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--Apple-Mail-1-242601568 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Folding boats are known generically by the German name Faltboot, which =20= means literally =93fold-boat.=94 Faltboot is pronounced fahlt-boat. =20= (Note that Boot in German is pronounced just like boat in English =97 it = =20 is the same word except for spelling.) I wrote my brother, a faltboot enthusiast, who offered the following =20 information which I thought might be of interest for some people on =20 the NatureNS list: Yes, they (Pakboats) are the makers of the famous "Puffin" Faltboot =20 which has carried me to many adventures. The Puffin is the cheapest, =20 lightest faltboot, and quite nice, but there are better ones if one is =20= willing to spend more of one's "folding" money. One gets what one =20 pays for. Another good reasonably priced brand is Folbot, somewhat =20 heavier and more expensive, but made in the USA. Near the top in =20 quality and price is the Canadian-made Feathercraft. Very expensive. I am somewhat disturbed that Pakboats=92 Puffins are now made in China, =20= although the company has taken advantage of lower costs and better =20 technology to lower the final price and improve quality. My Russian faltboot is heavier, faster, and more seaworthy than =20 Pakboats=92 faltboots, but is difficult to assemble. I have visited the home of Pakboats in Enfield, NH. Alv Elvestad, the =20= head of Pakboats, used to import the Norwegian "Ally" brand folding =20 canoes, before designing his own craft.. He has led tours of Lapland =20 or other parts of his native Norway in folding canoes. Pakboats =20 folding canoes are very durable expedition-worthy craft, used on wild =20= whitewater rivers in Canada and elsewhere. Pakboats Puffins use =20 similar materials, but are for lighter duty recreational kayak use. =20 Alv is a paddler himself and would not make junk, or poorly designed =20 products, and his company provides great customer service. He is also =20= affiliated with my faltboot guru, Ralph Hoehn, one of the most =20 knowledgeable and fanatic faltboot (kayak) advocates in the world. The American Folbot company has been around for years, and is famed =20 for their amazing customer service. There are many other good brands, =20= but for a novice, I would recommend Pakboats or Folbot. http://www.folbot.com/ One should remember that my russische Faltboot is the equal in =20 performance of almost any faltboot in the world, for a bargain price. =20= I and another person who attended a folding boat event held by Alv and =20= Ralph a few years ago agreed that the russische Ladoga-1 was the most =20= impressive boat there, although far from being the most expensive. =20 It's only drawback is difficult assembly. That would not be a problem =20= to someone living in NS with a boathouse, who could keep the craft =20 assembled. Faltboots are not flimsy toys. They are rugged things which =20= can survive any use which a hard-shell kayak could. Unlike hard-=20 shells, they can bounce off rocks, and be repaired easily by the user. --Apple-Mail-1-242601568 Content-Type: text/html; charset=WINDOWS-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; ">Folding boats are known = generically by the German name <i>Faltboot</i>, which means literally = =93fold-boat.=94 Faltboot is pronounced fahlt-boat. (Note = that <i>Boot</i> in German is pronounced just like <i>boat</i> in = English =97 it is the same word except for spelling.)</div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; = min-height: 17px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; ">I wrote my brother, a faltboot = enthusiast, who offered the following information which I thought might = be of interest for some people on the NatureNS list:</div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; = min-height: 17px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; ">Yes, they (Pakboats) are the = makers of the famous "Puffin" Faltboot which has carried me to many = adventures. The Puffin is the cheapest, lightest faltboot, and quite = nice, but there are better ones if one is willing to spend more of one's = "folding" money. One gets what one pays for. Another good = reasonably priced brand is Folbot, somewhat heavier and more expensive, = but made in the USA. Near the top in quality and price is the = Canadian-made Feathercraft. Very expensive.</div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: = normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 17px; = "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Helvetica; ">I am somewhat disturbed that Pakboats=92 = Puffins are now made in China, although the company has taken advantage = of lower costs and better technology to lower the final price and = improve quality. </div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 17px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; ">My = Russian faltboot is heavier, faster, and more seaworthy than = Pakboats=92 faltboots, but is difficult to assemble. </div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; = min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; ">I have visited the home of = Pakboats in Enfield, NH. Alv Elvestad, the head of Pakboats, used to = import the Norwegian "Ally" brand folding canoes, before designing his = own craft.. He has led tours of Lapland or other parts of his native = Norway in folding canoes. Pakboats folding canoes are very durable = expedition-worthy craft, used on wild whitewater rivers in Canada and = elsewhere. Pakboats Puffins use similar materials, but are for lighter = duty recreational kayak use. Alv is a paddler himself and would not make = junk, or poorly designed products, and his company provides great = customer service. He is also affiliated with my faltboot guru,