After reading all this , you couldn’t give me one. Well, Maybe give but not sell.
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I have had no quality control issues with mine. As stated long ago in this thread, there was NO way I was buying one from Trak with some far in the future ship date. I just don’t trust that business plan.
I ended buying a used Seeker and then a used Trak 2.0 upgrade, so I basically have a 2.0 now. Great boat, I found it unstable at first compared to my last boat, never rolled or flipped except when i wanted to but took some getting used to. The 2.0 upgrade is well worth it in my opinion.
By buying used, I saved quite a bit of money, but when I bought the 2.0 upgrade that wiped out some of the savings, the 2.0 upgrade I got was brand new from a person who bought it and never used it…i mean never, not even a single time. Same with the Seeker I bought, seller claimed to only have used it for one trip overseas, the bag was pretty banged up but the boat looked new. Trak even extended the warranty to me for the skin and 2.0 upgrade. Unfortunately, not been out in the boat often enough 
but I have no issues with quality or the boat, just the business plan.
Ray, very sorry to hear about the quality issues you are experiencing.
Can you elaborate a bit for the benefit of myself and others?
I was under the impression that the quality of these was pretty decent, so hearing about your concerns is disheartening.
I hope they are able to satisfactorily address them for you.
We put in our order in the fall of 2019. We’ll now have been waiting 2.5 years for our 2 boats to arrive. We’ve basically given up.
Caveat emptor.
Very discouraging. Really sorry that you have had to go through this.
How much money did you have to put down? If you prepaid I think you have a legal claim to recover from them for failure to deliver.
Buy yourselves a couple of Pakboat Quest 150s. I have had excellent customer service from Pakboat for 10 years and have a Quest ( the earlier smaller version) and it is quite seaworthy. Not as slick as a Trak 2.0 of course but costs 1/3 as much. And actually exists.
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This all looks like a very poor TRAK record…pun intended…
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I saw what you did there. Way overdue.
wow , just wow , reading this whole thread is somewhat heartbreaking, yes Covid has screwed up plenty but it seems like this company did not have their act together b4 covid, hope everyone got pro gets their kayak or their money back.
The original post was in July 2019. Two and a half years is a long wait. I think that answers the original question, “what’s not to like about it”!
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I actually read through this whole thread after watching some of the Trak 2.0 hype review videos on YouTube and then starting my own pre-buyer research cycle whenever I consider high ticket items.
Sad to see no recent updates.
@Sparky961 @worldtraveler did you ever get your orders delivered?
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Yes. I did finally receive it a month or two ago. It was very bittersweet. I stopped posting updates here because I was tired of responding to backlash and the constant reminder that I was still waiting.
The Trak is an amazingly portable and capable sea kayak. It is not, however, a complete replacement for a higher end hard shell sea kayak. There are quite a few things that need adjusting to compared to the alternatives.
What’s not to like about it? Since I’m now an owner, and I’ve been using a loaner boat for over a year prior to receiving my own, it’s fair to say that I can address the question with some authority.
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Yes it’s durable, but not THAT durable. Abrasion points are where the frame contacts the hull, so when you scrape over a barnacle covered rock it scrapes up the hull pretty badly. Repairs (at least the ones done by Trak) don’t tend to stick to the hull. I imagine that there are better ways than the very short lived Tear-Aid patches they used to fix up the loaner that was leaking. I’m also afraid to take this into any big dynamic water. After an experience being clobbered by a 2m wave doing my level 3 in the fall with a rental Sterling Grand Illusion, I (and the observing instructor) did not believe the Trak would have survived - and may have folded up and pinned me inside!
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As the only boat in one’s fleet, if you’re anything like me then you’ll get very sick of assembling and disassembling your boat every time you want to paddle. Especially if you don’t have the space or facilities to take everything out at home to rinse, clean and dry the parts before storing. Yes, the Trak video shows it being assembled in 10 minutes. Possible? Probably - if everything is laid out ready to go and the assembler is very experienced. Disassembly? Maybe, but not if you’re going to properly rinse, dry and lubricate everything that needs to have this done. I budget about 30 minutes more than I would for a traditional kayak on either end for these tasks. Oh, and it really sucks in cold, windy, wet weather where you just want to toss the boat on your car, fumbling to get the straps done up with numb fingers instead of trying to carefully disassemble your expensive kayak without damaging anything.
