I’ve got my eye on a Greenland II Folbot (used) to transport in my RV for a trip around the Great Lakes. The problem: the owner told me I needed to make sure the shell was dry before I removed it from the frame. Apparently early in his ownership he removed the shell from the frame while still wet and the material shrunk. He had to send the frame pieces back to Folbot to shorten. Travelling almost daily in the RV I don’t see us being able to allow the shell to dry before packing it up and moving on to our next camping site. Was a one-time shrinking all that can be expected or do I need to worry about this going forward? I’ve looked at this foldable and the new Oru Bay but I prefer the Greenland for its durability and stability. What say all you experts out there? Thanks so much! -
Try posting this question on foldingkayaks.org. They have a board dedicated to Folbots, and everyone over there is a folding expert.
The simple thing to do with folder skins if they are snug when you try to assemble them is to wet down the fabric so it relaxes. Typically folder skins don’t shrink so much that frames need to be shortened – that sounds like a pretty bizarre situation.
Have you looked at Pakboats? They are quite reasonably priced and they have a couple of tandems, the XT-16 and the Puffin Saranac, both of which can be converted to solo or tandem/ The XT-16 is closest to the Greenland. They are very light and durable.
I do agree that foldingkayaks.org has the most information on Folbots, though you may not get responses as quickly as on here as it is a smaller group.