Re: [Paddlewise] folding kayaks

superiorvisions_at_att.net wrote:
> 
> Dear Paddle Wisers,
> 
> I will soon be the owner of a folding sea kayak and I
> wanted to get an opinion from Ralph.
> 
> Ralph,
> 
>         In your opinion what is the best single person
> folding sea kayak out there for trips. Do you have a
> favorite double folding sea kayak? Do you have a list of
> other folding sea kayaks that get an honorable mention?

There is no "best" in single folding kayaks or hardshell kayaks or
sit-on-tops or anything.  While this may sound like a cope out, it
isn't.  It depends on what an individual brings to a boat and wants from
a boat. So while a Feathercraft K-Light might be "best" for one paddler,
a Folbot Aleut might be "best" for another and a Nautiraid Greenlander
for still a third person.

The most popular single folding kayak right now is the K-Light.  In a
lead article in my newsletter I did a retrospective on that model
terming it a new classic.  It seems to please a lot of people.  But
other people buying that make--Feathercraft--prefer the Khatsalano or
the newly revised (in 1998) K-1.

My own personal fleet comprises of a Klepper Aerius II non-Expedition, a
Nautiraid Raid I Exp and a K-Light.  I have very personal reasons for
liking each one of these boats.  However, no one should construe that
because I am a folding kayak guru and have them that this means these
are the "best" boat in each category (double, small single, full size
single respectively or what I affectionately call Pappa, Momma and Baby
Bear sizes). But they are best for me personally for what I want.  If I
were 25 years younger or just starting out in buying folding kayaks I am
not certain this would be my exact fleet.

My criteria are ease-of-assembly, lightness, stability, good speed.  I
find that these three do all that pretty well.  There is no faster
assembling boat than the Klepper double.  I have seen it done in 4
minutes by a factory team and my wife and I can do it in 7 or 8 minutes.
It is hard to beat the lightness of the K-Light although the new
Nautiraid 416 ALU is pound lighter and a foot longer.  Stability?  The
Nautiraid Raid 1 is excellent in this as are all Nautiraids by the way
because of the external sponsons.  Speed?  They all do quite well.  The
K-Light is surprisingly fast and has had many a paddler in longer boats
wondering what you had for breakfast that day.  You get the drift.

Sandy Kramer raised some interesting points on assembly citing the
problems two of her female friends have with their K-Lights.  Most
K-Lights do assemble pretty quickly once you get the hang of it and the
boat is broken in.  On the latter point, some take longer to break in
than others.  It is the luck of the draw.  The boats are made by hand,
not computer-aided machinery; so you can get a bit of difference in cut
of material and tolerances.

I am not sure it is a guy/gal thing as Sandy wondered out loud.  I know
of a woman who on the second or third assembly of her K-Light got it
down to 12 minutes!!!  I don't know of any guy who has ever done that. 
She wasn't particularly strong but she worked with her hands a lot in
her line of work (I forget what).  Some people are better at sensing
what the frame is doing and finding the least path of resistance.  I
think my Six Principles of Assembly have helped a lot of people.  They
are on some website with my permission; and I can send them to you upon
request.

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."
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