I’m considering getting either the 3.8 or 4.2 Nortik Fold. The material they use is better than the Oru although heavier as it’s solid vs corrugated.
Does anyone have feedback on how they handle in the water, maintenance and transportability, etc?
With the foldingkayak.org site down now it may be hard to find anyone with experience with this. Since it’s a European brand you might want to try posting on Songofthepaddle.com message boards or do a search to see if there are posts on the Nortik boats there already.
I’ve seen some reviews and a couple of YouTube videos of the Nortik 4.2. To my own (admittedly jaded) eye as a long time folding kayak user and fan, the Nortiks look more solidly designed to me than the Orus. And they are a bit cheaper. The weight difference isn’t substantial. If I was going to consider an “origami” style folder I think I would be more apt to look into the Nortiks than an Oru.
The owners in the YouTube video report feeling the boats “flex” in moving water but that is a feature of all folders and of skin on frame boats (I have owned and used 8 such boats) that is actually a performance benefit since they absorb rather than get battered by wave action and it makes them more stable in lumpy water than rigid shell boats. You get used to it!
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Thanks willowleaf! 