KAPE Mini K4

Flat water kayak four for children

We all want our children to be safe while experiencing the beauty of paddling, and above all, to have fun. The Hungarian "Minis" are the most widespread & complete series of kayaks & canoes on the market encouraging youngsters into flat water racing.

The Mini series have been designed for young beginners under the age of 13. For those who are about to meet the discipline of canoe sprint. These boats are stable enough and scaled down to match their size. The Mini K4 is an amazing craft to learn how to paddle as crew.

We offer a complete series of kayaks (Mini K1, Mini K2, Mini K4) and canoes (Mini C1, Mini C2, Mini C4) for youth programmes of clubs & schools.

The standardisation of "Minis" (Hungarian example)

Mini kayaks and canoes have always been an integral part of the successful development of the youth sports in Hungary. They were established more than half a century ago, and since then hundreds of them have been produced. They can be found at every clubs & associations organising youth programmes.

In 2016 the Hungarian Canoe Federation set the Mini kayaks & canoes as the standard boat model for their competition system. This means all children under the age of 13 must compete in Mini kayaks & canoes at all the regattas held by the Federation. The goal is to stop unhealthy rivalries for more advanced equipments, fostering equal opportunities for all clubs & children.

The Federation publishes detailed technical description of each boat classes. This description includes:

  • Main dimensions of the boat: length, beam & minimum weight
  • Cross sections of the hull
  • Shape of the bow, stern & keel
  • Dimensions & shape of the rudder
  • Material used for construction

Manufacturers have to guarantee that the boat they produce meets these standards. This must be certified by a "conformity label" placed in the boat.

  • Length

    850 cm

  • Width (Beam)

    50 cm

  • Stability level

    10/10

  • Boat weight

    30 kg

  • Crew weight

    up to 220 kg

  • Cockpit sizes

    94 x 38 cm

  • 13

  • 14

  • 01

  • 02

  • 03

  • 04

  • 05

  • 06

  • 07

  • 08

  • 09

  • 10

  • 11

  • 12

Features & fittings

Low position seats for stability

Mini kayaks are equipped with simple 2-pin floor mounted seats providing low centre of gravity for improved stability.

Minis are also available with various racing seats (see Fitness kayaks). Racing seats provide a higher center of gravity and better position, allowing good posture and paddling technique. This comes at the cost of decreased stability, and they also weigh somewhat more.

Easy-to-adjust footrests

Minis are also equipped with our simple yet reliable footrests with easy-to-adjust spring sliding system. The fixing frame & fittings of the footrest are positioned behind the footplate, so the full width of the boat is available for the feet. This provides comfort & full use of the tiller bar for effective steering. Perfect for club use to regularly adjust the footrest distance.

In STANDARD+ construction, the footplate is covered with EVA traction pad for non-slip and increased comfort & equipped with adjustable foot strap to teach leg drive.

Full & adjustable angle footrest is also available for maximum leg drive & customisation.

Mini kayaks are often used by several children of different heights. For such club use, we recommend to get a spare "extra long" footrest, which brings the footrest position closer to the seat (but does not increase the adjustability of the footrest distance)

Rudder

The Mini K4 has a responsive high profile plastic rudder. It provivides excellent tracking and enough steering.

Bulkheads

Rear and front bulkheads are installed as standard.

A bulkhead (partition) is an upright wall within boat separating watertight compartments so that the capsized boat does not sink. A hatch is placed in the rear bulkhead, mainly to let the rear compartment to dry when not in use and to ventilate the stored boat.

CONSTRUCTIONS
Here we have three upper level constructions to choose from. They are all set and fine tuned to construct quality crew boats, still they meet the requirements of clubs & associations.

More about constructions

Constructions differ in the reinforcement materials used during the manufacturing process. These determine the stiffness and the interior appearance of the boat. In practice, an upper construction results a bit stiffer & more eye-catching boat.

Besides, the standard and available fittings may be also different in some constructions. These are listed at the "Fittings" section of this article.

  • SUPER

    Basic construction of this model. Carbon-kevlar reinforcement offers a good trade-off between stiffness and impact resistance. The most reasonable choice for clubs & associations as their training boat.


    Sandwich core material


    Carbon-kevlar reinforcement


    Vinyl ester resin


    Vacuum bagging


    Stiffness

  • EXTRA

    Stiff & spectacular team boats reinforced with carbon. For associations with a great expectations on stiffness and appearance.


    Sandwich core material


    Carbon reinforcement


    Vinyl ester resin


    Vacuum bagging


    Stiffness

  • ULTRA

    High performance full carbon constrution for outstanding stiffness.


