Home Boats Pakboats – folding canoes and kayaks

Pakboats – folding canoes and kayaks

Product Information

What if you could pack your kayak away into a bag after the day’s paddle, throw it over your shoulder and store it in a closet? Or keep it in the trunk of your car, for whenever you come across a river or lake and you get the urge to paddle? You can with Pakboats.

Pakboats are fast, tough, safe, rigid framed canoes and kayaks which fold up into a bag! They can be put together (once you know what you`re doing) in less than half an hour.

Pakboats Design

The chief consideration behind the Pakboats design is to achieve excellent function for the intended use. Pakboats are intended for various uses! That’s why there are different models with a wide range of structural designs.

All Pakboats are designed with a waterproof skin covering a framework of interlocking longitudinal rods and shaped cross ribs. On each side between skin and frame is an inflatable tube with multiple inflatable chambers for secure flotation. The inflatable tubes also act as built-in fenders, and by inflating the tubes, you add tension to the skin. The inflatable tubes are also an important safety feature. Placing a generous amount of flotation in any boat is an obvious benefit.

There are three different types of Pakboat – Puffins, XTs and PakCanoes.

Puffin (Recreational) Design

The Puffin family of folding kayaks offers an unbeatable combination of great performance, light weight, and simplicity at affordable prices. And all this without giving up the solid dependability that has made PakCanoes favorites among expedition canoers.
Three basic elements interact to form the Puffin’s structure:

* The skin is the outside cover that “keeps the water out”. It is made of woven synthetic fabric coated with PVC. A heavy duty fabric forms the boat bottom, and lighter fabric is used for the sides. Stress points are reinforced for years of trouble free use.

* The frame is made of anodized structural aluminum tubing with a combination of high strength and corrosion resistance.

* Between skin and frame in the sides are inflatable tubes that act as flotation and give tension to the skin. These relatively large diameter tubes also help stiffen the boat. To tolerate the working pressure, the tubes have a strong fabric outer surface laminated to durable polyurethane film to form two separate air holding cells on each side of the kaykak.

Puffin seats are inflatable and made of high-grade polyurethane coated material. The seats have adjustable back rests and built-in lumbar support. They are very comfortable!

Puffins have extremely simple frames. There are only three longitudinal rods – two gunwales and a keel, and a number of cross ribs that connect the longitudinal rods. To make this work we had to develop a new way to give the boat longitudinal tension. This was done by placing a “hinge” in the keel. When the keel and stems are installed in the boat, the “hinge” is at an angle. As the cross members are installed, the keel gradually becomes straight and tensions the skin. Side to side tension is produced by inflating the air tubes.

Placing inflatable tubes along the sides in a kayak does more than provide light-weight structure. Puffins have much more built-in flotation than other kayaks. And placing the flotation along the sides makes Puffins incredibly stable after a capsize. Two separate air cells on each side of the hull provide security in case a cell is punctured. Note: Inflatable boats have even more flotation, but their paddling performance is poor, and a similar size inflatable weighs about 50% more than a Puffin.

Puffin decks are attached with a strip of Velcro around the hull just below the gunwales. An aluminum cockpit rim provides support for a spray skirt. The separate deck makes it much easier to pack gear into the kayak. Simply remove the deck, load your gear into the boat, and reinstall the deck. If a piece of gear does not quite fit, let a little air our of the air tubes, stow the gear, and reinflate the tubes. (Make sure no sharp objects touch the inflatable parts.)

Puffin Saco

The Saco has a convenient open hull that will not get in the way of your fishing and an optional deck with a cockpit large enough to make it easy to get in and out of the kayak. It is 12 ft long and lightweight (only 20 pounds). The Saco has been upgraded with new, very attractive fabrics and a unique self supporting deck. It is fast and tracks well.

(approved by the North American Fishing Club)
fishing boat approval

Puffin Saranac

The Saranac is a lightwieght 15 ft folding kayak for one or two people. The new Saranac hull and deck fabrics are very attractive and give the kayak a sporty new look. Optional Saranac decks offer one or two cockpits that can support spray skirts, making this kayak as versatile as it is good looking. Leave the decks behind for fishing convenience. Use the double deck for a day trip with a friend, or take the solo deck for a couple of weeks of camping.the Saranac will take it all in stride.

The Saranac comes standard without decks. The newly designed self supporting double deck can be purchased for $265 and the single deck for $195

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XT (Touring) Design

XT kayaks are very fast, and over-all paddling performance is exceptional. A new stiff frame structure lets us build longer efficient hulls with consistent rocker, and a multi-chine cross section further enhances performance. The moderate depth of the hulls minimizes wind effects and gets the gunwales out of the way of your hands for comfortable paddling.

