Re: [bolger]Portable boats
Hi,
I too am enthusiastic about portable boats. I built myself a Percy
Blandford designed PBK24 11' long x 28" beam folding kayak. All up weight
including carrying bag and split paddle is about 30 pounds. Length of pack
is just under 4' and the pack is cylindrical with a diameter of about 1'.
Easy-peasy for rail or air travel. I took it to Germany last month to a
kayaking get-together.
A few cautionary words though - The non-folding equivalent version of this
kayak has less than 1/4 of the number of components. My version has more
than 80 parts that had to be pretty carefully made. Very repetitive and
tedious . . .
The hull was hell to make in PVC-coated polyester (bottom) and cotton canvas
(deck). The PVC has ABSOLUTELY NO STRETCH in it. On stitch out of place
and you've got a big ugly wrinkle. Folder were designed to be made from
rubberised cotton, which does stretch and you can make the hull from one
piece and get it to stretch smooth. This modern stuff means you've got to
make the hull out of SEVEN pieces, sewn edge to edge, not including the
deck.
Some makers get cloth made specially - at about $150 a yard ( - minimum
order 50 yards!!!) and achieve a nice finish that way. Personally, I'd
rather settle for saran wrap ( which is actually not bad!) and throuw it
away after each trip.
Anyway - that's my experience.
Bill
PS - The place to go for folding boats, and books about them is Germany.
Trouble is, they're all written in German (which I'm slowly learning).
I too am enthusiastic about portable boats. I built myself a Percy
Blandford designed PBK24 11' long x 28" beam folding kayak. All up weight
including carrying bag and split paddle is about 30 pounds. Length of pack
is just under 4' and the pack is cylindrical with a diameter of about 1'.
Easy-peasy for rail or air travel. I took it to Germany last month to a
kayaking get-together.
A few cautionary words though - The non-folding equivalent version of this
kayak has less than 1/4 of the number of components. My version has more
than 80 parts that had to be pretty carefully made. Very repetitive and
tedious . . .
The hull was hell to make in PVC-coated polyester (bottom) and cotton canvas
(deck). The PVC has ABSOLUTELY NO STRETCH in it. On stitch out of place
and you've got a big ugly wrinkle. Folder were designed to be made from
rubberised cotton, which does stretch and you can make the hull from one
piece and get it to stretch smooth. This modern stuff means you've got to
make the hull out of SEVEN pieces, sewn edge to edge, not including the
deck.
Some makers get cloth made specially - at about $150 a yard ( - minimum
order 50 yards!!!) and achieve a nice finish that way. Personally, I'd
rather settle for saran wrap ( which is actually not bad!) and throuw it
away after each trip.
Anyway - that's my experience.
Bill
PS - The place to go for folding boats, and books about them is Germany.
Trouble is, they're all written in German (which I'm slowly learning).