MSN/RiDem wrote: > > Next year I am hoping to purchase a "foldable ", probably a double based on > the following needs. Have been looking (on line) at the Klepper Expedition > II, or Folboat Greenland II. (and less likely Nautiraid Grand Raid 520). I > have looked at M.Edelman's info page. > Mostly I am seeking strong opinions, to weigh against my own still yet > uninformed opinions. (I am a big fan of the dialectic!) > Any suggestions, short of renting one of each and paddling one for a > weekend? Price is not as much an issue, as is ease of assembly, > portability, durability, and maximum carrying capacity. We are moving away > from a 17 foot canoe, and would have a LOT to learn, not only in packing > gear in an enclosed space, but getting used to a double bladed paddle. If money is no object, then I would think the Klepper Expedition double would be the best choice of the two you are considering. This is not to knock the Folbot Greenland II. It is an excellent boat and certainly would do just fine in the situations you describe. But the Klepper is a better boat. Folbot never claims to be building a boat as good as the Klepper at a third of the price. I have heard the company owner acknowledge this, i.e. he has not discovered the secret of alchemy. He makes a boat that provides a lot of value for the money and backs it with excellent customer service and lifetime warranty against breakage. Folbots are improving all the time; witness the switch to an aluminum coaming which is far superior to the plastic they used earlier and has stiffened the boat considerably. But the Klepper hull is of a better grade than that of the Folbot. What is more the hull has keelstripes protecting high wear areas; these strips are 2.5 inch wide at the chines and 10 inches wide across the bottom. The frame is extremely strong with a lot of redundancy built in. The Klepper is somewhat more streamlined and a faster boat. Stated carrying capacity is higher in the Klepper by about 200 pounds. If you go one grade higher and get the Quattro model, capacity goes up to about 1,000 pounds. The military load both the Expedition and Quattro in excess of 1,000 and they do fine. The available spraydeck for the Klepper is better than that on the Folbot. You have to look for the tuckunder version however to get the best setup. Klepper assembly is a bit faster than the Folbot but we are not talking much difference. I can do the Klepper double with a partner in 8 minutes (faster in race conditions), I couldn't do better than about 10 minutes with the Folbot. Marginal difference granted. Packing gear into a closed space. If you set your mind to it, there are ways of getting everything in via the cockpit. There are a number of hints in my book. Basically, shove things in with a paddle half and string tethers from the bags you shove furthest in, so you can retrieve them latter. Another trick is to take the Klepper long bag and fill it about a third and push that end into the stern where it will go all the way to the stern piece; then fill the next two thirds right from the cockpit (the long bag is about the length of the rear compartment. Please don't misinterprete me. The Folbot is fine, it is just that the Klepper is recognized as better. A comparison I always use is that of tents. A North Face is a top of the line tent that is incredibly tough and heavy duty. But Eureka also makes fine tents that provide very good service. The North Face just happens to have thicker coatings, better cloth, tougher poles, better sewing, better webbing straps, etc. Klepper is a North Face; Folbot a Eureka. The differences are not that of buying designer jeans for lots of bucks when Levi's or Wrangler are just as good. Again, I am working off of your comment about money not being an issue. With me it is. I couldn't justify to myself spending Klepper prices and if I were in the market, I would gladly buy a Folbot Greenland II and, from my considerable experience and knowledge, know that I would be very happy with it. 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 - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Apr 10 2000 - 23:19:58 PDT
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