Gelina and Dave's Adventures - Folbot Greenland II

After years of wanting and waiting, in 2003 we got a new, red Folbot Greenland II. Her name is Maggie and we are very happy with her. She paddles straight, turns well, is very stable, holds a ton of gear, and goes a whole lot faster than you'd think she would.

We get out in her as often as we can (although not nearly as often as we'd like) on both local lakes and trips on to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Lake Superior. We plan on doing some more remote camping on some northern lakes and taking her on the North Shore Kayak Trail.

Be sure to also check out our Kayaking Trips and Folding Kayak Resources pages.

The boat arrived via UPS in 2 big brown boxes. Ain't no way there's a sea kayak in there.	The whole boat packs into just these 2 bags.
Despite being laid up with bronchitis, I tore into them like a kid in a candy store.	It assembles like a tent. This is the frame before it goes into the rubber skin.
Here's the initial fitting of the frame into the loose skin. Once the frames are put together, we'll zip up the skin and she'll be almost ready to go.	She sulked in the garage for almost a week before we were able to get her out on the water.
And here she is all ready to go on her first trip - Long Lake, Wisconsin. It was a beautiful day and she was great fun to paddle.	View from the back - Gelina happily paddling our new boat.
GII Modifications & Upgrades
I found the GII rudder control bar to be a little narrow for me. I like to have my feet further apart, and don't like the rudder lines rubbing my calves.	I was able to get an old plastic rudder bar, and adapt it to give me a more natural foot position and run the lines in from the outside. Better but still not it.
Folbot introduced rudder pedals for the Cooper kayak and I decided to see if I could get them to work in the GII. The first step was shortening them about 6 inches.	Then I put clips on rib 4 for the pedal tube to lock in to.
The control consists of a foot peg mounted on a track. The track is then mounted on a tube that allows the foot peg to slide freely forward and back, pulling the rudder cable. To make the rudder turn one peg must go forward and the other back.	The back of the tube is clipped to the frame and the front end fits in a socket that's attached to one of the side plates. There's short bungee cord attached to the back of the pedal to keep the rudder line tight.
The end of the rudder tube was attached to the socket with a set screw that didn't offer a lot of strength, so Folbot shipped me some push buttons and I drilled the socket out to accept them instead.	The socket end of the rudder control installed on the frame. The push button keeps the rudder tube from turning.
The new pedals installed. The extra rudder line if so that if something happens to me, Gelina could still control the rudder from the front.	Test drive - the foot position is a lot more comfortable and it accommodates my Fred Flintstone stance. I'm can brace my heels against the bottom of the rib and still control the rudder.
Finally got motivated to put keel strips on Maggie. They're extra strips of hypalon that'll help protect the hull from wear and tear. First I cleaned the hull and then put down tape over the longerons where I want the strips to go.	Then I put down a strip of tape on either side.
Then I removed the center piece of tape - leaving me with guide for putting down the hypalon.	The keep strips come in a long roll and the trick in applying it is to gradually peel the backing away just ahead of where you're working.
Finished. Not a bad job if I do say so myself.	The hull all cleaned and protected and stealthy - behold, it's batyak.
In order to facilitate loading gear into the boat I ran a 4-foot length of bungee cord to the keel and then clipped it to a frame. I did this both fore and aft.	Now as bags get loaded we just clip them to the bungee - it makes it easier to retrieve them from the depths of the kayak and helps to keep them in the boat should we capsize.
Folbot is now selling their boats with anodized aluminum ribs. The new ribs (top) offer reduced weight, greater rigidity. Like most thing Folbot, they are also backwardly compatible, so we ordered a set as an upgrade.	Folbot has also changed the keelboards to improve the way the ribs lock in. The new keelboard (right) has different mounting holes for the rib cleats.
I'd also noticed some o-rings that had started to crack on the tubes for the rudder lines. Folbot replaced them for free.	Here's Maggie the GII eagerly awaiting her new ribs.
Stern of the boat with rib 7.	Bow of the boat with rib 1 - note how the ribs aren't just flat, they have subtle curves in them to improve the strength.
I also upgraded the control lines with what's called troller's twine - much stiffer and more abrasion resistant than what I had been using. Thanks Dave K!	Because the twine is so stiff it doesn't like to hold a knot, so I swagged the ends where they hook to the rudder.
The new padeyes fro the rudder lines are also very nice and in a much better place than the old holes in the ribs where.	Leatherman Juice XE6 - it should be standard equipment with these boats. Note the ever-handy cork screw.
Hello sail! For our 10th anniversary Gelina bought me the new Folbot Upwind sail. See why I love her so? I was so wired up to get it rigged we set it up in the driveway the night we got it.	Maiden voyage - took the new sail rig out on a blustery October day. It was great! Quick to set up, easy to handle, and fun to sail. How's that for a recommendation.
I added rack pads and a Thule extension from Spring Creek.	The extension really helped me load the yak by myself after Gelina broke her arm.
These straps, also from Spring Creek, add convenient tie down points for attaching the yak.	We use handles designed for pulling tent pegs to carry the boat easier.

Our Folbot Greenland II

GII Modifications & Upgrades