The Folding Kayak Pages

From Alex in BC:

This spring I’ve bought one of discounted MK1’s with minor flaws. Reportedly, there was 1 patch on each sponson sack, i.e. on the thin fabric sleeves inside the hull, not on the Hypalon skin – but I couldn’t find these flaws anyway. May be they are deep inside – and I didn’t bother to turn the skin inside out.

Initially, I also got an Expedition Tuckunder Spraydeck, but later replaced it with a standard spraydeck. Expedition spraydeck is a 2-piece system – actual “spraydeck” covering long cockpit (48″), with a medium-sized opening that has semi-rigid rim for smaller “sprayskirt” on suspenders, similar to sprayskirts of Feathercrafts or hardshell kayaks.

Nothing was wrong with Exp spraydeck – the system in itself is very good, providing for wearing PFD over the “skirt”, while in Standard spraydeck PFD goes under the funnel (there is no separate “skirt” in the Standard system), leaving a gap betweeen the stiff funel and PFD (you need to rotate the body), thus making Standard system less waterproof in heavy seas (and, probably, in heavy rain too – unless you are using one of “Storm cages” – a sort of an oversized rain jacket over the PFD, but this would, in turn, raise safety concerns, if you flip over – due to the compromised acess to the Velcro opening of Standard funnel).

The problem with an Exp spraydeck was caused by high bacrest of the Longhaul seat – this backrest is attached to the seat like in Crazy Creek campchairs, and goes through the semi-rigid rim of the opening, thus dictating location of the backrest about 4” fore of the rear cockpit rib – you can’t move the seat any further aft. For sailing purposes I wanted to move the seat all the way back, with the backrest pressed against the rear cockpit rib – so Expedition spraydeck had to go. I think, the opening should be slightly large and moved farther aft – as far as possible – but this wasn’t something that I could do at home.

I’m 5’7”, and with the seat placed nex to the rib, I have about 3” room between the pedals and the fore cockpit rib (and this room is needed for the mast). People 5’10” – 6’ tall might also need a Standard spraydeck, in order to place the seat close to the rear cockpit rib, thus avoidng placing the pedals directly on the fore cockpit rib (see modification by Tord Ericsson on the main page, and I think pedals are on the rib in MKII model ), – or beyond this fore cockpit rib. Besides, Expedition spraydeck restricts access to cargo through the cockpit (unlike Standard spraydeck, which can be opened over the entire 48” length of the cockpit, yet without removing it from the wooden rim of the cockpit). Another bonus of Standard spraydeck is that it is about 2 lbs lighter – which doesn’t make much difference, – MK1 itself is already heavy.

I also ordered an optional self-inflating “lumbar support” (actual pillow is by Thermarest, with a case and straps from Longhaul – but I haven’t seen pillows of that size among Thermarest products in stores), – and it works very well. It overlaps by a few inches the foam on the top of the backrest – feels good anyway, but doesn’t seem right, and I will test it with a shorter foam, so they wouldn’t overlap. This pillow should be almost deflated, – otherwise it feels too thick and hard.

The boat arrived with 3 bags, – one “Longren” bag (for cotton packing sleeve and long members), one skin bag, and one small rib bag. Contrary to what website says, only skin bag had backpacking straps. In response to my whining, Longhaul folks have courteously retrofitted my Longren bag with backpacking straps for free (I had to send them Exp spraydeck anyway, to replace it with a standard one). Be advised that all the bags now have full-length zippers in Standard version (so, Longern bag is not end-loaded any more); I don’t know now what is the difference between Zippered and Standard bags set – reportedly, Zippered Longren bag is few inches longer and has 2 more external cinch straps.

Weight

MK1 weight was advertised as 65 lbs. All the folders are advertised with so-called “stripped weight”, when the boat is stripped of anything that can be stripped: rudder, seat, packing bags, spraydeck etc. I knew this, but didn’t know what weight to expect in reality. The numbers reported in course of the correspondence with Longhaul prior to the purchase didn’t clear much, being related to incomplete weight again.

So, here is the tally (MK1 Expedition – i.e. with additional hull strips): Total packed weight without carton boxes and bubble-wrap – 90 lbs. This includes: Skin – 28 lbs, Long frame members – 36.5 lbs, Ribs – 4 lbs, Seat – 4 lbs, Sprayskirt (standard version) – 1.5 lbs, Rudder – 4 lbs, Packing cotton sleeve for long frame members (very useful thing) – 3 lbs, and 3 bags – 9 lbs all together.

