While on the subject of Folbots, was wondering if anyone had information about purchasing a new hypalon skin for a 40 year old garage sale Folbot Super, (the sign read: Folds into 2 bags, $150 / firm). The original naugahyde skin, which has logged many miles, still works fine, but I imagine a new skin would increase the hull speed and improve the stiffness factor. I understand a company called WhaleCraft might sell these. Has anyone purchased one of these? Did it improve performance? Tina >Older Folbots used to come up like some one doing a bad pushup >with a quarter of the boat still on the ground when say the stern was >already about 18 inches off the ground. > >End Ralph's Ruminations on Folding Kayaks 101 > >ralph ------------------------------------------------------------- ___________ / OOOOOOO- / I / -OOOOOOO- / I /___________/ / I___________I / Have you hugged your bento today? Check out the BENTO BUGGY website at: http://www.pcez.com/BentoBuggy ------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Tina, While I never followed through on buying a new skin for my 30+ year old folbot (I gave it to another paddlewiser instead) the quote I got from Whalecraft was around $1,000, and my thought was that at that price I would be much better off buying the entire boat new. In my case I needed to make some frame repairs as well, but if everything is in great shape it may be worthwhile. good luck - Saul -----Original Message----- From: owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net]On Behalf Of Tina Scholnick Sent: Saturday, July 31, 1999 9:05 AM To: PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subject: [Paddlewise] New skins for old Folbots? While on the subject of Folbots, was wondering if anyone had information about purchasing a new hypalon skin for a 40 year old garage sale Folbot Super, (the sign read: Folds into 2 bags, $150 / firm). The original naugahyde skin, which has logged many miles, still works fine, but I imagine a new skin would increase the hull speed and improve the stiffness factor. I understand a company called WhaleCraft might sell these. Has anyone purchased one of these? Did it improve performance? Tina >Older Folbots used to come up like some one doing a bad pushup >with a quarter of the boat still on the ground when say the stern was >already about 18 inches off the ground. > >End Ralph's Ruminations on Folding Kayaks 101 > >ralph ------------------------------------------------------------- ___________ / OOOOOOO- / I / -OOOOOOO- / I /___________/ / I___________I / Have you hugged your bento today? Check out the BENTO BUGGY website at: http://www.pcez.com/BentoBuggy ------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Hi Tina, I got a chance to talk to the guy who owns WhaleCraft while up at the Skin boat Gathering this past May. His price for new/replacement skins has dropped to around $750, depending on complexity. He also said that he has had problems in the past getting the skin to lie smooth around the bow and stern on some boats. He has the best results when he uses the old skin as a template, basically separating the panels and tracing them flat. If you're a handy person you might try doing the job yourself. Hapalon material and the various glues can be had at Andy & Bax (in Portland) and Folbot sells the replacement sponsons if you can't reuse the old ones. If you decide you'd rather pass this boat on let me know: I've got a very old Folbot with a square stern that I'm restoring and might like to buy it for ideas and parts. BTW, how was the 20'-man-on-a-barge art thing Saturday? Regards, Jeff Woodall Portland, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I did the very thing to an old Klepper (I mean 50 plus years old!) frame I acquired. I made a decision to just use heavy, marine vinyl in lieu of hypalon. The cost was about 1/3 the price of hypalon, the weight at least 50% or more lighter, and the material much easier to work with. I think this material is just fine for everything short of open water crossings. Think about it, the old vinyl Folbot skins lasted 20 plus years, right?! I set the skin up with a spray on, adhesive glue, then I hand sewed everything with a very heavy upholstery thread. Then I sealed the seams with marine goop. Never a drop of water! Yes, my sewing is ugly, but it works! I had an old frame that preceded sponsons. Nevertheless, I ordered a pair from the Klepper repair shop (somewhere in the midwest, I forget where!), and attached them without incident! BTW, the ends of the skin really are the hardest part. I need to re-open them and try to make them fit more snugly. Good luck, it CAN be done. Scott *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Scott Ives wrote: > > I did the very thing to an old Klepper (I mean 50 plus years old!) frame I > acquired. I made a decision to just use heavy, marine vinyl in lieu of > hypalon. The cost was about 1/3 the price of hypalon, the weight at least > 50% or more lighter, and the material much easier to work with. I think > this material is just fine for everything short of open water crossings. > Think about it, the old vinyl Folbot skins lasted 20 plus years, right?! I saw Scott's work last September and it was extremely well done. Maybe I am look at things a bit simply but I wonder why people who are attempting to make a replacement skin follow the format that the boats originally have, i.e. a separate deck and hull with a seam all the way around connecting the two. Why not just make the replacement skin of one material and wrap it up over the top of the boat? This would eliminate the need for working with a seam at a spot where it could take on water. What I envision is wrapping the material around with perhaps a seam at the very top part of the deck, or better yet, slightly offset to one side of the top bar to reduce stress. A lot of people probably don't remember but the Sponson Man, Tim Ingram, emerged in the kayak world as a maker of folding kayaks. His frames were fairly simple and his hulls were wrap arounds held together with velcro. I am fuzzy on its name but I remember it as SeaLight. He had as many models as customers, i.e. you asked for a specific length and he would cut a frame that size, wrap around a vecroed vinyl skin and call it something. He had models like Manhattan and many other names. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Ralph is too kind. My handmade skin works, but will win no beauty awards! With respect to Ralph's comments about a single skin material, I don't like that approach for two reasons. First, I like a lightweight deck - I used Sumbrella on mine. It breaths better than a hull material and also probably saves some weight. I know that my double Klepper (not an Aerius II - mine precedes that version!) weighs in at around 55-60 pounds. This is due to my lighter weight skin. The second reason why I like a two part skin is that it just looks better! I love the red deck and black hull on a folding double - it just looks pretty! But Ralph (as always!) is right that a single material skin would be easier to construct. - Scott Ives Diaz wrote: >I saw Scott's work last September and it was extremely well done. > >Maybe I am look at things a bit simply but I wonder why people who are >attempting to make a replacement skin follow the format that the boats >originally have, i.e. a separate deck and hull with a seam all the way >around connecting the two. Why not just make the replacement skin of >one material and wrap it up over the top of the boat? ... *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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