Jonathan Hanson Jonathan Hanson Jonathan Hanson is a writer whose lifelong appreciation of nature shows up frequently in his work. Meet Jonathan Previous Answers

Folding kayak aficionados, and Klepper owners in particular, are nearly religious in their devotion to the craft. It's easy to see why after you assemble a seaworthy boat from an elegant framework of varnished ash and birch. By comparison a fiberglass kayak seems like the proverbial soulless appliance. Even the Feathercraft folder, with its distinctly high-tech frame of aluminum and polyethylene, has a polished grace missing in a laid-up or molded hull. And the Klepper has the heady air of 100 years of history behind it.

The one overriding advantage to a folding kayak, aside from aesthetics, is that it folds. That characteristic opens up the entire world to exploration at the cost of no more than an excess baggage charge on most airlines. Compared to the cost of shipping a hard-shell boat . . . well, there is no comparison.

Folding kayaks are quite seaworthy. The Klepper, with its wide beam, is virtually self-sufficient in choppy conditions. It is, however, more difficult to manage when waves build in size and steepness, since it is hard for the paddler to use body English to lean into waves coming from the side. The Feathercraft, which is narrower, more closely approaches the handling characteristics of a hard-shell boat in this regard.

Some folder owners try to imbue the craft with nebulous hydrodynamic advantages. They claim that the flexible frame allows the boat to conform to waves rather than having to punch through them. Possibly — although I've never been able to detect the effect. On the other hand, that flexible frame definitely absorbs some of the paddler's energy, reducing efficiency. It's also claimed that the rubbery skin of a folder acts like the skin of a dolphin, reducing friction. Sorry, but a rubber hull stretched over an angular frame has little in common with the organic fuselage of a marine mammal. And that frame makes loading and unloading gear a real pain (although the access hatches in Feathercrafts help a lot, and Kleppers can be fitted with peel-back decks).

Folding kayak fans rightfully point to the tremendous durability of the boats. Many 25-year-old Kleppers are still in service, thus offsetting that steep initial investment of around $4,000. Also, when the skin of a folder meets its last patch, it can be replaced without buying a new frame too. Keep in mind, however, that just the price of the skin is equal to an entire fiberglass kayak.

To me, all these arguments miss the real point of a folding kayak, which is that it can go places too expensive to reach with any other kayak, and that it will function admirably as an expedition boat in virtually any conditions you'd care to paddle. 'Nuff said.

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