F1 Kayak
Length: 14′-0″ to 16′-2″
Width: 21.5″ to 25″
Weight: 28 to 40 lbs
We currently offer the F1 in 9 scaled sizes to fit paddlers 100–275lbs, see sizing chart below. We also offer several modifications to expand the capability of your F1.
Equally at home on quiet estuary back channels, extreme surf and howling winds, glassy high mountain lakes, or long trips down big water rivers with occasional rapids, you’ll be hard pressed to find another kayak that can do so many things so well as the F1. Comfortable, lightweight, maneuverable, quick, with good cargo capacity and handling in surf and wind, and — most importantly — customized to your exact body proportions, the F1 feels like exactly what it is: a kayak designed by paddlers.
Refined over hundreds of copies, the F1 is our most popular kayak. We’ve omitted useless overhanging ends that are a hindrance in caves, tight channels, the wind, and your garage, but left the waterline long enough that you can still punch it up to 5 mph when you need to give it some juice. Optimized for normal cruising speeds, the combination of lower weight, a flared hull, and a slightly shorter waterline reduces wetted surface, resulting in noticeably less paddling effort. This combination of playfulness and touring capability means not only can you get where you are going, but you’ll have more fun along the way, and I’m pretty sure that is the whole point of being in a kayak.
Watch: The F1 Kayak, in Detail
Watch: Designing for Sail + Catamaran
Watch: The Flat Deck F1
Watch: Building an F1 Kayak
Sizing + Specs
The F1 is currently available in 9 sizes. The listed weight for each size is the paddler weight, and that kayak can carry up to an additional 50 lbs of gear. If desired, paddlers between sizes can split measurements to create half sizes, but only for the 150, 175, and 200 lb sizes.
All sizes are included in your plan set purchase, and we encourage you to get in touch for a sizing consult to help you choose the best boat for your body and goals.
For more information on sizing, check out the F1 sample plans. All sizes are included in your F1 plan purchase, and we are happy to offer a sizing consult to help you choose the best boat for your body and goals.
| Paddler Weight* | Length | Width | Weight** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 lbs | 14′-0″ | 21.5″ | 28 lbs |
| 125 lbs | 14′-0″ | 22″ | 29 lbs |
| 150 lbs | 14′-3″ | 22.5″ | 30 lbs |
| 175 lbs | 14′-3″ | 23″ | 31 lbs |
| 200 lbs | 14′-3″ | 23.5″ | 32 lbs |
| 225 lbs “Classic” | 14′-8″ | 24″ | 34 lbs |
| 225 lbs “BETA” | 15′-2″ | 24″ | 34 lbs |
| 250 lbs | 15′-8″ | 24.5″ | 38 lbs |
| 275 lbs “BETA” | 16′-2″ | 25″ | 40 lbs |
** Final boat weight can vary based on wood used and modifications chosen
F1 kayaks on the Student Builds blog
Paddler Feedback
Here is how a very experienced husband and wife pair of paddlers describes their F1s:
“Our fair assessment is that it is a truly magic boat. We get out in the f1s about every week. I and a few friends were out on Two Medicine Lake in Glacier National Park a few weeks ago in 30 mph (measured with an anemometer) winds. I had a blast making surfing runs with the F1. Maneuvering in the wind was so easy compared with my 18 foot Impex.
Everyone out on the lake with me including myself were stunned that I could paddle at any angle to that raging wind with either zero or a trivial amount of weather cocking. It balanced perfectly paddling with the category 6 winds right on the beam with no skeg or rudder weight or cables. My buddies in their ND Explorer and Tiderace Excite fought hard for every turn and surfing run while the F1 danced around with ease. My Mom stole my boat for a half hour last weekend. Wouldn’t come back to shore with it. When she did, she said to my Dad as she beached it, “Bill, you’ve got to build me one of these.”—David + Linda
and this three years later from the same person:
“I thought you might want to know about some F-1 fun I had. I competed in the tenth annual Blackfoot River Challenge Race, an 11-mile down-river race event. I used a wood Greenland paddle and placed third overall. I was beat only by one of the 2-person Olympic-style racing canoes and the 23-foot ocean racing kayak. The race ran through mostly class I and some not-quite class II whitewater including some fun head-high wave trains and lots of rocky pour-overs.
As usual the F-1 performed like a magic boat. It bashed through all dynamic water effortlessly and with no drama whatsoever. The flexible frame felt like it was acting like a shock absorber, giving me lots of time to feel and react to the forces of waves and currents when they acted on the boat. Mostly it just ran straight and true through anything I pointed it at. In the last half of the race, the 23-foot boat (I didn’t even know they made 23-foot kayaks) had me in its sights (he had started at a later time with the faster boat classes), but I easily prevented him from overtaking me as I think he was running out of juice in the second half of the race. I finished ahead of him though his actual time was faster. The paddler of that long boat with his wing paddle expressed his frustration to me that he couldn’t catch up to someone paddling with that skinny Greenland paddle. Needless to say, I laughed under my breath. The biggest win of the day for me though was just how much fun I had discovering the F-1’s magic river running skills” — David
“Brian, I finally got the chance to paddle one of your kayaks. It was my birthday and Judy let me paddle her boat. It was a peak experience, it was like wearing silk underwear.” —Lorraine
Here is how another builder describes his F1:
“After a reasonable bit of flat water paddling and paddling in strong winds, I finally got it out into some rough water. Well, rough enough for me at this stage. Swell was about 1.2 to 1.5 meters wind around 15-20knots gusting to 25 knots and about a 2′ wave breaking on shore.Once I got out past the small shore break I encountered a real sloppy section of water that was created by a channel running through the Port Noarlunga. Interesting to say the least. Found the F1 a little bit tippy at first, took me about 20 minutes to settle in and relax myself.
Once feeling good the F1 came into its own. Secondary stability is amazing, the kayak felt right at home in those conditions, it was only me that took awhile. It didn’t matter where you pointed it, it handled the conditions superbly. In the heavy swell, whether going into, running parallel, or going with it, there was never a moment that I thought I would be dumped in the water, the secondary stability just works (what more can you say).
I was with 7 other paddlers from my canoe club on a training day. One of the training exercises was to paddle in and around the jetty pilings by using a forward and reverse sweep stroke and edging the kayaks. They were amazed at how well and how quickly the F1 could perform this manoeuvre in very strong winds and about 18″ to 2′ of wind waves in the shelter of the reef. So all in all I couldn’t be happier with the F1, it performed well beyond my expectations…. A FANTASTIC KAYAK BRIAN WELL DONE.” — Peter