30 Years of Great Gear

Touring Times

In the sea kayak world, folding boats - Klepper, Folbot, Nautiraid - have a long and honorable history, and kayakers have made impressive trips in them, most notably Hans Lindemann's crossing of the Atlantic in a double Klepper in 1956. Feathercraft broke new ground when it debuted commercially in 1981 with a high-tech lightweight single (16) that could fit in one bag.

Meanwhile, other manufacturers were looking at hardshell sea kayaks. Lee Moyer was an early designer, and his Pacific Water Sports Sea Otter (17), a bulkheaded 16-foot touring boat, appeared in the 1980 Buyer's Guide for $595. That expedition kayak is still in production and sells for about $2,500.

Perception/Aquaterra introduced the Chinook (18), another Lee Moyer design, as the first roto-molded plastic sea kayak, bringing us expedition-quality boats at an affordable price. It appeared in March 1988 for $629.

Kayak builders continue to seek innovative materials and techniques. Tom Derrer started out building whitewater boats, but turned to sea kayaking in the 1970s and started Eddyline Kayaks. In 1996, he introduced Carbonlite 2000 (19) technology, applying heat and vacuum to a thermoplastic sheet to create a plastic kayak with many of the strengths of a composite kayak, including stiffness, ability to hold fine lines in the design, and light weight. The Falcon 18 (20) in Carbonlite 2000 is a full-on touring boat at 18 feet long and 50 pounds, and sells for about $2,300; comparable Kevlar boats can sell for up to $3,000.