    Sandwich core material


    Double carbon reinforcement


    Vinyl ester resin


    Vacuum bagging


    Stiffness

Design & colour customisation

All boats are made to order. You can choose your preferred colour(s) of the hull, the deck areas, the trim (seam between deck & hull), the cockpit rim (coaming) and the seat.

These deck designs are available in all constructions:

  • #0000 - MONO
  • #0101 - PARALLEL
  • #0102 - THREE PARALLEL
  • #0201 - POINTED
  • #0201-02 - POINTED BULLET
  • #0301 - SLIM
  • #0401 - CHEVRON
  • #0402 - CHEVRON VAR
  • #0501 - ZIG
  • #0502 - ZIG-ZAG
  • #0503 - ZIG-ZIG-ZAG-ZAG
  • #0504 - ZIG-ZAG-ZAG-ZIG
  • #0601 - NOSE-TAIL
  • #0701 - WAVE
  • #0702 - WAVE DIAGONAL
RAL 1001
RAL 1001 "Beige"
RAL 1016
RAL 1016 "Sulfur yellow"
RAL 1018
RAL 1018 "Zinc yellow"
RAL 1023
RAL 1023 "Traffic yellow"
RAL 2003
RAL 2003 "Pastel orange"
RAL 2004
RAL 2004 "Pure orange"
"KAPE red"
RAL 3003
RAL 3003 "Ruby red"
RAL 3020
RAL 3020 "Traffic red"
RAL 3027
RAL 3027 "Raspberry red"
RAL 4003
RAL 4003 "Heather violet"
RAL 4004
RAL 4004 "Claret violet"
RAL 4005
RAL 4005 "Blue lilac"
RAL 4006
RAL 4006 "Traffic purple"
RAL 4008
RAL 4008 "Signal violet"
RAL 4010
RAL 4010 "Telemagenta"
RAL 5002
RAL 5002 "Ultramarine blue"
RAL 5003
RAL 5003 "Sapphire blue"
RAL 5005
RAL 5005 "Signal blue"
RAL 5010
RAL 5010 "Gentian blue"
RAL 5012
RAL 5012 "Light blue
RAL 5013
RAL 5013 "Cobalt blue
RAL 5015
RAL 5015 "Sky blue
RAL 5017
RAL 5017 "Traffic blue
RAL 5018
RAL 5018 "Turquoise blue"
RAL 5021
RAL 5021 "Water blue"
RAL 5023
RAL 5023 "Distant blue"
RAL 6001
RAL 6001 "Emerald green"
RAL 6018
RAL 6018 "Yellow green"
RAL 6019
RAL 6019 "Pastel green"
RAL 6026
RAL 6026 "Opal green"
RAL 6029
RAL 6029 "Mint green"
RAL 6034
RAL 6034 "Pastel turquoise"
RAL 7001
RAL 7001 "Silver grey"
RAL 7004
RAL 7004 "Signal grey"
RAL 7016
RAL 7016 "Anthracite grey"
RAL 7024
RAL 7024 "Graphite grey"
RAL 7033
RAL 7033 "Cement grey"
RAL 7037
RAL 7037 "Dusty grey"
RAL 7047
RAL 7047 "Telegrey 4"
RAL 9010
RAL 9010 "Pure white"
RAL 9017
RAL 9017 "Traffic black"
Clear carbon (limited availability)
Clear carbon (limited availability)

Tips & more about the available colours

Think carefully about choosing black and dark colours!

Such boats warm up more & they become matt very soon. Scratches and limescale are also much more visible on these surfaces.

Less is more:

We recommend picking only two, maximum three colours for a coherent boat design.

More is more:

(Because of the overlapping gelcoat layers) more colours results in more weight.

Availability of clear (transparent) surfaces:

Clear carbon seat & cockpit rim are available in EXTRA construction.

Clear carbon hull and/or deck are not available.

RAL colors CANNOT be displayed entirely proper on computer screens. The color depends on your monitor and printer. Therefore the exact shade of the product may be different than seen here! Please use these color samples as a reference only! We recommend you to see a physical and official RAL color guide to be sure of the correct color.
FITTINGS

Standard Choice

S141
Low pos. "Stability" seat
F121
Narrow Footrest
FP1
Velcro Foot Strap
R144
"Mini" Rudder
M12
Number Holder

Available for extra charge

S121
High pos. "Racing" seat
F233
PRO (Full & Adjustable Angle) Footrest

Find a dealer!

Our distributor partners from all over the world are happy to help you to get your boat as soon as possible. Find your nearest KAPE dealer!
List of Kape dealers
If you cannot find a dealer in your country, please contact us directly using the form below!

Contact us

Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. We are at your disposal for any clarification
Kape-Sport Kft.
IV. körzet 81-2., 6763 Szatymaz HUNGARY

info@kape-kayak.hu

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