Reviews

Review of Yukon

Reviewed By: Ralph Diaz
Excerpts from the August 2002 edition of Folding Kayaker newsletter
8/1/2002

Folbot continues to build folding kayaks that are meant to meet the needs of everyday paddlers who don't want a lot of pizazz but who do value good prices and utilitarian usage. The latest model introduced about a year ago is the Yukon. It can be looked at as an elongated Aleut or a shortened Kodiak. However you consider it, this is a well-placed kayak that fills the need of larger paddlers.

The model I tested has been left for the season at the Downtown Boathouse in Manhattan, which runs a free public program. Some of the volunteers who help get the general public on the water are hefty guys. They love the Yukon because they fit it easily. But its virtues do not stop there. lf you are a large person or want more speed than you can get out of the low end boat in the Folbot model range, the Aleut, then this might be the boat for you.

Assembly
Let's start with this. Assembly ease is a Folbot trademark. If you have troubles assembling a Folbot after a few practice runs, then you should not get a folding kayak because they don't come much easier. As with any Folbot, there aren't any real tricks you need to learn to assemble the Yukon. A lot of factors help. None of the connections take any strength or finesse. Some parts come already pre-connected to each other. Tolerances...require not much work to put parts together. Cross frames are easy to engage with the longerons and the two-rail keel.

Folbot has stayed with the tried and true method of extending a folding kayak in its skin. It is the approach used by Klepper and other German companies long since gone. It is the horseshoe and block setup. After you slip each frame half into the skin (easy to do because the tolerances of skin to frame fit is loose until you inflate the sponsons later), you find that one frame half ends with horseshoe looking devices and the other half with flat blocks. You simply place the horseshoe end over the flat block end from the other frame half and press down to form the keel. At the gunwales, you'll find a similar setup and you just push the horseshoe and block to the sides of the boat. Voila~ The frame is extended. This form of extension has the added advantage that the boat can be left assembled for long periods of time without risk of this vital connection seizing up with gunk and corrosion to make impossible taking the boat apart again.

The Yukon coaming (Folbot refers to it as the "washboard") is made of heavy-duty aluminum. Attaching the deck to it is simple and takes no force. You just slide a rope head end of the cockpit part of the deck into a groove on the underside of the washboard. The coaming is not hinged which makes for greater strength, It is a three part affair with a 'V' shape at the bow end of the cockpit; you simply slip in an another piece of the washboard on each end of this bow cockpit section and you're done. The only step that can take some time is locking the various turn knobs that attach the washboard to the rest or the frame. But this is no big deal.

On The Water
As mentioned in the beginning of this review, the Yukon is a speedy boat compared to the Aleut. It is a lot faster, which is surprising. One would not expect that having a kayak that is just a foot longer would make such a difference. It seems you cross a threshold of sorts once you get a kayak above about 13 feet in length - or so it seems true of Folbots. Mind you, we are not talking of the blazing speed of a slick kayak. The Yukon after all is 30 inches in beam. But you will get a lot of payoff in forward motion with each paddle stroke.

And even a heavy person will get speed out of the Yukon. Those hefty guys at the Downtown boathouse find the boat is a delight in this department as well. With a suggested conservative weight capacity of 300 pounds, the Yukon is the answer for many people.

Tracking. The Yukon is a Folbot. Folbots are known for their great tracking. No matter what way wind and waves are hitting you, the Yukon will go exactlv where you point the bow. It will not diverge into side wakes or wind. Nor will it get turned around in a following wind or sea. It simply will not broach.

Maneuverability. Here the Yukon is at a disadvantage. The boat is not easy to turn. It takes lots of extra strokes on one side to turn the Yukon.

I think most paddlers who are confronted with the great tracking vs. poor turning dilemma would make the no brainer decision. In a sea kayak that you want to go from point A to point B with the least amount of divergence, one always favors tracking over turning.

Stability. Another Folbot forte, continued in the Yukon. The boat has lots of primary stability. You could no doubt stand in the boat without being a circus act. It is a boat you can relax in. I know a lot is made of secondary stability being important and primary stability is a detriment to this. But most paddlers prefer the primary stability to be stellar and that is what the Yukon has. There is so much to be said about being in choppy waters and not giving all the action around you a second thought nor having to do much yourself to keep from tipping over.

Other Considerations
The two carrying bags that the Yukon comes with divides your load easily. And the bags are bomb proof being made of the same canvas as the deck with reinforcements made of hull material.

The cockpit is huge...depending on your tastes, you may not like to have so much cockpit in front of you. But it does give room for putting a kid or a dog in front of you if you like.

The spray/cover and skirt attach with velcro to the washboard. It is not a setup that can withstand heavy banging by breaking waves but will stand up to normal amounts of water coming over the boat and of course rain.

Folbot has a lifetime guarantee against breakage of parts or unusual wear of any component including stitching and materials. It is pretty ironclad as a policy and you don't have to jump through hoops to get things replaced or fixed free of charge.

Back to reviews