I read to the middle of the '06 posts and skipped to the '07, so I may have missed some significant ones. We have paddled in the glorious Queen Charlotte Islands twice (25 years ago!), in Kleppers owned by the group we went with, and sailing them on a broad reach or straight down wind was great, and, despite the leeboards, any closer to the wind than that was not. Their packability to get 6 of them onto/into float planes was terrific. I have never been in a Folboat, but the Klepper enthusiasts regarded them as death traps. I suspect a mix of prejudice and truth- any kayak in treacherous conditions is cautionary. Our own boats are 25 year old Eddyline ocean kayaks, one single and one double, made in Mukilteo, WA, and my favorite thing about them is their complete resistance to learning the eskimo roll. Beamy to a fault. Always felt safe in them even in grueling headwind. The only caution I had to learn the hard way was in paddling BETWEEN lakes in northern BC- it was not to bother raising the rudder, UNSHIP the rudder. I had to do a bit of wilderness epoxying on the double kayak right after learning that. I feel about real rapids the way I feel about climbing mountains: any understanding I may have of the impulse to engage in negotiating either is purely intellectual. Volunteering for trouble will remain a mystery to me until I die in bed. As for racks- we ahve a Thule, but I've never built a true roller to accomodate our galloping geezerhood and decreasing ability to get the boats up easily onto the top of the car. The Eddylines ARE heavy. If I hadn't already had the bike mounts, and the adapters for various roof types, I'd have shopped for something easier. They are, however, VERY secure, once they're loaded. Carter B
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