Description
The Lightning 14 is the perfect
boat for day trips in standing water; and was designed for exploring
winding creeks and rivers. Though
not as fast as the Lightning 17 and the Solace 16LT, she paddles
beautifully in all conditions. The smaller
sister to our popular “Lightning 17”, this stable multi-chine kayak
has similar positive tracking characteristics while at the same time is
amazingly maneuverable. The lightning 14 features our exclusive QuickLock
Connector System TM providing simple, attractive and very strong joints.
Beautifully contoured knee braces accent the “keyhole” cockpit
design giving comfortable knee support for smaller paddlers, while 200
pounders will also find the spacious cockpit to their liking.
With two large hatches, the Lightning 14 is an excellent touring
boat whether on open water or drifting down rivers with up to class III
rapids. At 35 lbs, this is a
rugged performance boat that is easily car-topped and will carry weeks of
gear. I have paddled this boat
in a wide range of situations and it’s becoming one of my favorites.
Customer Feedback
Dear Don,
I wanted to let you know how everything is going
with the Lightning 14 recently purchased for my 15 yr old son.
After the kit arrived and was unpacked, I was pleased
with the care and time taken in assembling all of the components of the
kit. Everything was broken down into individual zip lock bags with an
inventory sheet of the contents, making it easy to find. The schematic
showing all of the numbered pieces made the inventory check a snap.
I have built several stitch and glue boats from both
Pygmy and San Javier. While they have nice products, the Lightning 14 is
the most complete kit that I have built so far. All of the extras that
came with your kit are appreciated.
I was very pleased with the quality of the manual,
the precision of the cuts and the logical progression of construction.
Your manual is by far the best builder’s guide I have ever had the
pleasure to follow. Whoever compiled the manual should get a raise!
All throughout the building process, I was amazed at
how well and easily everything came together. The puzzle joints of the
panels allow perfect joins and easy alignment of the hull panels. The
temporary stations forms and puzzle joints ensured a hull that was fair
and straight without the alignment problems experienced with other kits.
Overall, I am completely impressed with every aspect
of your designs, helpful staff, ease of construction and value for my
dollar. I look forward to building more of your designs in the future.
John Minor
Don,
I wanted to let you
know my impressions of paddling the Lightning 14 that I built for my son
recently.
After all of the final touches were completed, I had to take this little
beauty out for a test run on our local reservoir, before presenting to my 15
year old son.
I was somewhat
concerned about just how well my more than ample girth would fit into the
cockpit, especially while wearing gumboots.
I was pleasantly surprised that despite the snug fit, the position and
posture encouraged by the seat was secure and comfortable!
The initial stability
is excellent; novice paddlers will feel confident and secure.
After a few brisk stokes, I was surprised at how beautifully this boat
glides! The handling is great; the
hull responds very well to leaned corrections.
At 14 feet, this boat turns effortlessly with very few strokes required
(unlike most of my bigger boats).
This boat is FAST!
It slides through the water with barely a whisper and is very easy to
maintain an expedition pace without much effort.
I can’t help comparing it to the Golden eye 13 that my son had
paddled (until he outgrew it). While
both are comparable in stability, the Lightning 14 is much faster.
The seat is also very easy on the backside. When paddling in heavy wind,
the boat tracks true and handles wind waves with aplomb.
Overall, the
Lightning 14 is a real winner! My
son loves the fact that he can easily keep pace with me, and that the boat does
exactly what it is supposed to without any surprises.
Thank you for your
good work!
John
Minor
|
