It is my experience, that the time it takes to assembly a folder varies a lot, from the first assembly ever, via the first assembly of the season, to an assembly late in the season. The first assembly of the year will sometimes have to be aborted, as some item has been forgotten, or misplaced, or your back get so sore by the constant bending forward that you just have to take a break! The first complete assembly of the XXL was thankfully done at home, and therefore we noticed that the rudder bracket was missing in time (not Klepper's fault)! The first assembly ever includes a lot of learning, and is best done in stages: assemble the frame at home, and then let it be for a week, as, if it is a wooden frame, the pieces adjust towards the final form - the longerons bend slightly, et cetera, and that bend will eventually be more or less permanent, making the first complete assembly much easier (as the skin fits the frame better), than to go the full hog in one go! The first expedition packing takes ages, as the kayak eventually will have items in every concievable nook and cranny, and then some more! I guess it is the same for kayaks with plastic, or aluminium, frames?! That it is wise to assemble the frame at least once before the first complete assembly?! Disassembly takes far less time, but if you add the time it takes to clean and dry the interior fully, it takes far longer! I guess it is the same for hardshells?! Tord -- See Exclusive Video: 10th Annual Young Hollywood Awards http://www.hollywoodlife.net/younghollywoodawards2008/ *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> It is my experience, that the time it takes to assembly a folder > varies a lot, from the first assembly ever, via the first assembly > of the season, to an assembly late in the season. Absolutely. The first assembly in the season (even if it's not the first assembly ever) takes longer than the last one in the season, with hands dexterity and tricks partially lost, with more mistakes to be corrected. Few weeks interruption in paddling and assembling brings these problems in again, TAD. > The first expedition packing takes ages, as the kayak eventually > will have items in every concievable nook and cranny, and then some more! > > > I guess it is the same for kayaks with plastic, or aluminium, frames?! With aluminum/plastic/composite frames, - yes, the same. With hardhsells - no, not the same. Less thinking, no ribs and frame parts getting in the way of drybags and limiting your options. I wold've never been able to load 15ft Kahuna for a 2-week trip, including 20 liters of water and quite bulky desalinator, if hadn't done it in my living room first, trying all the possible options. I carry both blue sleeping foam AND Thermarest, bulky stuff, but it takes a good care of one another and of me, and was glad to learn that my folder had enough room for it. Some things you just have to leave home, and some to replace with other gear - and it's better to know this before you drive or fly to your put-in point. > Disassembly takes far less time, Mostly, - yes, There are designs (like composite frames of Japanese Fujita) where dissembling is essentially same careful process (in reverse) and same time and efforts as assembling. >but if you add the time it takes to clean and dry > the interior fully, it takes far longer! > > I guess it is the same for hardshells?! No, not the same. Hardshells don't need taking care of individual parts - washing/cleaning/varnishing or lubricating. Hardshell needs less maintenance than folder - at least it gets less maintenance with me. I often don't bother even with cleaning and rinsing my fiberglas kayak with freshwater after paddling in seawater. It is old, cosmetic effects like yellow stains from sea iodine or grasses don't worry me, and the material itself will not be damaged much by dried salt on it. And even when hosed with freshwater, hardshell simply dries on itself - no need to get into all the nooks and creases to wipe the skin dry to prevent possible mildew, and there is much less of such "nooks" in a hardshell where you don't have frame parts. Besides, hardshell remains essentially dry under the hatches, unless you flip over intentionally or otherwise. *************************************************************************** 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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