. 6061-T6 Aluminum Alloy Tubing
Stern Deck Bar: 7/8” O.D. 6061-T6 Aluminum Alloy Tubing
Rivets and Spacers: Aluminum and Nylon
Screws and Bolts: Stainless Steel
Protective Coating: Clear Anodized
Deck: Polytech
Hull: Duratek

Feathercraft K1 Expedition 4
Crossribs and Keel Plates handcrafted from
High Density Polyethylene
Pieces are Colour-coded
Tubing is Shockcorded
K1 Frame: 6061-T6 Anodized Seamless Drawn Round Tubing
Chines, Gunwales and Deck
Bar permanently attached
to Keel Plate (Same for both
Bow and Stern.)
Total of Five Extension Bars: Keel,
Chines, Gunwales
Stern Deck Bar/Lever Bar

Care and Maintenance
The Frame.
The tubular frame is very strong and corrosion resistant. We
recommend that the frame be disassembled after extensive use
(2 – 3 months). The inside and outside of the tubes should be
washed with fresh water. Try to keep the inserts and extension
bars free of sand and grit.
Included in your repair kit is a small dropper tube of Bo-Shield T-
9. This product is made by Boeing and is an excellent lubricant
and protectant for aluminum.
Aerosal containers of Bo-Shield can be found at marine hard-
ware stores. We also have available 4 oz bottles of Bo-Shield.
However, please note, that the lid closure is not suitable for
shipping after the bottle has been opened. This container
would be good for your “at home” clean-up. We also have
available Super Lube. This is a teflon lubricant in gel form. This
product is also available from bike shops.
Apply the Bo-Shield lubricant to frame tube inserts, spring but-
tons and sliding pieces prior to assembly. If you should leave
your boat assembled for a maximum of two months, this will
assist in preventing tubes seizing.
Other maintenance “musts”:
• everytwomonthscompletelydisassemblethekayak.
• washtheframecompletelywithfreshwater.
• reapplylubricantand/orwipedowntubeswithBo-ShieldT-9.
• afterpaddling,spongeouttheinsideofthekayak.
Do not allow water to pool along keel bar.
The Skin
The Polytech deck and Duratek hull are urethane. Seams are
permanently sealed.
A patch kit is provided for deck, hull or sponson punctures.
One urethane glue will work for repairs to all of these fabrics.
Tie-Downs
Webbing straps across the stern will secure a spare paddle.
Shockcord in front of the cockpit is handy for holding a chart.
Loops which secure the perimeter line can be used for lashing
additional gear to the deck.
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 5

Sponsons
Due to the tight fit of the skin, the sponsons are under
considerable pressure and some seepage of air may occur.
It is advisable to periodically reinflate the sponsons. After
paddling on hot days, release air from sponsons.
To Repair/Replace Sponson
The sponsons can be completely removed from the sleeve sewn
to the inside of the skin. Turn the skin inside out. The sponson
chamber is open at bow and stern ends. Tie a long string
through the hole in the tab at each end of sponson. Pull sponson
through the center opening of the chamber (where sponson
hose is attached). To reinstall, pull the cord attached to the
new sponson back through the chamber. Ensure sponson is not
twisted in the chamber. Urethane glue and patches are included
in the repair kit. Duct tape works well on the sponsons.
Lifting the Kayak
Never lift or carry a fully loaded kayak.
Storage
Once clean and dry, the kayak can be stored assembled or
disassembled in a shaded, dry place. When storing the kayak
disassembled, take extension bars apart.
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 6

K1 Expedition Assembly Instructions
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 7
Calf-plates
(to be attached
to #3 Crossrib)
Bow Frame Section
Crossribs
Extension Bars Stern Frame Section
Hatch Rims
Foot Brace & Bungee Cord
Stern Deck Bar i/Vertical Lever
Stern Deck Bar ii/Horizontal Lever
Seat
Seat Sling
Rudder
Skin
Bracing bars Coaming rim inserts

1 SET OUT FRAME PARTS AS ILLUSTRATED ON THE PREVIOUS PAGE.
• Bowframetubesectionsarepermanentlyattachedtothe
bow keel plate, and the tube sections are shock-corded
together. The bow keel plate is pointy.
• Thebowsectionhasasinglebandofcoloredtape,and
foot-track is attached to the chine tubes.
• Sternframetubesectionsarepermanentlyattachedtothe
stern keel plate, and the tube sections are shock-corded
together. Stern frame sections have two bands of tape.
• Therearefiveextensionbars,andsixhighdensity
polyethylene crossribs. Each one is numbered.
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 8
Bow Frame Section
Stern Frame Section

2 FOLD OUT BOW FRAME SECTION.
• “Shakeout”bowsection.
• Notefoot-trackonchinetubes.
• Shock-cordedtubessectionsjointogether.
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 9

3 ATTACH #1 CROSSRIB TO BOW SECTION.
• Pinonbottomof#1crossribisinsertedintoholeinplastic
block on keel tube.
• Chinetubessnapintoplaceincrossrib.
• Gunwaletubesaresecuredwithtwisterblock.
4 ATTACH #2 CROSSRIB TO BOW SECTION.
a) Insert pin on bottom of crossrib in plastic block as you did
in Step 3.
b) Attach chine and gunwale tubes to crossrib with twisters.
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 10
Open
Closed
Twister

5 SLIDE ON FOOT BRACE.
Completed Bow Section
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 11
Telescoping tube. Spring button is
engaged only to hold cross bar in widest
position, closer to the paddler.
Thumb screws secure brace in position.