Stripped boat (skin+ribs+long members) – 68.5 lbs. My guess – the advertised 65 lbs was was *stripped* weight of *classic* hull model, i.e. without additional keelstrips.

OK, I like using a spraydeck (it’s not of the kind that you can add or remove instantly – this takes a minute or two, preferably with partially deflated sponsons – even though it can be opened and closed any time), so, + 1.5 lbs = 70 lbs, give or take a few pounds due to wood density variations.

This 70 lbs is THE minimum weight that one will have to deal with, on short day-trips, and without even an ounce of water in the boat.

I also need a rudder (not really necessary for river paddling, but very desirable on seas or under sails), + 4 lbs = 74 lbs.

I also need a seat, right? Wrong! Because Longhaul seat can be easily removed from the boat when you need to move it around on dry land. And it makes for a very good camp chair, btw – with real backrest. Such little details of comfort we learn to appreciate, getting older.

Comparing MK1 Expedition to Klepper SL1 Expedition (the closest in size and design), – SL1 Exp packed weight is 79.5 lbs according to Canadian dealer (Klepper website gives some sort of a “stripped” weight – 72 lbs). 79.5 lbs include seat, rudder, and bags – but there is no 3 lbs “Packing cotton sleeve”. From this I can derive the abovementioned “minimum weight” of SL1, with a spraydeck only – 63.5 lbs (79.5 – 9 – 4 – 3 = 63.5), assuming lighter seat/backrest of SL1. Which makes MK1 6.5 lbs heavier than SL1 – not bad, considering more wood in keelsen and gunwales, and stainless fittings VS aluminum ones on Klepper. So, when you read in reviews that MK1 is a heavy boat, keep in mind that we are talking about 6.5 lbs of difference from similar model – Klepper SL1 (not AE1), and SL1 is quite a heavy boat too.

Something has to be said about this “more wood”. Yes, it has more wood in keelsen, but it also has 10 pairs of 0.5” holes for seat adjustment. Unfortunately, this forum doesn’t allow inserting pictures in the articles – may be I’ll do this later on some linked website of mine. I don’t like the idea of that many holes, but somehow it feels like they are not in “strategic” locations and do not weaken the keelsen.

Assembling

After I’ve done this more than a dozen times, I can assemble it in 25-30 minutes without rudder and break apart and pack away in 10-15. The rudder adds about 5 minutes. Comparing to aluminum frames, like Folbot or Feathercraft – MK1 has more separate parts. I would say that MK1 takes same or less time than 15 ft Kahuna (and less physical efforts), {On the second thought, after one more assembling today – No, not less time than Kahuna – but less efforts}, and definitely less time than 17 ft K1. I never assembled any Folbot except for Aleut (which is a very short boat and can be assembled much faster than MK1). I suspect that MK1 takes slightly more time than Klepper SL1 – due to different fittings of MK1, but I can judge only by the photos of Klepper fittings. MK1 stainless fittings need both hands to join the parts and then to insert the pin, while AE1 aluminum latches look more “automatic”.

Some assembling tips:

Clip 2 small ribs at each end (#1,2 and #6,7) to the rods before adding gunwales or deckbars.

When pushing the frame halves into the hull, make sure the bow or stern doesn’t go into the “pockets” on sponson sleeves deep inside the hull. There are such pockets, probably for removing the sponsons, and they should’ve been closed on Velcro, but they are not.

When pulling the frame halves out of the hull, make sure it won’t catch the sleeves of the open hatches. You’ll feel it when it does – nothing terrible, release the sleeve and go on.

When joining or dissembling the gunwale halves, pull stern and bow gunwales together with both hands, (I step inside the boat), at the same time pushing the “horseshoe” lock outwards (or inwards, if dissembling). These halves create a rocker, lifting bow and stern ends up. This task will become easier after the gunwales take slightly bent shape – I would suggest leaving a new boat assembled for a week or so, to speed up this natural process. For some reason the keelboard “horseshoe” locks and unlocks without any need in pulling both halves together.

Don’t force anything – if it doesn’t slide in or out, then something is wrong, – stop and check it.

