Folding Kayaks Forum

Hi All,
Well, after much research I decided to take the plunge today and just ordered my new Cooper. The fact that there is 15% off during this month helped to make up my mind!
According to Wanda, it is scheduled to be built and shipped the week of 23 Apr. Hopefully the weather will have warmed up enough by then! (Today's weather forecast still calls for more snow for tomorrow!!!)
Even though all the new hulls are now hypalon, I still ordered the extra keel strips for added safety. I think it is well worth the extra weight that adds.
Anyway, looking forward to some exciting paddling this summer!
Any other Cooper owners in the Ottawa area?

Finally got my new Cooper in the water today - this is a GREAT boat!
Conditions were very windy (25 knots with gusts to 35 knots!) and still quite cool (only about 12 C), so not the most ideal conditions, but the boat was great and exceeded my expectations. She handled the wind and chop with ease and felt very stable (and fast!!).
I put a closed-cell foam mat on the floor of the cockpit and let it run up over the seat bottom. This provided good insulation from the still very cold water and also gave some extra padding to the seat, making the cockpit very comfortable. I also used a "Seal Skin" spray deck, which covers about the front half of the cockpit. This also worked very well in keeping the cockpit dry without having to use a full skirt. It worked well even when I was trying it with my GP.
Despite the less than ideal conditions, it was a good first outing - and did I say I love the boat!

Glad the boat met your expectations.

How was assembly? Any hangups or puzzles?

_________________
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
--
Folbot Kodiak, Cooper, and Edisto; three hardshells; Mothership: Surf Scoter the Bartender; dinghy Little Blue Duck.

Assembly was straight forward and seemed very intuitive. I took the time to carefully inspect all components and lube all the joints, so was not rushing. It took a little bit of fiddling to get the skin centered correctly the first time, but I assume once everything takes a set, centering will be a little easier. Even with that though, it went together in about an hour the first time.
I cartopped it to the lake this morning (only about a 1/2 hr drive), but I can only spread the crossbars on my rack about 40" apart, so had significant overhang and I didn't really feel comfortable with the way it was riding. I used the "V" shaped foam blocks on the crossbars and had it cinched down as hard as I dared, but it still moved quite a bit. Of course it was very windy too. I decided to "bag it" for the return trip, and I was much more comfortable with that. It took less than 10 minutes, I think, to take it down.
I woud expect my next assembly to be less than 30 mins. It took me longer than that to get it strapped to the car this morning!! (I have a Buick Rendezvous, so everything is up high and I have to stand on the door sills to reach the top of the boat - PITA - I guess that was one of the main reasons I wanted to stay with a folder in the first place.)

Joerg, centering the skin is critical, and tricky until it takes a "set." IIRC, you have not put on any keel strips yet. Wait on those until the skin has figured out where the longeons will be. Then put the protective strips on, if you intend to use them.

Glad the boat is working well for you.

_________________
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
--
Folbot Kodiak, Cooper, and Edisto; three hardshells; Mothership: Surf Scoter the Bartender; dinghy Little Blue Duck.

Dave,
That's exactly what I was thinking - thanks for confirming that.
How long does it take for the skin to take a set?

If you leave the boat assembled at home, about two weeks is enough.

_________________
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
--
Folbot Kodiak, Cooper, and Edisto; three hardshells; Mothership: Surf Scoter the Bartender; dinghy Little Blue Duck.