@willowleaf said:
I hope Trak has a good run with their new model – we really need to have them stay in business after the loss of Feathercraft and Folbot. Especially since the younger generations are more inclined to live in apartments and condos and even eschew owning a motor vehicle, I think there is a potentially greater market opportunity for folding kayaks – and canoes – going forward. Just have to get the word out to more people that the portable boat option actually exists.
Trak is, for now the “ne plus ultra” of technology and performance but can be a hard sell for people not familiar with folders (due to the cost). So having more economically feasible options like Pakboat for initial entry to the sport can help build a market for Trak.
I lucked out in having Feathercraft as a source when I started with folders and owned 3 models over time until deciding the Wisper was perfect for me. I bought the Quest 135 because it was 10 pounds lighter for similar performance but I like both boats. I keep the little Puffin because it’s so light, good for small windy streams (like the ones I paddled in England last year) and it’s a great “loaner” for nervous beginners. (Besides which it only cost me $500.)
I’d almost be afraid to try a Trak because I would like it too much. Already have spent more than I should on toys! I may have to go back to work – loving retirement but I have to be more thrifty. Then again, I could sell most of the existing fleet to afford it. Hmm.
I totally agree about the need for different entry points in the folding/portable kayak field. I am also wishing much continued success to my friends at TRAK as they continue to produce a product which offers so much to kayakers. I do have to offer a caution about you trying it. We have an Innova Sunny inflatable as our “take on a plane” kayak. After my wife test paddled the TRAK she said “I am never paddling the inflatable again”. You might indeed have to expand/modify your fleet.
I am soon moving to an apartment and I’ll have to sell my hard shells. So I am looking for options and the Trak is on the list,
I started with an inflatable (AE Advanced Frame) that I still keep for visitors or for the days when I’m not in the mood to load a hard shell on the roof rack. The inflatable was a nice first experience, but I remember the thrilling of my first time paddling a Tempest: it was night and day. Obviously, the Trak is a very different boat from the AdvancedFrame, but I wonder about stiffness and load capability.
- I never see a spare paddle or other gear on the Trak deck in promo videos. Why?
- Regarding the adjustable rocker, although it is a very appealing feature, what does it mean for the hull? Is the hull properly stretched when the Trak is on a low rocker mode?
- My main pain point with the AdvancedFrame is to make sure everything is aligned when I set it up. Specially the backbone, it is a PITA to make sure it is on the proper position, so it won’t make the boat drift to one side. Is this a concern on the Trak? How is the frame adjusted to make the hull symmetrical and track straight?
I would appreciate inputs from those who tried both the Trak and other hard shell sea kayaks.
Regarding your question about aligning the frame: though I have had Feathercrafts (not Trak) kayaks for 16 years, the frame designs are virtually the same: a pair of shock-corded “Christmas tree” aluminum frame assemblies consisting of 5 longerons with 2 or 3 slotted plastic transverse ribs for each. The assemblies have shaped plastic stems at the bow and stern that seat snugly into the ends of the skin. I have gone through this assembly process at least 50 times.
Once you have slid the two assemblies into the skin, aligning it vidually with the keel strips inside the hull and the ends are firmly into the skin tips, the frame is naturally pretty well straight on. Once you add the levered central connector bars between the two assemblies, everything snaps into place. I believe the major assembly difference is that Feathercraft uses a mechanical lever to expand the center bars while Trak uses their hydraulic pump (the same one used to change the rocker.)
And in this video, of assembling an older Trak Seeker, it’s clear that the stern deck has a zipper that gives you more working space in assembly and that the seat is installed separate from the frame (in FC boats it has to be slid over the expansion bars during frame assembly). Both of those aspects of the Trak are what shorten the assembly by 10 minutes. And it doesn’t look like Traks have the inflatable side sponson tubes that tighten the skin on FC kayaks. I am guessing that the Trak skin has such a precise catenary cut and the hydraulic expansion tightens it so well that this feature is not necessary.
Basically, Trak took the FC design and improved it.
Watching this video of setting up a Trak, I have to say that I would love a set of their float bags, which can obviously be used for dry storage and which can be partially inflated by air capture – would save a lot of lung power!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zALmLlmZSTs
This Aussie guy with a Trak T-1600 includes some practical tips that the other video misses, like using Boeshield on both the frame joints AND the jack assembly. He also shows how the clever pumping jack works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw-T96YCHLQ
My only concern about owning a Trak would be that so much of the assembly requires the complex mechanisms to perform, including locking the coaming in place. A Feathercraft or Pakboat is not as mechanically sophisticated, but either of them can be jury-rigged in the field with zip ties or glued patches if the frame or skin develops a problem. For instance, what happens if that sliding closure on the stern deck of a T-1600 jams? And if one of your side frame jacks fails, how do you adjust the frame straight?
I have not looked at the new Trak in detail – perhaps some of these features have changed.
The Trak components look high quality but I would be interested in knowing what their performance history is for long term and expeditionary use.
