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Folding Kayaker
Second Edition
Ralph Díaz
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Contents
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iv
Foreword, by Paul Theroux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v
Preface to the Second Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Preface to the First Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .x
Part One. What You Should Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
1. Why a Foldable Kayak? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
2. At the Heart of Sea-Kayaking History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
3. Choosing the Folding Kayak That’s Right for You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
4. Evaluating the Leading Doubles and Singles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
5. Equipment and Accessories That Work Well in Foldables . . . . . . . . .71
Part Two. Handling Skills for Foldables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
6. Paddling Techniques: The Forward Stroke and Other Essentials . . . .89
7. Operating Skills: From Launch Site to Open Water and Back . . . . .106
8. Paddling and Operating a Double . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
9. Sea Savvy: A Guide to Commonsense Sea Kayaking . . . . . . . . . . .125
10. Developing Confidence, Learning Rescue Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
Part Three. Using and Enjoying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
11. Traveling with a Foldable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
12. Sailing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
13. Camping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
14. More Fun with Foldables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
15. Modifying Your Foldable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193
16. Assembly Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
17. Repair and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224
Appendix 1: Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235
Appendix 2: Metric Conversions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242
Copyright 2003 by Ragged Mountain Press. Click Here for Terms of Use.
Acknowledgments
T
his second edition of the Complete Folding of folding kayaks. Others in the business have
Kayaker continues the voyage of discovery been most supportive: Peter Schwierzke, owner
of folding kayaks that began in the late of the Western Folding Kayak Center, which
1980s when I first purchased a foldable. At the sells most makes of folding kayaks; Mark
time, my teachers were Dieter and Eric Stiller at Balogh and Ms. Sam Carroll of Balogh Sail
the old Klepper shop on Union Square in the Designs, makers of premier kayak sails; Mark
heart of New York City. Their generous hand- Eckhart, owner of Long Haul Folding Kayaks,
holding broadened my understanding of fold- which produces accessories and repairs boats,
ing kayaks, and their tales of epic deeds of and now has introduced its own line of folding
folding-kayak adventurers—including Eric’s— kayaks; Randy Henriksen, owner of New York
made clear to me that folding kayaks are a very Kayak Company, who has always been generous
special breed of vessel indeed. with his time and energies; Janice and Bill
Others have helped along the way. Doug Lozano of Atlantic Kayak Tours, who did some
Simpson and the crew at Feathercraft in Van- early work with foldables before being bitten by
couver let me poke around the factory on the hardshell kayak bug; and Ken Fink, an early
Granville Island and suffered my many ques- importer and promoter of hardshell kayaks,
tions with good cheer. Over the years, Doug has who acted as a friendly foil to keep me on my
shared his insights on how folding kayaks inter- toes and who now champions at least some
act with their watery element and made me folding kayaks.
aware of just how much folding kayaking is a Most of all, I give a special thanks to the
lifestyle, not merely a sport. readers of Folding Kayaker, the newsletter I
I’m thankful to other makers of folding started in 1991. I cannot say enough about
kayaks who also see it as more than a business. them. Their unflagging support has encouraged
Phil Cotton of Folbot in Charleston, South me to pursue the potential of folding kayaks in
Carolina, and Philippe Guyot of Nautiraid in the pages of that publication. They have fed me
Vaiges, France, have consistently been helpful hundreds of ideas for modifications and ways
and shared their visions of the future. Dr. Hen- to use these vessels. And their many ques-
ning Isbruch, who became owner of Klepper in tions—in letters, on the phone, in person, and
Rosenheim, Germany, several years ago, was in cyberspace—are what I’m attempting to an-
kind enough to arrange a visit to the new fac- swer with the writing of this book.
tory (a fire destroyed the old one in 1995) as Finally, I thank Donna Deeprose, my wife.
well as to an exciting new museum devoted to She read first drafts of the book and prodded
folding kayaks inaugurated in 2001. Days spent me toward better writing and clarity of
in the museum gave me new insights into and thought. Readers will no doubt appreciate her
appreciation of the simplicity and complexity persistence as much as I do.
Copyright 2003 by Ragged Mountain Press. Click Here for Terms of Use.
iv
Foreword
by Paul Theroux
J
ust the other workday morning I looked out (overheating is a greater danger than frostbite
the window and saw a clear sunny day, with in winter paddling), and I was convinced that I
only a slight wind, pleasant sea conditions; had found the right recreation. Paddling to me
and without hesitating I turned my back on my is the healthiest, most liberating, and adaptable
work and put my kayak on the roof rack. At Ala outdoor activity on earth.
