In a message dated 7/30/99 12:27:38 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Walt342_at_aol.com writes: << After reading what Sandy Kramer said about her experiences with folding boats (Folbots specifically) I'm now leery of purchasing one. Maybe I should buy a hardshell. I don't want to be left behind. I was thinking of buying a 15' 1" Nautiraid1, but now I fear it might be too slow. (Walt Levins) >> Please remember that we all can have bad experiences, and that many people are very happy with the Folboats (remember the spiffy-to-cost ratio index). I still want to get a K-light one day, mainly because I love to take a plane somewhere, take my camping gear, rent a car, and drive around for about a week. Stearns has a single (and a double) inflatable out for $299 and I don't know whether to get one of these until I have enough moolah for a Feathercraft. Drawback: instead of complaining about how long it takes me to assemble a folding boat, I'll be bitching about having to take an inflator. Has anyone tried the Stearns inflatable(s)? They look pretty rugged. Sandy Kramer *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Sandy I have not used a Stearns inflateble but I have used 2 different Innova inflatebles- a little 8 foot junior and a 13 foot tandem Helios. Alas I am now too fat for the junior- it only carries 170 lbs. Teh Helios is surprisingly fast; when I go out with my fit 25 year old friends in their canoes, they can't keep up with pudgy 47 year old me. (when we swap boats it I don't have a chance.) I understand that hardshell kayaks are lots faster but I have not paddled with any to test it out. The junior costs around $300. Teh helios is around $600 Sandykayak_at_aol.com wrote: > > In a message dated 7/30/99 12:27:38 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Walt342_at_aol.com > writes: > > << After reading what Sandy Kramer said about her experiences with folding > boats (Folbots specifically) I'm now leery of purchasing one. Maybe I > should > buy a hardshell. I don't want to be left behind. I was thinking of buying a > 15' 1" Nautiraid1, but now I fear it might be too slow. (Walt Levins) >> > > Please remember that we all can have bad experiences, and that many people > are very happy with the Folboats (remember the spiffy-to-cost ratio index). > I still want to get a K-light one day, mainly because I love to take a plane > somewhere, take my camping gear, rent a car, and drive around for about a > week. > > Stearns has a single (and a double) inflatable out for $299 and I don't know > whether to get one of these until I have enough moolah for a Feathercraft. > Drawback: instead of complaining about how long it takes me to assemble a > folding boat, I'll be bitching about having to take an inflator. > > Has anyone tried the Stearns inflatable(s)? They look pretty rugged. > > Sandy Kramer > *************************************************************************** > 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/ ***************************************************************************
Dear Sandy and Robert, > ... Has anyone tried the Stearns inflatable(s)? They look pretty rugged... Is price and/or transportability the main reasons for choosing an inflatable? In my opinion, inflatables are probably the worst boat you could possilby choose if you are at all interested in performance. Plus, the wind will push an inflatable all over the water. It's no fun paddling frantically on one side all day! A rudder help a lot, but you'll have to have it cocked severely to one side all day if you have a brisk crosswind. Inflatables are very, very stable as a rule. That's nice if you don't want to really learn how to paddle. You'll never (most likely) have to learn how to brace if you only paddle inflatables. Inflatables are usually pretty wide. That means you're restricted to low angle paddling strokes. It's difficult to do a racer's style (pre-wing paddle) stroke with an inflatable. Inflatables ARE comfortable... but so are air mattresses :-) The boats you listed were very inexpensive, so if price is a major factor, you may have to go the inflatable way. A much better choice however if you are drived by transportability, would be to get a quality folding boat. I've paddled the Feathercraft K1 and I feel that it's a pretty darn well-rounded boat. It was fast and quite comfortable. I could roll it, but it felt kind of funny (reads mushy). They ain't cheap though! I've also paddled an old Klepper. It was extremely stable, pretty fast, and fairly comfortable. I believe the model I paddled was something like 30 years old. If you are serious about getting into kayaking the right way (in my opinion), get yourself either a hard-shelled decked boat or a quality folding boat. Inflatables are just too slow and they won't allow you to advance your paddling technique. My 2 cent's worth :-) Cheers, Dave *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Dave Williams wrote: > you may have to go the inflatable way. A much better choice however if you > are drived by transportability, would be to get a quality folding boat. > I've paddled the Feathercraft K1 and I feel that it's a pretty darn > well-rounded boat. It was fast and quite comfortable. I could roll it, but > it felt kind of funny (reads mushy). They ain't cheap though! I've also > paddled an old Klepper. It was extremely stable, pretty fast, and fairly > comfortable. I believe the model I paddled was something like 30 years old. This statement reminds me of something I have been meaning to say. The Klepper Aerius I model which Dave referred to is indeed quite a fast boat. Since Klepper frames loosen up over time, that 30 year old Klepper could have even been faster were someone to go over all the fittings and tighten them up. The more rigid the frame, the less likely that some of your effort gets swallowed up in the internal movements of the frame. If someone has an old Klepper (even 10 years old), do yourself a favor and go around to make certain that the snap fittings have "snap" to them and are not loosey goosey. You can do this by gingerly bending the tongue part of the connections (located on the gunwales and floor board and top bars) so that they lay more snuggly in the snap portions (the 5 on each closed rib or 4 on open top ribs). Or you can replace the springs inside the snap fitting. Feathercrafts are a bit mushy, i.e. their frames have some give in them. You can see the range of "give" in folding kayaks by placing the boats on a flat surface and lifting one end and shaking the boat up and down. 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. Feathercrafts show a bit of sway and, when shaken up and down, show some flex. Kleppers (new ones) come up like a Marine doing a pushup, stiff as a rod. Shaking them show little flex. Nautiraids, paradoxically, are the stiffest of all. They come off the ground like a good glass boat with no flex as you shake em. I say paradoxically because Nautiraid frames don't seem as beefy as the Kleppers since they don't have full floorboards and no I-beam gunwales or snap fittings the way Kleppers do. But the Nautiraids do have an extra cross rib or two in comparable models and I think that having external sponsons help stiffen them up. I was surprised to see that the new Nautiraid with an aluminum frame, which is a direct competitor to the Feathercraft K-Light was also as stiff as its wooden frame brethren. (In its case the model has one more set of stringers--long rods--than does the K-Light and plus the external sponsons stiffens it up.) End Ralph's Ruminations on Folding Kayaks 101 ralph -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/ ***************************************************************************
At 09:15 AM 7/31/99 -0700, rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com wrote: > >End Ralph's Ruminations on Folding Kayaks 101 > We know better. There is no end to them. -- Wes *************************************************************************** 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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