The XT, a completely new frame revolutionary structure.. The challenge was to make a long and sleek folding kayak with excellent stiffness. In other folding kayaks, the designers often rely on a deck structure to give the hull enough depth to enhance stiffness. We wanted to be independent of the deck. The solution turned out to be 6″ wide I-beams along each side of the hulls.

Unlike other Pakboats where longitudinal skin tension is built gradually as the frame is assembled in the skin, XT frames are built outside the skin, so a new lever system for tensioning is used. The levers transfer tension to the I-beams and push against the ends of the kayak skin.

The XTs have inflatable tubes like the other Pakboats. Inflating the tubes makes the skin nice and tight. and the the ends of the tubes are tapered to get the sharp entry lines of a high-performance touring kayak.

The XT decks are very different from decks we used to have on the Puffins (but a simplified version of the new XT deck has migrated back to the Puffins). The XT decks are solidly supported and at the same time the seat positions can be changed freely so an XT can be used both solo and double. So a deck support structure is built into the deck itself. No part of the kayak frame is intended to support the deck, so the hull can be completely open. The cockpits and seats can be placed without regard to any part of the frame.

XTs have a sling type seatv that is suspended from the sides and doesn`t touch the bottom fabric. It is very comfortable and easily packable. On top of the front support is an inflatable adjustable thigh support. The back band can be adjusted independent of the seat.

Pakboats XT-15 Solo Folding Kayak

folding kayak
The 23 inch beam and moderate volume makes it a great kayak for day tripping or a few days of camping. Its speed makes miles easy, and great stability lets you relax and enjoy the ride. This is a proven travel kayak.
XTs come with far more flotation built in than most other kayaks, and unlike almost all other kayaks, XTs have the flotation placed along the sides where it does most good. The XTs have 3 separate inflatable air bladders on each side for a total of 6. You can puncture a couple and still have more flotation left than most other kayaks.
Because the deck support is built into the deck itself, the hull is completely open - making the XTs incredibly easy to load. The Velcro seal around the deck eases assembly greatly - and the water stays out of the boat! The new Pakboats cockpit is longer to make it easier to get in and out of the kayak, and it has built-in corners that grab the spray skirt so it is easy to get on.
XT kayaks are very fast, and over-all paddling performance is exceptional. A new stiff frame structure lets us build longer efficient hulls with consistent rocker, and a multi-chine cross section further enhances performance. The moderate depth of the hulls minimizes wind effects and gets the gunwales out of the way of your hands for comfortable paddling.

Length: 15 ft (455 cm), Beam: 23 in (58 cm), Depth: 10 in (25 cm), Capacity: 300 lbs, 135 kg, Weight: 39 lbs (17.7 kg), Packed Bag Size: 33 in x 12 in x 20 in

Please note that shipping and handling is NOT INCLUDED in the price, and will be charged on receipt of the boat.

Pakboats XT-17 Folding Solo Kayak

XT-17 Solo has the capacity to handle gear for extended trips and can accommodate large paddlers. Its paddling performance makes long days easy. The solid stability lets you relax and be comfortable in the XT-17. D-rings on each side simplifies installation of deck rigging.

Length: 17 ft (520 cm), Beam 24 in (60 cm), Depth 10 in (25 cm), Capacity: 330 lbs, 150 kg, Weight: 44 lbs, 20 kg, Packed Bag Size: 33 in x 21 in x 14 in

Pakboats XT-16 Double Folding Kayak

XT-16 Double is great for day trips and a couple of nights of camping. Its stability makes almost anybody feel secure, and its performance makes miles easy. But the XT-16's most unique feature may be that you can replace the deck and turn it into a high-volume solo touring kayak. There is no need to compromise on trim and paddle from the stern cockpit. With the optional solo deck you have a perfectly balanced kayak every time.xt-16-going-fast

Length: 16 ft (485 cm), Beam: 26 in (66 cm), Depth: 10 in (25 cm), Capacity: 460 lbs 210 kg

Weight: 46 lbs (20.9 kg)

Packed Bag Size: 33 in x 21 in x 14 in

PakCanoe Design

In designing the PakCanoe our goal was to make a canoe that would be superior in safety, performance, convenience, and aesthetics.

PakCanoe hulls are formed by a reinforced PVC skin held under tension by an interlocking framework of tubular aluminum. Seat positions adjust to trim the canoe. Because the PakCanoe hull is flexible you stay drier. Its flexibility allows it to ride over waves rather than crash into them and take in water. The canoe will absorb severe impact and usually slide over or by rocks with no damage where fiberglass, kevlar, or aluminum canoes crack or get hung up. In this respect, the PakCanoe behaves much like ABS boats weighing 20 – 30 lbs more.

