Description
This article is from the Sea
Kayaking FAQ, by Todd Leigh with numerous contributions by
others.
25 Should you consider a folding kayak only if you require its foldability feature?
No. That suggestion is seen in general sea kayaking manuals, most of
which, in essence, say that foldables are dogs to paddle and that you
should only get one as a last resort because you have no place to
store a hardshell or you plan to do a lot of air travel. Such
conventional wisdom aside, foldability is far from the only thing
going for these versatile boats.
First, they are inherently seaworthy by design. They owe this strength
to their underlying skin-over-frame construction. This form of
construction closely resembles that of kayaks of Northern native
peoples, and it is what made them such seaworthy craft. Like their
ancestors, modern skin boats and folding kayaks flex with the action
of the sea rather than fighting its forces as a hardshell does. The
flex comes from the way that the internal frame blends the boat to the
contours of the surrounding water, giving you a feel for sea's action
much as early roadsters gave a driver "road feel". The soft sides of a
skin or folding kayak also play a role in seaworthiness. They dampen
the impact of waves and wakes, so you are tossed around less.
Stability is another advantage. Most foldables made since the early
1950s have air tubes running along their sides called air
sponsons. These tubes, encased in the soft sides of folding kayaks,
provide unbelievable stability both in initial and final phases. The
soft sides themselves also play a part in stability. No matter how
taut the skin, water pressure forms small indents in the hull between
long pieces of the frame along the entire length of the boat. These
concave pockets tend to grip or take a bite in the water to slow and
control any sideways tipping process caused by beam waves or wake or
by your moving around in your boat.
The built-in seaworthiness and stability of folding kayaks tend to
make them safe boats on open water, especially for the majority of sea
kayakers who have not developed expert skills or been able to keep
these constantly honed. The superb open-water handling function of a
foldable results from design; it is not so dependent on operator
skills as, say, a narrow Greenland style hardshell. Your learning
curve in a foldable is less sharp, allowing you to reach skill levels
that enable you to handle rougher conditions more quickly.
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