Alexandra - Wavelength Paddling Magazine

from this design. This involves some lofting
and fairing which can be intensely
exciting and satisfying in themselves.
A debate over the use of wood vs. aluminium
for frames rages on. There are
many rational arguments for both. Personal
preference and your confidence in
your abilities with one or the other material
will have much to do with your final
decision.
Hull materials present an even wider
array of choices. There was once such a
thing as commercially available ‘folding
boat skin’, consisting of one, two or even
three layers of canvas sandwiched between
coatings of rubber. In time, natural
caoutchouc gave way to synthetic rubber,
as well as to different types of PVC and
urethanes. The substrate fabric is now
usually some type of strong, stretch-and
rot-proof nylon or polyester instead of
hemp or cotton canvas. Most people still
favor proofed canvas for the deck, however,
because of its breathability, look and
feel—and yes, these decks are watertight!
In 1958 Josef Locher (Germany) wrote
Faltboot ñ Anleitung zum Selbstbau, a short
building manual for amateurs for a design
that could be adapted to produce a one-,
two- or three-seater folding boat. Percy W.
Blandford (England) published Canoes and
Canoeing in 1962, describing the construction
of folding ‘canoes’ he had designed
for the boy scouts. The authors in these
examples presented traditional ‘Euro’
river touring boat shapes, a decked canoe
hull driven by double paddles. Over the
years, hundreds built boats to these and
similar manuals.
Lorenz Mayr (Germany) took a slightly
Villas de Loreto
A charming beach resort on the
Sea of Cortez in the old town of Loreto
Offering sea kayak rentals, diving, bicycles, pool,
air conditioning, complementary breakfast
—NEW at Villas!—
Restaurant & PADI Dive Shop
www.villasdeloreto.com
Ph/Fax: 011-52-113-50586
Apdo. 132 Loreto B.C.S. Mexico 23880
2001 FEBRUARY • MARCH WaveLength
more sophisticated route. He built the first
of his folding whitewater kayaks in 1952
to the adapted lines of an earlier design
by one Herbert Slanar (a famous kayak
designer of the pre- and post-war years),
which itself had been derived from sleek
arctic shapes, but was optimized for serious
whitewater use. Some 42 years later,
Mr. Mayr finally set down on paper what
Keep a folded boat in the trunk
of your car ready for immediate
action when you happen upon
that irresistible put-in.
he had learned in the meantime about
technical solutions and construction details
of folding kayaks.
His book includes a great many detailed
technical sketches, as well as lines drawings
of proven kayak hull shapes, both for
whitewater and for coastal paddling. Mr.
Mayr drew on his personal experience, as
well as on generous contributions by modern
and several famous old time German
and Austrian builders, who, in turn, had
learned their tricks from the pioneers of
the early 20th century.
Mayr emphasizes the beauty and efficiency
of arctic hull shapes, but what he
has to say about their construction applies
equally to the boat types favored by
Locher and Blandford.
(Author’s note: I am currently completing
an expanded and updated bilingual 300-page
edition of this book which spans a century of
folding boat and kayak building experience
with methods specifically tailored to the amateur
builder.)
Villas de Loreto
Baja Mexico
There are folding boat and kayak builders
in all corners of the globe, most
strongly represented in Europe and North
America. The Internet has enabled this
splintered community to re-establish the
traditional practice of sharing information,
ideas, solutions, plans and designs.
(The fledgling ‘FoldingBoats’ internet mailing
list is dedicated to these amateur folding
boat builders.)
What can a folding boat do for you?
The ability to separate the skin from the
frame and then fold both up into small,
easily managed bundles makes possible
travel by train, bus, on foot and nowadays
by air! This allows you to head for destinations
that leave other boats behind.
Keep a folded boat in the trunk of your
car ready for immediate action when you
happen upon that irresistible put-in. Tight
apartment storage poses no problems either.
And folding boats are immortal—
you maintain the boat piece by piece and
repair or replace worn or broken parts individually
and thus cost effectively.
Frames, still in working condition after
fifty years of use or more, are not uncommon;
skins tend to need replacement after
20-30 years.
The concept of folding kayaks survived
the dark days of the Second World War,
as well as the onslaught of cheap, massproduced
plastic boats in the 1960s. They→
KLEPPER
World’s Finest Folding
Kayaks Since 1907
For those who can’t afford to
buy anything but the Best
Light and compact, the Klepper
“Aerius” one or two seater stows in two
carry bags for travel freedom by plane
or car trunk to anywhere. Assembles
easily in minutes into a unique
performance boat for sea kayaking,
river/lake paddling, or island sailing.
KLEPPER CANADA
4718 1st St. S.W. Calgary, AB
1-800-323-3525
www.klepper.com
amscgyca@cadvision.com
15