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Almost constant questions from people at launch and landing. What does it weight? How does it paddle? Can you camp with it? Where do I paddle it? Sometimes they get right in there, and start touching everything without asking. I’m usually pleasant but brief, directing them to the company’s web site.
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Did I mention these are almost unobtainable? After delivering the batch of boats that mine was in, Trak isn’t in a much better position to make their other deliveries and yet they still keep taking orders and (last I knew) promising completely fictional delivery times.
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Sea socks suck. Yes, they will probably save your life, but they still suck. Having no bulkheads, this is a very important safety feature if you expect to be able to self rescue on your own after a nasty capsize. With only the float bags installed and no sea sock, there is enough water inside the boat that my own weight will sink the coaming below the water line. The sock is hot and it makes getting in and out a challenge.
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One size fits most. But not quite me. I make it work, but I sink the boat very low in the water with my ~210lbs 6’2" body, and my size 12 feet don’t fit in the boat comfortably if I have any kind of footwear on. I wear only neoprene socks while paddling.
My current situation dictates that the Trak is still the only choice for me to keep paddling for now. When that changes though, I will either be selling it or keeping it in storage for the rare occasions where I want an insanely light and portable boat with some compromises.
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Excellent review. Points 1,2, and 5 apply to all folders, in my experience. Heck, point 2 applies even to simpler craft, which is why iSUP owners store their boards inflated when possible.
Glad they came through for you.
Nice update and good to hear from you.
Hey folks,
How is TRAK 2.0 compared to Klepper?
Tallglen,
I received my boat around the same time Sparky received his. Haven’t had the chance to use it yet.
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I was about to order two kayaks when I found this forum. Now, I’m more reluctant to order, and following their facebook page, they seems to censor negative comments of customer not having received their order. It does not inspire confidence in the company…
I was promised that if I order right now, I would have the kayaks by next june (2023), but i am skeptical about it: they even removed the plans for the current production run on their website, will they announce more delays, or worse, not telling anyone and just delay again? For now, I’m simply following their website and facebook, to see how the company is acting before giving them my money.
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Traks are sleeker, a bit lighter, quicker to set up and more technically slick than Kleppers (which are solid and durable but heavy and rather sturdily bulky.) I have not paddled a Trak but have seen several on the water and they look and perform like a higher end composite hardshell and set up very quickly.
At one time I admit I lusted after one (have been a 20 year user of folders including 4 models of Feathercraft touring kayaks and 5 models of Pakboats). But Trak’s horrible business practices and the way they have lied to and even stiffed their customers means I would never buy one. I have wondered if they got spoiled by the success of their initial Kickstarter roll out, where they raised something like a half million in early pre-pays to get the ball rolling on production and now they think demanding huge deposits (which I think are non-refundable) for products for which they cannot guarantee timely delivery is a legitimate ongoing sales strategy. In my book, it is not.
I had signed up to get newsletters from Trak when they first came out with the 2.0 and eventually it really bothered me when I would get promotions from them showing new “special” and “limited edition” versions of the boats when I knew from being a regular on this site and the foldingkayaks.org forum that lots of customers were being left in the lurch awaiting their kayaks for not just months but years. It is suspiciously “Ponzi”-like to me for a company to keep huckstering for new purchasers (victims?) to lay down money when they are unable to satisfy those who have already paid.
If you want something portable and lighter and sleeker than a Klepper, look at the Pakboat Quest 150. Not as fancy as a Trak but a boat you can actually buy and use NOW and it costs less than a third what a Trak does.
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Wondering if the issues have been settled with people getting their kayaks?
I read Sparky’s review from a year ago and know he received his, but he says the company was still giving unrealistic delivery dates.