Puffin in Euro Travels, Folding Kayaker by Bill Longyard (2000)
PROVING THE PUFFIN IN EURO TRAVELS
by Bill Longyard
(Reprinted by permission from Folding Kayaker)
William Stout, one of America’s greatest engineers, once said, “Simplicate- add lightness,” so when I learned that someone was making a kayak that weighed less than half of what other kayaks weigh, I knew I had to try one on my next trip to Europe.
The Puffin single seater by Pakboats is a 10.5 ft kayak that weighs merely 19 lbs (Editor’s note: that’s without the full spray deck). How could a boat this light be a real kayak? My doubts increased when the UPS driver delivered to my house a box not much bigger than a large pillow. Opening it, I found a neat little duffle bag into which was packed the entire kayak! Huh? Thirty minutes later the Puffin was assembled on my living room floor. It looked like a real kayak, but still I wondered how something that simple and light would handle on the water, or even survive the normally abusive baggage handlers at airports.
The Puffin has an ultra-simple aluminum frame, rugged synthetic skin, and uses air sponsons for flotation and rigidity. I was impressed with how solid the boat became once I blew up the sponsons with the foot inflator that had been provided. I was even more amazed when I lifted the boat with just my thumb and index finger. 19 pounds! When lifted, there is absolutely no sag anywhere in the boat – it is very stiff.
A few days later I repeated the assembly process on the banks of the beautiful Thames River in London. I love paddling this river what with all its associated history, and famous buildings along its shores. In just a few minutes you can paddle past such well-known places as the Houses of Parliament, Scotland Yard, the Globe Theatre, London Bridge and much more. There are many places to put in and with a boat as light as the Pakboats’ you can access all of these via London’s subway.
This time I had the boat assembled in just over 20 minutes, and was ready to launch. The little Puffin is big enough so that I could store my luggage cart, camera bag, and the carrying case under the tight fitting spray skirt. I easily slipped into the adjustable inflatable seat through the cockpit opening and began to paddle. The Puffin surprised me right away with its solid feel and excellent tracking. My body was “locked” into the hull with the air sponsons pressing on my thighs. This feature allows for authoritative boat handling. I was further impressed to find that even with a stiff quartering wind blowing up the Thames, the small boat resisted weathervaning and needed very little corrective paddling to keep it straight.
The Thames can be very turbulent when the wind blows against the tide. Add to this chop the wake of large sightseeing boats and towed barges, and the reflected waves coming off the river banks, and you can have some exciting times even in downtown London. The Puffin handled even the steepest waves as well as any kayak I’ve ever paddled. The stiff frame, combined with the snug fit of the seat, left me feeling that I had complete control of the boat at all times.
Pakboats has succeeded in making a great boat for people who love to travel, but don’t want to be weighed down with a heavy boat. Their boat is not only light and rugged, but behaves like a real kayak should when challenged. This is the only folding kayak that can literally be flown anywhere in the world as “carry-on” luggage!