6 FOLD OUT STERN FRAME SECTION.
• “Shakeout”sternframesectionasyoudidwiththebow
section in Step 2.
7 ATTACH #6 CROSSRIB TO STERN SECTION
• FollowthesameprocedureasyoudidinStep3.
Completed Stern Section
8 ATTACH #5 CROSSRIB TO STERN SECTION
• FollowthesameprocedueasyoudidinStep4.
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 12

9 UNFOLD THE SKIN.
Note: The rudder bracket is permanently attached to the
stern end of the kayak skin.
(The bow end has the Feathercraft logo.)
There are three Velcro-tab closures on the inside of
the hull:
• onecanbereachedthroughthebowhatch;
• onethroughthesternhatch;
• andonelocatedinthecockpitopening.
Have all of the Velcro-tabs OPEN.
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 13
Bow Stern

10 INSERT BOW FRAME SECTION INTO SKIN.
• Insertbowframesectionthroughthecockpitopening,
using a slide/lift motion. Reach through the bow access
hatch, centering the frame, using the Velcro tabs as
guides. Snug the bow frame section to the very tip of the
skin. Align and centre the frame. Secure Velcro closure
around the keel bar.
11 INSERT STERN FRAME SECTION INTO SKIN.
• Insertsternframesectionthroughthecockpitopening,as
you did with the bow section in step 10. Align and centre
the frame. Secure Velcro closure around the keel bar.
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 14
Note: During additional assembly steps, keep re-checking that
the frame has remained centered in the skin.

12 INSERT KEEL EXTENSION BAR.
• Slide thesternendoftheextensionbarontothestern
keel bar (the end with two stripes of black tape). Slide the
bar apart, and attach the other end to the bow keel bar.
• Anadditional“pusher”blockhasbeeninstalledonthe
bow keel bar. If the bow and stern sections need to be
separated further to insert the keel bar, push against this
block using the lever bars.
• Expandtheextensionbarusingthetwosterndeckbars—
vertical and horizontal lever bars.
• Pushonsterndeckbarii(indirectionindicated).
This forces the keel extension bar to expand.
Open till the spring button pops up in the first hole.
13 INSTALL CHINE EXTENSION BARS.
• Note:Wheninstallingframepartsinthekayakitiseasier
to be situated on the opposite side from the part you are
installing.
• Installchineextensionbars(yellowandblue)asyoudidthe
keel extension bar. Extend till the spring button pops up in
the first hole.
• Astheframepartsarebeginningtotakethecurveofthe
skin, it may be necessary to pull tubes into alignment so
they can slide easily. Pull extension and stern frame tube
towards the center of the kayak, lining them up.
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 15
Horizontal Lever Bar
Stern Deck Bars
Vertical
Lever Bar
Keel Extension Bar

14 ATTACH SEAT SLING.
• Theseatslingismadeofblackpackcloth.Theupperpart
has two looped sides. The stitching at the front of the seat
sling is wider than at the back.
• SlidetheGunwaleextensionbars(redandgreen)through
the looped sides, ensuring the two stripes of tape are at
the stern.
• AttachtheGunwalebarsasyouattachedandinstalledthe
keel and chine bars. Use the lever bars again to extend the
gunwale extension bars. Extend till the spring button pops
up in the first hole.
• ExtendKeelandChinebarstosecondhole.Depressspring
button, lever tubes until spring button appears in second
hole. Extend gunwales to second hole.
• Thebottomsidesectionsoftheseatslingarea
Velcro-Sandwich. Slide and secure bottom section around
chine bars.
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 16
Gunwale Bar
Chine Bar
(Seat sling installation shown without skin for illustration purposes.)

15 INSTALL RIM INSERTS
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 17
Rim Insert
Stern
Slide into pocket on underside
of coaming rim.

16 INSERTING #3 AND #4 CROSSRIBS.
• Thepinsonthecrossribwillbeinsertedtodelrinblocks
mounted on frame tubes. Insert crossrib through cockpit
opening at an angle then rotate. Orient the pins towards
the delrin blocks.
• Setcrossribintoplace.Depressspringbuttonwithone
hand;usethumbtopushribforward.Turnbartolineup
delrin block with hole to insert pin on crossrib. Start on
one side and work your way around the rib, installing each
pin in turn.
This system is the same for both the #3 and #4 crossribs.
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 18
Pins insert into delrin blocks
Note:
(Lever bar can be used to assist in turning tubes into alignment
by inserting pin into extension hole and rotating tube slightly.)

17 INSTALL STERN DECK BARS.
• ConnectSternDeckBari/HorizontalLevertodeckbaron
stern frame section.
• SlideDeckBarii/VerticalLeverthroughholeintop
of #4 crossrib, connecting to Horizontal Lever.
• Installcoamingknobsothatscrewinsertsintodeckbar.
Feathercraft K1 Expedition 19