Design of Puffin Folding Kayaks
The Puffin Kayaks represent a new generation in folding boat design and draw on over 20 years of varied experience.
Three basic elements interact to form the Puffin's structure:
• The skin is the outside cover that "keeps the water out". It is made of woven synthetic fabric coated with PVC. A
heavy duty fabric forms the boat bottom, and lighter fabric is used for the sides. Stress points are reinforced for
years of trouble free use.
• The frame is made of anodized structural aluminum tubing with a combination of high strength and corrosion
resistance.
• Between skin and frame in the sides are inflatable tubes that act as flotation and give tension to the skin. These
relatively large diameter tubes also help stiffen the boat. To tolerate the normal working pressure, the tubes have
strong fabric outer sleeves with two channels on each side. Each channel holds a seperate inflatable bladder that can
easily be replaced. (Puffin Sport has a lighter weight single-layer system with 2 independent cells per side).
Puffin seats are inflatable and made of high-grade urethane coated material. The seats have adjustable back rests and built-in lumbar support. They are very comfortable!
Solo Puffins have extremely simple frames. There are only three longitudinal rods - two gunwales and a keel, and a number of cross members that connect the longitudinal rods. To make this work we had to develop a new way to give the boat longitudinal tension. This was done by placing a "hinge" in the keel. When the keel and stems are installed in the boat, the "hinge" is at an angle. As the cross members are installed, the keel gradually becomes straight and tensions the skin. Side to side tension is produced by inflating the air tubes.
The deck on the Puffin Kayak is attached with a strip of Velcro around the boat just below the gunwales. An aluminum rim around the cockpit is enclosed in a fabric sleeve and provides support for a spray skirt. The separate deck makes it much easier to pack gear into the kayak. Simply remove the deck, load your gear into the boat, and reinstall the deck. If a piece of gear does not quite fit, let a little air our of the air tubes, stow the gear, and reinflate the tubes. (Make sure no sharp objects touch the inflatable parts.)
Puffin Sport, Puffin Kayak 12, have 1 seat. The Puffin II comes with 2 seats. All models are delivered with seats, duffel bag, repair kit, pump, and instruction manual.
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