One thing puzzled me – a piece of the hull material sewn and hanging down at the rear end of the cockpit opening, – about 4” x 6”. Cut it off completely – it doesn’t serve its purpose here, but will make a good hull patch for future. It is supposed to cover the sharp metal tip of the stern deckbar, protecting the plywood backrest from scratches (and tip – from bending), when the seat is placed too close to this aft cockpit rib. With the seat in my particular location – close to the rib, the deckbar metal tip has cut this piece through after a few hours of paddling, scratching the backrest. You can’t expect 2mm Hypalon piece to survive, being sandwiched between blunt steel tip and plywood backrest with periodically applied load, transferred from your back to the backrest in course of paddling – of course, the tip has cut it through and was bent (and straightened again in vice).

The only way to prevent this would be placing some stoppers or spacers between the backrest and the rib. 2 pieces of 1” wood should do the job (ideally, they should have trapezoid profile, looking vertically, – due to the peaked shape of the rib).

This is about the only serious complaint – and it isn’t important for seat locations farther from the rib. Still, this “patch” was something that didn’t work as it was supposed to. I realize that MK1 is just 2 or 3 year- old model at the moment, and am not surprised.

Otherwise, quality is very good. Some details, identical to Klepper, seem like an overkill to me – for example, metal U-brackets at the bow and stern. Feathercraft is using webbing loops – fine with me, I’m not going to lift some 300 lbs of loaded boat by crane or helicopter.

Hatches are thoughtfully placed off-center, – the deckbar doesn’t dissect them in the middle, unlike in stern hatch of Fetharcraft. Hatches are 7.5” * 9” I.D. I can put my tent through, or sleeping pad, or 10-liter drybag with 8” OD – but not anything wider. May be they could’ve been made with 7.5” * 11” ID (width is limited by the deckbar/gunwale distance), then popular 20L drybags with 10” OD would go through as well. Hatch lids are more difficult to close than on Feathercrafts – rim profile is different. Drybag-style closure on hatches allows folding it 3 times only – I prefer at least 4, but it also has Velcro closure at the inner wall of the sleeve, so the eventual result is good, albeit self-closing Velrco can be annoying when you want it to be open until the end of loading/unloading. Longer sleeve (4 folds) without Velcro (like on F-craft) would’ve been better.

Payload capability of this boat is excellent – not just in weight, but also in cargo volume. On 5-6 day trips I don’t have to use the room beyond the 1st rib in the bow and the last rib in the stern, and all other sections are filled rather loosely. Going for a 10-15 days trip in this boat shouldn’t be not be any problem.

Rudder

Pedals with footrest are very comfortable – nothing new there for Klepper owners. Clamp-style attachment of pedals to the keelboard is raising some doubts. These clamps are cutting into the keelboard edges – this doesn’t feel right.

Rudder blade itself is excellent, – balanced and very effective (as any vertical blade). Lifted blade hangs horizontally, parallel to water – this is definitely wrong. It should point at 30-45 degrees up (at least), to prevent it from hitting the shore slope when launching or landing. This is also needed when you lift the bow and bring it around by 180 degrees – a standard technique of moving long and heavy objects around, and I often do this with a loaded boat upon landing, before I can use a cart. MK1 is heavy even without any cargo, anyway. Flipping the blade back onto the stern deck would’ve been ideal (like in the Feathercraft or latest Klepper rudders), but this traditional system has no such capability. The best I could do was to cut the top of the blade a little bit (re-drilling the lifting line hole), thus increasing the angle to about 25 degrees – and will probably cut it a little bit more, to make it 40-45 degrees. Too high angle of pointing (when lifted) will result in steeper angle of the lifting line (when lowered), thus making the lifting difficult, and will also remove too much material and weaken the top of the blade; Tord Ericsson had to add the “fork” to reinforce the top of the blade after cutting it, but my cutting so far was negligible compared to what he has done. This cutting should be self-evident to anybody looking carefully at this blade, but I have some photos as well.

Lifting line toggle system – I don’t like it. It is not intuitive, and requires you to turn your head back and look to the side (I hate turning and looking somewhere when the bow is about to hit the shore), – so I’ve discarded it. Instead, I’ve threaded a small plastic clam-cleat with internal fairlead onto the perimeter line immediately fore of the toggle-system D-ring. This D-ring is perpendicular to the hull axis, unlike all other D-rings. 1/8” white lifting line is cleated when blade is up, and uncleated when blade is down – with bowline loop around the perimeter line, to prevent accidental escaping of the lifting line. It works very well, simple to operate, can be done by one hand, holds the blade up very securely and is always in front of me.

