27 Are folding kayaks delicate or damage-prone?
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This article is from the Sea Kayaking FAQ, by Todd Leigh with numerous contributions by others.
27 Are folding kayaks delicate or damage-prone?
Not necessarily. You should treat the hull of a folding kayak in much
the same way as you would treat a fiberglass kayak, i.e. you avoid
dragging it on gravel beaches and the like. The frames can take a lot
of punishment. Parts don't readily break because both wooden and
aluminum frames have enough flex in them to absorb shock and avoid
cracking. If conditions are severe enough to crack a frame member of a
foldable, they are also likely to crack or cause fissures in a
fiberglass hull, or put some serious dents in a plastic one.
Folding kayaks are tough enough to be used by the military of some 20
nations. These boats handle the punishment that special forces tend
to dish out while keeping crews alive to complete their
missions. Simply put, if the boats weren't up to the rigors of special
operations, the military would not entrust their highly trained
personnel to them, period.
Folding kayaks tend to be long-lived. It is not unusual to see 25 year
old hulls still going strong. Frames have proven to last 50 years or
more with only a modicum of care.
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