Ralph Diaz wrote: > Britain had a > meaningful folding kayak industry prior to WW II. These boats were used > by the Special Boat Service clandestine operators in various missions > against the Germans and the Japanese. According to the book "SBS the Inside Story of the Special Boat Service", they used production line boats only for the first few missions, then quickly had some special semi-rigid boats custom-made. For the "cockleshell-hero-mission", they already used very heavy boats, which I would not call folding kayaks anymore. I haven't got that book around so I can't be more precise (I read a library copy when I was in Britain). For those with a military interest, have a look, for everybody else it is not worth it. > The Germans for some reason did not want to export > Kleppers to the British during the war and so local folding kayaks were > used. Quite right. Most, if not all German folding kayak companies had to shut down their kayak production in order to produce "war important goods" (direct translation). This happened even before WWII broke out, Klepper seems to have been producing *some* kayaks until 1941 (I'll have to look that one up, too). So, there wasn't much to export. Another note: quite soon after the Nazis took over, several Jewish owned folding kayak companies had to be sold, for a ridiculous small price. A group of some "Amateur researchers" has just started to find out more about the organized water sport movements in the 20s and 30s, how everything was brought to an abrupt end in 1933 and how Nazis influenced the sport organizations after 1945. > Kissner ... was eccentric but then, again, most of us folding kayakers are. You > havta be with our boats! Well put, Ralph. I like to be eccentric (but that was a very minor reason to get into foldables). Matt Broze: >> Alan Byde says in ASKC#64 Nov 87 (Anglesey Sea Kayak Club Newsletter Advanced Sea Kayaking Club - lead by John Ramwell, a British paddler legend. Now it's called International Sea Kayaking Association. Marian Marian Gunkel, Berlin, Germany www.mariangunkel.de *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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