Wai Harbor—this was in Honolulu—another It took me a while to find the right boat.
kayaker was setting up his boat. He said to me, But of course there is no all-purpose kayak;
“I look out the window this morning, see the each style has its specific use. I have owned five
sun, see the ocean, and I say to myself, ono [per- different kayaks. I own three at the moment,
fect], no work for me, I’m paddling today.”So I and two of them are foldables—a Klepper Ex-
felt vindicated, even happier, knowing that pedition single and a Feathercraft K1. Hard-
someone else was of exactly the same mind. shells bristle with adaptations, but the foldable
All over the world there are people who is pretty close in basic shape to the old hull
know the pleasures of paddling, who would shape that was paddled in the Northern Hemi-
rather be kayaking than doing practically any- sphere 10,000 years ago. An Inuit paddler
thing else. And a kayaker does not need perfect might be bemused by my Kevlar Nordkapp (a
weather—doesn’t even need good weather. I light, fast, low-volume boat) but would easily
bought my first boat ten years ago because I was recognize any one of my foldables.
sick of drydocking my boats in the winter and As a restless soul, not a practitioner of hor-
exercising from October until May indoors on izontal or sedentary vacations, I realized that
a rowing machine. A kayak is the answer. Of one of the annoyances of traveling in remote
course, a headwind more than 15 or 20 knots places was the absence of reliable transporta-
can be tiresome, and heavy surf can be danger- tion. Many times, on the Scottish coast, in the
ous; but those are the only limits. A kayak, the Mediterranean, in Southeast Asia, or in the Pa-
most adaptable (and I think among the safest) cific, I found myself standing on a beach and
craft, can be paddled in almost any weather. looking at an offshore island I wished to visit.
Kayaks evolved in regions noted for heavy There used to be a boat that took people out, I
weather; they were designed for extreme condi- would be told. Nowadays no one goes there.
tions. Severe cold is not much of a problem. But I wanted to go there. And maybe I wanted
My first kayak was a hardshell, and I re- to stay there; carry enough food and equip-
member how that first winter, paddling home ment to last me a week or more. Perhaps I did
through a marsh in the late afternoon, I turned not want to be pinned down by a hired boat-
back to look at the setting sun and saw that the man who would have said, “Mister, what time
water I had splashed had frozen in great pale do you want to go back?”I might never want to
casts to the stern deck. But I was warm enough go back.
Copyright 2003 by Ragged Mountain Press. Click Here for Terms of Use.
v
vi Complete Folding Kayaker
I began to travel with a folding kayak (I always without a folding kayak. Many Pacific islanders are
think of them as collapsibles) and my life changed. still people of the sea. They watched me set up my
I learned what all kayakers eventually find out: You kayak on the beach; they always recognized the
head for the offshore island, and when you get uniqueness of the craft and never failed to ask
there you see another, more distant island—invisi- where they could get one.
ble from the mainland shore; and so you are led There is an immense amount to be known
onward, self-contained and self-reliant, island- about this deceptively simple boat. I suspect the
hopping and utterly uplifted. That is the greatest reason for the folding kayak’s complexity is inher-
experience in travel, the discovery of something ent in the boat’s design. All other sailing craft
new and unexpected. It can happen anywhere. Pad- have conventional similarities—a little plastic
dling off Cape Cod in the winter I often see seals. motorboat has many features in common with
Many people on Cape Cod are fair-weather beach- the QE II, but these have nothing in common
goers, unaware that these seals exist. Paddling in with a folding kayak. Consider the shape and
Hawaii in the winter, it is not unusual to see construction of the folding kayak, or any skin
whales. But only the paddler is able to leap into the boat, and you have to reach the conclusion that
water and hear the whales singing; everyone else is its nearest equivalent is an animal’s body, not a
subjected to the chugging of an outboard motor. fish but a mammal, a vertebrate. It has an interior
It is almost impossible to exaggerate the useful- skeleton, ribs, joints, a spine; it has a head and a
ness of a folding kayak. Even the hackneyed phrase tail, it has a hide, it flexes. To this animal shape
“flying carpet” is appropriate to this ingeniously the paddler brings a brain, and energy, and guts.
conceived craft. When I traveled around China by Ralph Díaz is a solitary but resourceful evan-
train in aid of getting material for a book, I kept gelist. I was impressed when he started the first
wishing I had my boat with me, to go from city to folding kayak newsletter, and I am delighted that
city the most revealing way, by river. It was not ac- he has written the first complete guide to these
cidental that my next travel book was the series of boats. It is valuable, plain-spoken and, best of all,
paddling journeys I recounted in The Happy Isles of exhaustive. I am happy to help launch this book.
