Anatomy of a Folbot.
It all begins with the highest quality materials.
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Stainless Steel Keel Brackets. Close up of Stainless Steel Keel Brackets These corrosion proof, tough brackets allow assembly without tools. Adjustable Seats. Close up of Adjustable Seat You can adjust our seats forward and aft, as well as the angle of incline, for a comfortable ride. Tubular Keel Ends. Close up of Tubular Keel End Seamless anodized formed tubing, aircraft grade 6063 T-832, very high strength to weight ratio. Drawn Anodized Aluminum Tubing. Close up of Drawn Anodized Aluminum Tubing We use aircraft grade 6063 T-6 seamless tubing for a very high strength/weight ratio. Anodized Aluminum Frame Fittings. Close up of Anodized Aluminum Frame Fittings These corrosion proof fittings click in place for ease of assembly and disassembly. Unbreakable Footpeg. Close up of Unbreakable Footpeg Adjustable to match the height of the paddler. Converts to foot rudder pedals as needed. Keel Tensioner Mechanism. Close up of Keel Tensioner Mechanism Expansion of the frame to fit and stretch the skin is accomplished with our revolutionary tensioning device. The tensioner consists of an acme-threaded rod and a custom molded, ergonomically designed hand wheel. Threads are 6 turns/inch and the rod threads, in shear, will withstand over 400 lbs. of outward thrust -- more than enough for a taut boat skin. Access to the handwheel is through the rear zipper which is not closed until the skin is tightened. The inevitable slight shrinkage that occurs with all fabrics over the years is easily handled by this flexible device. Drawn Anodized Black Aluminum Cross Frames. Close up of Cross Frames Shaped from our aircraft grade aluminum tubing and anodized in black, these cross frames have a very high strength/weight ratio and will last for years of maintenance-free use. Hypalon Skins. Close up of Hypalon (synthetic rubber) Skin Hypalon (synthetic rubber) laminated to both sides of 1000 denier tire cord makes up the hull fabric used in all Folbots, while a sun-resistant, urethane-coated polyester is used for the decks. The 35 oz. Hypalon is an expedition-quality fabric that has proven to be very reliable and durable, even for use in the military where we are told the boats are treated anything but gently. Other well known applications for Hypalon are in white water rafts and as roofing material (due to its resistance to UV). Both the deck and hull fabrics are extremely puncture and abrasion resistant, and will withstand many years of hard use. The bow and stern keel ends are further protected by a custom-extruded solid aluminum rub strip. Zippers. Close up of YKK #10 Zipper Easy access to gear has been accomplished by zippering the decks of a number of the kayaks. The zippers are brutes (#10 YKK) and are guaranteed for the life of the boat. All closures have been designed with water tightness in mind, with Velcro storm flaps over the zippers. Sponsons. Close up of an inflatable Sponson All Folbots feature inflatable sponsons that run the full length of the boat. When inflated the sponsons tension the skin, locking the longitudinal frames into the cross frames, add additional flotation, and flare the hull out just above the water line to give increased stability. Our sponsons are not integrated into the skin. Instead they are housed in special hull pockets and are easily replaced, should that ever be necessary. Sponsons are guaranteed for as long as you own your kayak. |