Danke schon Herr Klepper

Or the saga of the tent kayak. (It's pretty long, but bear with me.)
So some of you may have heard some of this, but I just have to share the whole story, since I am pretty dang stoked about this right now.

So, I have been wanting a kayak for a while. It would be the perfect ocean sport for when the surf is flat and if I got a big double we could go as a family. Plus, there are a lot of places to go around here, back bay estuary, Crystal cove, laguna beach, and I have really wanted to do a kayak trip out on Catalina. We moved out here seven years ago and have never been. Plus, Big Sur is not too far and a kayak would be the perfect way to explore those inaccessible coves.

But, I kept trying garage sales or craigslist and I could never get one in our price range, which over time began to steadily creep up, as you will see. (There were even a few free ones that slipped by, or a $25 garage sale kayak we missed.) The other big problem, as Bekah was quick to point out, we don't really have any place to put one.

Then while in Japan I discovered folding kayaks, which are basically aluminum or wooden frames with a skin, like an eskimo kayak. I was immediately sold. That solved the storage problem easily. You could fit in the back of the car for long trips. You could even check it on a plane for neighbor island trips to Molokai, Hana, North Kohala, Na Pali, etc. (Our super fun trip with Enoch and Amy last summer made me want a kayak even more.) Plus they are very durable and can last for 20-30 years or more if properly cared for.

The only problem was that they are super expensive. Although there were cheaper singles, doubles ranged from $2,600 for the Folbots to over $6,000 for a Feathercraft. Since there are a lot of details, I will make a list to keep this straight.

1. Before I get back I find a used Folbot Kodiak on ebay in Auburn CA, pickup only, which means it will probably be cheaper. Yesenia agrees to go and get it for me. I put in a snipe, but cancel it at the last minute, because I think what I really want is a double. I might have won, since it sells for only 600. I decide I want a Greenland II, the Folbot double.

2. I see one for sale on craigslist, almost new, for only 1000. Turns out to be a total scam. He wants me to Western Union him the money. I google his e-mail address and find out he has scammed others and has all kinds of fake stuff on craigslist in widely different places. But it makes me want one more.

3. Folbots go on sale, for %15 off through Sept. So now it's ONLY 2,200, instead of 2,600. Plus free shipping.

4. I drive to San Clemente to try and get a cobra double for $200. Already sold. It was the first thing to go. They have a nice fiberglass single that would be perfect if I lived near the beach. But I hit a bunch of other garage sales and get some other cool stuff, a snowboard bag for $2, computer speakers, planters, wood from a dumpster by a house being remodeled.

5. Last day of the Folbot sale and I buy one. 2,300 with some extras. (More than our car.) Then I check on ebay and there are two used ones for sale. But I have been reading a lot on the forums and some of the older models had issues, which have since been fixed in the newer models, but I am not sure which years. I decide I really can't afford a new one and send an e-mail and cancel my purchase. Folbot has great customer service, plus there is a 30 return period, so it's okay.

This whole time I am obsessing about this, keep talking it up to Bekah, who is not sold on the idea, and basically talking about it to anyone who will listen. John, whose shopping motto is "What would Jesse buy?" is a little disillusioned. Adam calls it the tent kayak and just thinks I should get a plastic one. Christian notes that you never use these things as much as you think you will. True, but I still really want to do all of these trips. And we could have it for a long time. And I know I want one eventually, so the sooner we get it, the longer we can enjoy it.

6. So the next day, instead of writing my dissertation I start checking craigslists. In SF there is a 10 yr old Greenland II for 1,200. There are some older Folbots, non-folding, in Long beach and Oceanside. Then in the San Diego craiglist I discover a used Klepper double for $800.
Klepper is a German company and one of the oldest folding kayak makers in the business. People have paddled their boats across the Atlantic, to Antartica, from Germany to India. They generally acknowledged to be better quality than the Folbots, though more expensive, and they can last for a long time. Some people are still using boats 20-30 years old and they keep their value very well. A quick online search confirmed this was a very good price. It seems like the going price for a upper end, used plastic double was about 600 anyway.

Anyway, so I called the guy up, we drove down there this morning to check it out. The guy has taken this boat on a 10 week trip in Baja, to Alaska, etc. He was a super cool old dude who used to have a bunch of different folding kayaks, but was finally selling his last ones. (On the online forums, most of these guys have at least three.) Anyway, so what you see in those two bags is a 17 foot, double kayak. In his little yard, we took it apart, put it back together and took it apart again in less than and hour and half. With a little practice, I think it will come together in less than 20 minutes. Kayaking anyone?