The Vibram, FiveFingers barefoot running shoe, is one of the most unique innovations in footwear produced in the last ten years. The FiveFingers shoe mimics the motion of running shoeless and allows the wearer to feel and respond to the surface they travel over.
But it takes some time to get used to. Wearing soled shoes for your whole life makes you walk a certain way. Adjusting to the FiveFingers is a process, not an overnight transition.
The reward is worth the awkward first outings. A shoeless jaunt to the store can easily become the highlight of your day, as your feet experience the dynamic surface changes between your home and your destination.
Moving from a fiberglass kayak to a skin kayak can hold a similar feeling of trepidation.
Fiberglass owners are separated from the water surface they paddle over, so it is natural to feel overwhelmed when transitioning to a skin design. Some paddlers may experience a need for the security that a rigid hull provides, but the aluminum framework provided by a Feathercraft is just as strong or stronger than a hard bottom boat.
The thrill comes from feeling the motion of the sea beneath your kayak. The skin actively responds to varying sea conditions, cutting through swells and absorbing wave energy.
If you haven't tried a skin kayak, you haven't really kayaked.
Test-paddle a boat at our Feathercraft Factory or approach one of our worldwide kayak dealers. We promise you won't want to ever go back to the hard 'sole' of a fiberglass boat.
Feathercraft. Made in Canada. Paddled Worldwide.