put this in my other thread but thought i should start a new one so more people see it
this is in cali and i wont be able to pick it up for a couple of months but have friends that live right there and will go get it for me
the guy said it is in excellent condition and only used 15 times in fresh water…
he aired it up 2 weeks ago and everything is still holding but one of the side tubes, there is patch on that one that has come loose
my friends are supposed to meet him end of the week or weekend to get it
another question i had was whether anyone knows if the side tubes are still available for this model, it almost seems like a good idea to get new ones if they are and not crazy expensive
Our resident expert, Willowleaf must be off-line & out & about. From the pictures it looks like its in good shape but I’m not folder expert. I wouldn’t think that fixing the patch would be much of a problem.
I had a Pakboat once. The tubes are flotation and to keep the tubes from shifting. Give yourself lots of time and patience the first time around. it does get easier with practice. They are very repairable. Age? PakBoats have been a relative recent newcomer but widely used on remote expeditions. They are not like inflatables so be aware of that when you compare.
PakBoats have good customer service
i am not too worried about the time putting it together, seems like once you learn the steps it wont be too bad
but that will be one factor that plays into whether i keep it or not
that, stability of the craft loaded, handling in the water and which one is quicker overall
will be interesting comparisons using it for this purpose
sure to start out i will just patch the tubes and see how they are holding up, but if i decide this boat suits my purpose best may consider replacing those and will probably add the removable skeg
luckily we are relatively warm here in winter and i will be able to take it out and test it some over the next month or two
After a visit to Pakboats NH headquarters and a tryout of their 15’ kayak on a local lake, I bought one. I have owned and paddled numerous models of single and double Kleppers and Nautiraids over the years, and they have served me well, but the Pakboat kayak weighs only 35lbs, packs into a single bag that goes as airline luggage without oversize or overweight fees, and paddles like a dream - tracks and turns well, stable and comfortable. They really hit the sweet spot with this one. Like any folding boat you need to learn its assembly-disassembly and other tricks. The founder has retired since I was there and I don’t know who the principals are now, but at that time Ralph Hoehn, a knowledgeable and well-seasoned paddler, was involved. All in all, they were as serious as it gets, their boats well made and designed based on long use and experience, and I would not hesitate to buy one.
Got a chance to call pakboats and Alv recommended replacing the sponsons instead of patching , said after ten years or so they can start to deteriorate
Luckily they had a pair so I ordered those and some new glue to have on hand in case of a repair at some point
By the time I have a couple of days to get it in the water they should be here
Alv is a good guy. When I got interested in Pakboats he led some hands on demos at the Wilderness Paddlers Gathering… (most of the attendees used Pak Canoes for their fly in canoe trips)
Hi, Willowleaf here (the Pakboat collector, have 4 in the fleet at the moment). As Kayakmedic told you, per the serial number it should be a 2006 – last 2 digits are the year of production. But the boat not only looks to be in excellent shape, it looks newer than 2006. I actually have a 2004 solo version of that Puffin II and the sponsons are fine in it. But it doesn’t have the gold anodized frame like yours (nonetheless, even the regular aluminum frame has held up well). But Pakboat did have a problem around 2006-2007 with a few shipments of defective fabric sponsons from their subcontractor where the vinyl coating inside delaminated and they turned into Swiss cheese with hundreds of small leaks. So Alv is probably being cautious in recommending buying replacements. Not a bad investment anyway.
Does he still have any of the tandem decks available for that model? It’s nice to have the option of the deck. This Puffin solo I have had a funky and faded yellow older deck when I bought it but I got a the nice red and black one in these pics from Alv’s back stock for $65. It was actually 3" too short for the model but I just cut it ahead of the cockpit and patched in 3" of heavy vinyl coated ripstop dacron I found that matched and it has been perfect. The boats are easy to patch and modify. I have only had to patch once, when the Pakboat XT-15 I used to have got a tiny sponson puncture – my own fault for installing the seat sloppily. Repair only took about 10 minutes and it was better than new. As mentioned, you may want to get a fresh tube of the vinyl patch cement as it does tend to dry up after a few years. Most sporting goods and sewing supply stores stock small tubes of it.
I may contact Alv now that I hear he has some sponsons in stock. I have two of the 14’ Swift models from the 2007 defective batch that the original owners failed to report for free warranty replacements back when the issue came up. Unfortunately Alv had no back stock to replace those when I talked to him 3 years ago. I bought the otherwise pristine pair of kayaks despite the bad sponsons and have been working on making replacement sponsons for them since 2017 (a project that keeps getting shifted to the back burner because of other more pressing things.) I have all the materials: heat sealable coated nylon and the Boston valves – and have one pair partially made. Once I get these fixed up I may keep one and sell the other and the little Puffin, since these are nearly as light and at 14’ long and a bit narrower may be faster. They are a little more complicated to set up with fancier frames. Hard to beat the Puffins for simplicity and speed of assembly! And the inflatable seats are great too.
I think you will find you love this boat. Once you get used to the lightness of folders, the fabulous portability and the way they feel in the water it’s kind of addictive. I took the little Puffin to England with me 3 years ago and was able to pack the entire boat and all the gear and clothing I needed for paddling in a single standard rolling bag under 48 pounds and small enough that there were no extra baggage fees. Pics from that trip.
great pics!
i do find the travelling aspect really cool on these and for that alone may keep it
according to the previous owner his mom only used the boat about 15 times, it really does look new…
Alv had to check to see if he had any sponsons for this boat but he came back to the phone and said he did, they are supposed to ship them tomorrow
i feel it is a good investment getting the new ones even though these seem to be fine except for the one small hole- i did order some of the glue from them also just for future repairs
really do not think i will ever use a top on it but it might be smart to go ahead and get it if they have one to match etc, should have ask about that
will contact them tomorrow
super busy but hoping i can set aside a day to take this and the innova halibut i bought out to the lake and try them both for a bit
the innova is more than half off right now so went ahead and got it…
now learning about paddles and need to try the ones i have to see if i need wider for the innova
the pakboat came with 2 carlisle paddles called voyagers- can find no info on them anywhere but according to my fish scale they weigh 35.5 and are 233 long
my paddlboard paddles are carbon blend and weigh 39 and also 233 long
did blow the innova up in the yard real quick and it seems nice and it will hold the bike but may use the pakboat for other things
going to try them both and see which one is easiest and most stable for me
if nothing else will get the pakboat and do an assembly and breakdown in the yard next week to start learning that, quite a few pieces but seems like once you know the order should be pretty easy, have watched a few videos with people putting them together
pretty excited about both of them!
will keep this up to date on my observations
You know you can also set that boat up as a solo by removing one seat and repositioning the remaining one to closer to the middle of the hull. Most of Pakboats tandems have been convertible to solos. They sell solo and tandem decks for them to use either way if you want a closed boat.
