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If you are a beginning kayaker, it is quite likely that you are not very familiar with folding kayaks. Most people think of modern kayaks as being made of plastic or fiberglass. However, long before fiberglass and plastic kayaks became popular, folding kayaks dominated the recreational kayaking market. Folders were particularly prevalent in Europe during the early 1900s, where a popular thing to do was to take your kayak via train to one of the many beautiful lakes around Europe. The collapsible frame of these kayaks made it much easier for people to travel to remote destinations. Many people wonder, upon first hearing about folding kayaks, wonder if these kayaks are safe, or whether they will "fold up" on the water. Others may express concerns about the durability of the frame. These are natural questions to ask, given how different the construction of a folder is from that of a fiberglass or plastic kayak. Folding kayaks are typically made by a skin-on-frame construction. This means that a rigid frame, usually made from wood, aluminum, or even carbon fiber, defines the shape of the kayak from inside a waterproof skin, which wraps tightly around the frame. The skin can be made from any of a number of durable materials, such as Hypalon or ballistic nylon, or other laminated fabrics. Notably, the original kayaks of 4,000 years ago also used a similar skin-on-frame construction - and these were kayaks used by native people for hunting and survival in much more extreme environments than today's (sane) recreational kayaker is likely to face. Another testament to the durability of the skin-on-frame construction is the fact that folding kayaks were frequently used in covert military operations. There are even stories of folding kayaks being dropped, fully loaded, from a helicopter into the ocean. One of the leading folding kayak manufacturers in the United States, Folbot, even stopped production of its recreational kayaks to produce kayaks for the military during World War II. The durability of folding kayaks has been tested repeatedly by many long range trips, including the solo crossing of the Atlantic in 1956 by Dr. Hannes Lindemann in a Klepper folding kayak. As you can see, any doubts about the durability of these kayaks is easily addressed. Additionally, even if a part of a folding kayak is damaged, it is easily repairable, even if the damage occurs in a remote location. For instance, a tear in fabric can be patched and sealed, or broken frames can be lashed together. In contrast, repairing a fiberglass or plastic boat in the wilderness may present some unique challenges. Where individual parts of a folding kayak are damaged, replacement parts can be ordered, and the damaged piece can be easily swapped out. With a fiberglass or plastic boat, this is much less likely to be an option, since they are more of a single piece item, rather than an assembly of parts. Durability is just one of the many advantages to owning and using a folding kayak. Look into it, and you may find that a folder fits your needs much better than any hard-shell plastic or fiberglass kayak. Happy paddling...
Article Source: http://www.gambling-articles.org
Larry Kang is a writer on outdoor recreation topics such as hiking, kayaking, and nature photography. He is also a contributor to BasicKayaking101.com: Kayaks and Kayaking for Beginners. Note: If you find this article useful, feel free to reprint it on your website, e-zine, or newsletter as long as the credits above remain intact and the hyperlinks stay active.
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