Oceania, and the book would have been impossible God bless it and all who paddle the seas.
Preface
to the Second Edition
W
hen the first edition of the Complete Folding changes in the demographics and desires of po-
Kayaker came out in 1994, this genre of tential customers. For example, Feathercraft
kayak was being largely ignored and launched the Khatsalano, a boat that looked
sometimes maligned by publications and books and acted more like the sleekest of hardshells,
as well as by newcomers and seasoned kayakers. to appeal to paddlers who wanted a Greenland-
The book made many cogent arguments style kayak. Nautiraid introduced the concept
against misconceptions, but it did more than of two different grades of most of its models,
just that. Previously, no kayaking manual had, with distinctions in materials, prices, and
among other things, looked in depth at pad- weight. The company also now has almost all
dling and rescue techniques best suited for its models assembled with the entire frame out-
folding kayaks; given detailed tips on activities side the skin, making the whole process easier.
such as sailing, camping, and travel with them; Folbot, along other manufacturers, introduced
or detailed ways of modifying them. several more sizes of singles in recognition of
Since publication of the book, its role in the growing market for singles. Klepper made a
changing perceptions and giving folding kayaks complete reversal from its long tradition of
legitimacy seems to have paid off. Most general wooden frames and introduced a lighter, less
sea-kayaking manuals published or revised in expensive single, the Alu-Lite.
the intervening years have expanded their cover- These industry trends mean more choices for
age on foldables in mostly positive tones (see consumers. Years ago, no more than one new
Suggested Reading in the appendix). Also, the model would be introduced by the entire indus-
first edition, which sold close to 15,000 copies, try once every three years, but today new models
encouraged a veritable army of disciples. These are being introduced with much greater fre-
enthusiasts have not only bought folding quency.
kayaks and used them widely; they have been Lastly, my own newsletter has had almost a
apostles for foldables, showing others that decade more of intense study of folding kayaks
these boats are not toys but highly seaworthy, and reporting on new developments, modifica-
dependable vessels. When I wrote the first edi- tion ideas, and ways of using the boats. I have
tion of the Complete Folding Kayaker I felt I was learned more and shared this with readers, who
the proverbial voice crying in the wilderness, or in turn have reacted with ideas that they have
as Paul Theroux said in his kind foreword to fed back to me. The result is a mushrooming of
the book, I was a “solitary but resourceful evan- information on folding kayaks, the best of
gelist.”I no longer feel quite so alone. which I’ve added to this second edition.
Other developments have changed the per- What’s new in this second edition? Small
ceptions and realities of folding kayaks. In the and big things, in addition to those mentioned
years since the first edition came out, folding above. There are more boat reviews, and as you
kayak companies have been more responsive to can see from chapter 4, the choices have grown.
Copyright 2003 by Ragged Mountain Press. Click Here for Terms of Use.
vii
viii Complete Folding Kayaker
There are also many more tips and suggestions and cover minute parts of the boats. If you want
in the Modifications chapter culled from the Folding to go camping, you will find very specific lists of
Kayaker newsletter. When I went over back issues gear and where to place it in three different sizes
for purposes of this book, I was amazed how of folding kayaks (see chapter 13).
much was covered in the pages of the newsletter. I hope this book helps you understand fold-
Through working with so many models over ing kayaks better and gets you to give one a try or
the years, I have learned much more about assem- enjoy the one you have more. If you have ques-
bly, so I’ve added some underlying assembly prin- tions, do not hesitate to call or e-mail me (con-
ciples that work for just about any foldable (see tact information is in the appendix). Thousands
chapter 16). The book also contains more infor- of readers have done just that since the first edi-
mation on what to watch out for when buying a tion came out. They have learned—and I have
used boat, and the tips are very brand-specific learned—in the course of these exchanges.
