length: 17’ width: 34” weight: 62 lbs capacity: 600 lbs deck: urethane-coated polyester hull: Hypalon frame: aluminum with polycarbonate crossribs
price: Standard: $2,000 US. Expedition: $2,300 US.
contact:
www.folbot.com;
www.folbot.ca
Folbot, established in 1933, is the original U.S.-based folding kayak company, known for reasonable fac- tory-direct prices and excellent cus- tomer service. Folbot’s Greenland II double packs in two duffel bags made of the same heavy-duty materi- als as the boat skin. The boat is available in several colours and our test model had all of them! The boat assembles in less than half an hour with a system of snap- together labelled parts and a zip- pered deck. Aluminum “wash- boards” form the cockpit and add
rigidity. A hole in the deck plate fits an optional mast for sailing. A solo conversion kit is also available. The Greenland II feels like a canoe with a spraydeck. It has all of a canoe’s comfort and stability, with a big, airy cockpit great for fishing. Wide beam and side air sponsons make it hard to flip—you can even stand up. The Greenland is also the lightest double folding kayak on the market. On the go, it tracks well and turns easily. Gear stows easily along the chipmunk cheeks of the hull and in the bow and stern, where deck zippers provide access. The Greenland II is an affordable double with great stability and versa- tility for fishing, sailing, long trips, occasional solo paddling and family tripping. Extras with the Expedition model include foot rudder kit, spray deck with skirts, extra D-rings and deck rigging, and repair kit.—TS
folbot greenland II
Briefcase Boat File: Aquamarine Dream
Through the long Canadian winter, you pack most outdoor gear items away to become artifacts until spring. Every once in a while, however, a grumbling rises from the storage room. The folding kayaks become rest- less, beckoning to be packed up and flown to warmer climes. So you hop on a plane in Vancouver bound for Belize City. Then turn around and get on a small twin-prop southbound for the village of Placencia, your laid- back gateway to the Outer Cayes. Paddling in Belize rates right up there with a good snooze in a hammock—days of meandering across open ocean spotted with coral heads and tiny cayes. You paddle over crystal waters and watch manta rays fly below your kayak. The heat evaporates those February blues. The gentle breeze keeps you cool. And when the urge hits, you jump out of your boat to investigate one of the most beau- tiful reef systems in the world. You spend your afternoon exploring old shipwrecks and fishing for dinner, preparing for an evening of seafood, sunsets and silence broken solely by dolphins and pelicans. —Paul German
ADVENTUREkayakmag.com 35
photo Paul German
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