Disassembled the PakCanoe stores in a 35″x18″x14″ bag, small enough to fit in even the smallest car or closet.

Unique “Dual Shape” feature
The 14, 15, and 16.5 foot PakCanoes have the option of two alternative hull shapes. You can have a wide, relatively flat bottom canoe with excellent stability for family use or fishing. By replacing 5 cross ribs in the PakCanoe 150T you turn it into a deeper and narrower backcountry/whitewater canoe. Note: PakCanoe 150T is a wide and stable sport canoe. 140, 150, and 165 are deeper and narrower backcountry canoes with great whitewater performance (a 150 was used to run the Grand Canyon). If you’d like both options, a conversion kit containing the needed cross ribs is available.

Individual Parts:

1) Canoe Skin

PakCanoe skins are made of a heavy-duty synthetic fabric coated with high-abrasion-resistance PVC. Under each frame rod is welded a heavy-duty wear strip to further enhance abrasion resistance. Thinner reinforcement strips are welded over the gunwales. At each cross rib position a reinforcement patch is welded on the inside of the gunwale channel. At each end of PakCanoe skins a stainless steel D-ring is factory installed to serve as anchor point for ropes.

2) Closed Cell Foam Pad

A foam pad on the bottom under the frame eliminates pressure points where the skin would rest directly against the frame, and the effect is a great improvement in abrasion resistance. This medium density polyethylene foam is 1/4″ thick and is attached to the canoe skin with a strap at each end to hold it in position. When the canoe is packed, the foam is rolled up with the skin.

3) Frame

Most of the frame parts are made of 5/8″ diameter medium-strength aluminum tubing (really high strength grades are too brittle). Shock corded sections fit together to form all longitudinal rods, and parts are color coded for easy assembly. To minimize the potential for rod connections “freezing” (corroding so they can’t be separated), we have built in a little extra space in the joints. The joints feel a little loose, but this has no effect on performance, and it it is likely to save you some problems. Shock cords are terminated at each end in a way that makes replacement easy if that shoud be needed.

Cross ribs and stems are bent to shape and have plastic hardware installed with pop rivets. The plastic clips interlock, and in some cases lock to each other. Lockable clips grab the gunwales securely, and latch clips on two longitudinal rods connect to the ribs on the bottom.

The stems are the most vulnerable parts of the frame. From 2011 the stems are made of 3/4″ diameter aluminum that the keel fits inside of. The new larger dimension resists damage much better than the 5/8″ did. Because stems are most often replaced, spare stems are adjustable to fit just like the original ones did.

4) Air Tubes

Air sponsons between the skin and the frame greatly facilitate assembly. The frame is easily assembled with minimal tension in the skin. As the air sponsons are inflated they tension the skin and provide rigidity to the hull. Under way, the sponsons act as built-in fenders to protect the PakCanoe sides from damage.

Placement of air sponsons along the sides improves safety by reducing the amount of water in the canoe after a capsize and stabilizing it once it has taken on water. Each sponson has 3 air chambers so a puncture will not affect the canoe’s performance.

5) PakCanoe Seats

From 2008 PakCanoe seats are similar to seats found in most rigid canoes, except that PakCanoe seats can be installed at several heights, and they are adjustable fore-and-aft.

Other versions of PakCanoe seats are adjustable to support sitting or kneeling positions. The change can be performed with one hand in 5 seconds – in or out of the boat. To trim the canoe, the seats can be moved to several alternative locations. A sliding seat is also available. The sliding seat can be positioned anywhere between two cross ribs. A sliding seat helps trim the canoe and allows fitting a third party spray cover with cockpit openings that don’t match our standard seat placement. This seat allows limited space between the seat and the sides of the canoe when used as a stern seat.

6) Pump

The efficient yet compact double action pump attaches to the valves and makes inflation easy.

7) Repair Kit

A PakCanoe repair kit includes repair material for canoe bottom and sides as well as easy-to-use contact adhesive.

Storage Bag (35″x18″x14″)

The storage bag is made of heavy duty polyurethane coated fabric and closes like a sailor’s duffelbag. The bag’s bottom is padded with a foam pad to protect the reod’ shock cords.

PakCanoe 170

folding canoe
PakCanoe 170 is the wilderness work horse. It will carry enough gear for a full scale expedition. Because of its larger size, it spreads the load over a larger surface area and will float in shallower water.

beam 38" / 96 cm, Depth 14" / 36 cm, Weight 56 lbs / 25.5 kg, Length 17' / 520 cm, Capacity 910 lbs / 415 kg

folding canoe

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