The small carabiner on the other end of the lifting line is, I think, dangerous. May be it was just me awkward, but it failed me more than once. When you lift the blade, this carabiner is pressed against the loop of rudder pin, forcing the loop to pry the carabiner open, and then it locks again – on the loop. Then there is no way to lower the blade, until you land the boat, go to the stern and unlock it. I’ve discarded this carabiner and tied the lifting line to the hole in the blade.

Paddling – finally

Did I mention that MK1 is heavy? And it also wide – 28”. Longhaul people say it is same wide as Klepper AE1 or SL1 (28”), Longhaul website says 27”, my accuracy is not enough to measure this with inflated sponsons – anyway it is wide. So, what would you expect – of course, it is not the fastest kayak in the world. If I can paddle 16’ 24” fiberglass kayak at 3.6-3.7 knots cruising speed, and 15’25” Kahuna at 3.4 – 3.5 knots, – my energy isn’t enough to push this “barge” faster than 3.1-3.2 knots for any lengthy period of time. It has incredible stability, though; I can almost walk – well, crouching – around the cockpit, to mess with rudder pedals, or getting something from under deck. It totally ignores small chop, and has an excellent tracking, resisting side winds and waves, – and at the same time is very effectively controlled by the rudder when I need to turn.

I have to say that always used MK1 with a rudder, so excellent side wind resistance could be (and mostly should be) attributed to good rudder system. Vertical and “balanced” blade is effective, besides, with this type of centrally located “gas-pedals” you barely notice that one pedal is pressed more than another one most of the time (to compensate for side wind). With side rail-sliding pedals or side “gas-pedals” (like in Prijon , for example) I immediately notice that one foot works more than another.

Initially I was using 230 cm “Euro” paddle (Aquabound Expedition) – but I’ve got used to 230 Greenland Paddle (2-piece commercial model), and even knowing that will look stupid with a GP in such a wide boat, I started using a GP again. Sorry, guys – my neck and hands were aching after 2 hours of paddling with Euro; may be I’ve already lost those little Euro-specific skills that I had. Initially I had some doubts as to the GP on this boat, but photos by Tony Niilus of his 30” (!) Aleut with a GP laying across the cockpit, has inspired me to try. Interesting, that 27” (or 28?) MK1 can be paddled with 230 GP (I’m 5’7”), and I didn’t notice it to be slower than with Euro, although I would suggest raising the seat by 1.5”. Raised by 0.75” it doesn’t make much difference compared to un-raised seat (same rubbing of hands lower sides against the spraydeck), and raised by 2.25” it feels like on a high-wheel bicycle, – somewhat unstable, – especially in choppy waters, and feels like I almost can’t reach the water with my paddle . Raised by 1.5” it feels just right for me – less rubbing against the spraydeck, yet GP paddle is immersed deep enough and vertically enough, without excessive hand movements.

Upper latches on the “open” rib (#4) could be too close to knees, depending on paddler’s height, seat location, wheather the seat is raised or not, and how wide one used to spread his knees. Anyway, I think they should be covered with something. I’ve used hypalon piece, sewed and glued with Aquaseal above the steel grommet, and held with Velcro around the rib below this latch (Velcro was sewed and glued to the piece of some substrate material under the deck (there is a paddle holder at this spot). So, I didn’t have to sew anything through the deck.

Another easy addition that probably could’ve been done at the factory; what do you think is the first thing in the evening for a kayaker, when he eventually lands somewhere? No, what you might have thought is usually the second thing, – but the first thing is tying the bow to something. MK1 is missing this docking line. I’ve merely copied the system implemented on Feathercrafts and Seaward hardshells – one end tied to the bow U-bracket, and loop with the Hangman’s knot http://www.realknots.com/knots/noose.htm on another end, clipped with the “Scotty Clip” to the D-ring near cockpit. As the name implies, this knot can slide along the standing line, shortening the loop and thus increasing the standing line length, or vice versa. With the loop fully shortened, I have a double length of the rope to tie it to something. It takes longer to explain than to make – and is very simple in use.