There is some value in simplicity.
@willowleaf said:
My only concern about owning a Trak would be that so much of the assembly requires the complex mechanisms to perform, including locking the coaming in place. A Feathercraft or Pakboat is not as mechanically sophisticated, but either of them can be jury-rigged in the field with zip ties or glued patches if the frame or skin develops a problem. For instance, what happens if that sliding closure on the stern deck of a T-1600 jams? And if one of your side frame jacks fails, how do you adjust the frame straight?
I have not looked at the new Trak in detail – perhaps some of these features have changed.
The Trak components look high quality but I would be interested in knowing what their performance history is for long term and expeditionary use.
There is some value in simplicity.
Willowleaf I’ll try and answer the concerns you raised. I wouldn’t consider the Trak 2.0 as having complex mechanisms. The frame is shock corded tubing. , The coaming drops into a latch on the bow and is secured in the stern via a pin sliding into a hole. You cant get much simpler than that. The rear deck has what they call a keder, a kind of zipper like thing that gives access to the rear. I used some of the TRAK vegetable based lube on it to make sliding easy. The lube is also for the jacks. Now about the jacks… One concern in the earlier versions was that they were not field serviceable. I, among others, had a spare. However, i never needed it. The new jacks are significantly lighter and are also “field serviceable” altho I haven’t seen the service kit or the jacks. Getting the hull aligned involves lining up the frame on the keel during assembly. Also, some eyeballing when tensioning the jacks is helpful. A nice feature with the jacks is that you can easily relieve tension and adjust alignment before tensioning again. As far as the rocker adjustment, the hull tension is great whether paddling with no rocker or a lot of rocker. Another factor related to durability, etc. is that they offer a 5 year warranty…so they are comfortable with the durability.
In my experience, as you may guess, I have been very satisfied with the TRAK. I use a gps when paddling, so I have been able to see that my speed in the Trak is very comparable to my Carbon/Kevlar sea kayak. No problems maintaining a 3.5-4 mph pace over a 12-14 mile paddle. I also joined a TRAK sponsored expedition in Baja. There were 3 guides and 6 “guests”, all paddling Trak Seekers. We carried all our gear , food and water for the week-long paddle. They did great. I think folks will be very pleased with the 2.0’s after they start delivering them…
Thanks for the detailed information.
I do have a question I don’t know if you can address on one nuance of performance. One of the things I have liked about my Feathercrafts and the Pakboat Quest is the way that the slight “give” in the frame and skin absorbs wave pressure in lumpy conditions and the feel of the water that I get in those folders versus the sense of being isolated from it in my hardshells in which I feel like I am having to fight the waves rather than riding over them. The skin looks so tight on the Traks I am guessing that you don’t get as much of that “foregiveness”… No doubt that is one reason why they are so fast compared to other folders of similar dimensions.
I’m guessing that a Trak would feel more like my rigid skin-on-frame (urethane-doped nylon over wood frame.)
I’m not saying this aspect would be a down side at all, just wondering if the Traks feel more like a hardshell than they do other folders or if they fall somewhere in the middle in this respect.
The Trak pump mechanisms are intriguing. The one step in Feathercraft assembly that is most aggravating is the levering mechanism that is required to extend the frame connection bars. Lining up the spring-pins, and the contortions necessary to get the lever bar to seat effectively can be maddening. The Trak pumps appear to simplify that step immensely.
Admit I am getting more interested in trying out a Trak. Wish I had snagged contact information from the guide who I ran across last month with his client and the Traks. He said he was from Rochester NY. Perhaps some Google sleuthing will turn him up and i could book an outing.
Hmm, that Baja tour next March is tempting! I’m retired, thus have time and money. 
@willowleaf said:
Hmm, that Baja tour next March is tempting! I’m retired, thus have time and money.
I did the Baja tour…it was GREAT! Wholeheartedly recommend it. Not only a “bucket list” destination, but also a very good skills improvement opportunity. The trip leaders we had were BCU certified and NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) trip leaders. Very capable and talented folks eager to enhance our skills. Paddling every day for week really builds skills.
The picture above is from the Baja trip. It is one of our guides and she is in a kayak packed for the expedition.
That’s great – I have utmost respect for guides with NOLS training. My boyfriend from my 20’s was an early NOLS grad and climbing buddy of Paul Petzoldt, the NOLS founder. The two of them used to do New Year’s Eve ascents of the Grand Teton (and celebrate at their highest bivouac with a pint of Jim Beam.) Petzoldt had a hand in establishing Outward Bound, as well. another source for excellent outdoor leadership skills.
I couldn’t afford the courses myself in my younger days but had the good fortune to learn directly from backpacking and mountaineering adventures with friends who were OB and NOLS certified guides.
I notice the guide is using a carbon GP (as was Jeff, the TRAK “pilot” that I spotted in my local lake.) Is that pretty common among TRAK owners?
The guides NOLS guides did, the rest of us had EP. Personal preference i think.
