From: DJ Vollkasko (DJ_Vollkasko_at_gmx.net)
Date: Thu May 27 2004 - 12:04:01 PDT
>> These spare parts are needed for keeping
>> my beloved vintage 1960s folding boat in service.
>
>Have pictures of this beauty?
>
>Ryan
Man, don't get me started! ;=}
Okay, lemme see... What I have are folders by Pionier, one of the most
respected builders. They were located in Bad Toelz/Bavaria and had some of
the nicest craftsmanship and best boat designs, closed in the early 1970ies
when all the kayakers burned their folding boats and switched to
tupperware. ;={
Let me show you some 1960s brochure-pics first:
Check
http://www.derpoly.privat.t-online.de/fbb-pionier_faltboote.html#standard_zweier_520z
for the 520 Z, a standard double. I have one with a nice, still flexible
hull and a second frame with some broken parts and hardened (= "dead") skin.
I sail this one, too (with an East German sailing rig and a gorgeous
tricolor Genoa-jib which I designed with SailCut, now an open source
project http://sourceforge.net/projects/sailcut which would be cool to have
on the Newton -- bullshit with your mates on the waterside, cough up some
sail ideas on yer Newt and then have Newtie spit it out to a AutoCAD file
which you can mail off or directly drive a plotter or something!).
One day, I'll sew a skin and repair the second frame and have my own
folding boat katamaran ;=} (like the VarioCat
http://www.kajak-huette.de/neu/index_variocat.htm -- this is based on
modern Klepper folding boats, which are by design slower than my old
crates; old Kleppers without tubes = pure gold, new Klepper with air
tubes/sponsons = not too hot).
And then we have not one but THREE of the pretty rare Pionier 450 Wa
http://www.derpoly.privat.t-online.de/fbb-pionier_faltboote.html#ww_einer_450wa62
here at the Vollkasko Mansion. That's not a touring kayak, that's what the
1950s and 60s considered a fully-flegded whitewater boat (that was back
when whitewater paddling was about navigating *around* rocks, not about
scraping yer boat all over the river). Two of these should hold their
water, the third is pretty decrepit and used for spare parts (like my
second 520 Z). Haven't had a chance to try these yet, as they were only
bought recently. Here's more 450 Wa pics
http://www.derpoly.privat.t-online.de/fbb-pionier-450wa-wweiner.html, incl.
some of a naked boat, Parental Guidance Advised. At the top you see the
beautiful coral-red deck Pionier did besides the traditional blue, and
below you can appreciate the ingenius engineering of the frame structure.
Well-built folders are like Gothic cathedrals you can paddle.
I'm very excited about this model, it's probably a bit over my
capabilities as paddler (no rudder, unlike my trusted double), a bit more
temperamental and less stable on the water. Heck, it's a bronco for bucking
white water, what do you expect! ;=} Actually I was looking for a nice
well-mannered touring single like the 450 S with a rudder
http://www.marukusu.de/bilder/maintour/img_1530.jpg, but when I was offered
this batch, I couldn't resist. Well, my paddling skills will have to
improve! ;=} I'll hopefully find some time the next days to test it on a
lake and we'll see if it throws me off. Gonna be a fun day, as one of my
folding boater's gang will be testing his brandnew "aircraft carrier" -- a
Klepper double which he extended to an over 6 m long four-seater. Saw it a
few months ago assembled in his living room when the extension was done and
he started sewing the skin, quite the monster... (the boat, not the man,
he's pretty nice and really ingenius. ;=} )
Now let me see if I can find some pics of my 520 Z on the web...
Mine is the blue one in this pic
http://www.marukusu.de/bilder/rheinfahrt/img_1465.jpg - the guy beneath the
frame is Marukusu from my gang, showing off his Nautiraid Greenlander's
frame -- the skins lies limp besides my 520 Z.
This is my favorite picture
http://www.marukusu.de/bilder/Bodensee2003/img_1508.jpg (how can I make
this my back drop? Gotta investigate that after the mailing stuff...) --
trying out the new jib sail with nearly no wind on Lake Constance during
the Folding Boater's Meeting 2003 (over 100 participants with models from
over 5 decades that'd make yer eyes pop out!). This
http://www.marukusu.de/bilder/Bodensee2003/img_1507.jpg was taken when the
wind was even less (also you can see the boat was badly trimmed, the bow's
out of the water -- but the light was nice, look at those colours!). That
jib really is brilliant with these light breezes, the boat still moved.
Don't want to put that up with 4-5 bft., though. ;=} Got a smaller towel
for those livelier winds.
On tour with the gang, this
http://www.marukusu.de/bilder/maintour/img_1530.jpg shows the flotilla in
parking mode at a lock.
With folding boats, the Altantic was crossed twice, people paddled from
Europe to India and Australia, and many expeditions relied on them and
still do so today.
Disassembled, my 520Z is three bags about 23 kg, I estimate, and the 450 Wa
two bags with about 19 kg. Both boats take up camping gear to last for
weeks, the double even for two people. They fit *inside* a car, come along
on train or plane travels, you can disassemble them and put them in a hotel
room when temporarily switching from outdoor-mode to civilized life, and
are well to maintain -- it's basically all rubber, cotton, wood and brass -
nearly nothing you can't replace or repair in the field. Besides the
wingnuts I'm desperately looking for.
*** If anybody is interested in knowing more about folding boats or where
to buy any, I'll be happy to help. There's quite some interesting companies
that build these, it's again between 15 and 25 manufacturers worldwide, in
Germany, France, China, Japan, Russia, Norway, Canada, USA, New Zealand...
Some boats are good allrounders, some are seaworthy seakayaks (esp. the
Seavivor Greenland Solo built in Chicago). There are even canadian-type
folding boats, which are pretty interesting (but I prefer the
double-paddle). Some are traditional with wooden frames, some are hightech
with carbon and polyurethane. Well, drop me a line and ask me what you want
to know.
Much love,
DJ Vollkasko
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