The Kodiak is a shallow V, high-volume single-seater touring kayak designed for flat-water rivers, bays, and large, open bodies of water when used with a spray skirt. It is best suited for paddlers six feet tall or less, and 200 pounds or below. Payload capacity is rated at 300 pounds. Stability increases with payload, although initial and secondary stability are good. The weight of the bare boat is 54 pounds, and it can be packed into two carrying bags with the weight evenly split between the two. The Kodiak is constructed of polycarbonate crossframes, drawn aluminum tubing, Hypalon hull and coated polyester decking. Assembly time is approximately 15 minutes for those who are familiar with the boat.
Phil Cotton, President, Folbot

Reviewers:

VK: 5' 7", 120-pound female. Day paddle, winds to 15 knots, waves to 2'.

DL: 5'10", 175-pound male. Calm conditions.

GL: 5'11", 165-pound male. Day paddle, self-rescue practice, speed trials. Winds to 10 knots, boat wakes. Gear load of 60 pounds.

Kodiak Review:

The Kodiak "appeared to have been carefully manufactured" (VK). It has "a nice uncluttered deck and is sleek looking, despite its big beam and depth" (GL). Internal air bladders along the sheer line tension the skin after the frame is installed. DL noted that the two chines in the bottom of the frame tended to shift out of their notches in the frames.

The Kodiak is "a relatively light boat" (VK) and "balances OK for a solo carry, but the aluminum coaming digs into the shoulder and hip. After one carry, I used a towel to pad my shoulder" (GL). There are no hand grips at the end for a tandem carry, but "it was easy for two people to carry it by holding onto the bottom fore and aft" (VK).

A number of "D" rings are sewn into the seam between the deck and hull. There are bungies laced through these ahead of and behind the cockpit. The bungies ahead of the cockpit are too far away from the paddler to be useful for holding a map, but the rear bungies were "fine for a paddle-float self-rescue" (DL).

The cockpit "is long, wide and deep and easy to enter and exit. I found the fit just right. My feet rested comfortably on a frame, [but] my knees had little support. Plenty of foot room" (GL). The nylon spray deck gets clamped under the aluminum fitting that joins the forward ends of the coaming, and is fastened along the outside of the coaming with Velcro. There are a number of fittings on the coaming that create gaps in the seal of the spray deck, so the spray deck is not leak-proof. The opening in the spray deck is a circle supported by a sewn-in hoop. The spray skirt is a simple nylon tube with bungies top and bottom. It stretches around the hoop on the spray deck. During a reentry, the paddler has to slip though the relatively small opening in the spray deck. While VK could do a reentry with the spray deck in place, it was difficult to get up on the deck and get her feet threaded into the spray-deck opening.

The foam and fabric seat is "comfortable," and its position "can be moved fore and aft a bit to accommodate a range of paddlers" (GL). DL found the backrest was also comfortable but, for VK, it was high enough to overlap with her PFD and, therefore, didn’t provide good contact and support. The seat back also tended to fall forward and get under the paddlers when entering the boat.

The Kodiak has neither thigh bracing nor foot braces. "Bracing off the frame was, at best, uncomfortable" (DL). For VK, the "boat was so deep that [my knees] could not reach the deck." All of the reviewers were able to use the bottom of one of the frames for a foot brace, although paddlers with very long or short legs might not find the frame in a good position to serve as a foot brace.

The Kodiak "felt quite stable" (DL). "Very stable, [but] with no thigh braces, I could not test its secondary stability, nor could I edge it. However, it handled well in waves to two feet—in fact it seemed to flatten them" (VK). "Secondary stability was excellent. You can lean the kayak a long way before capsize, [but] it lacks sufficient bracing support to recover" (GL). GL tried rolling the Kodiak but, without thigh bracing, was not able to complete a roll.

For VK, the Kodiak was a "hard boat to turn." "Steering by sweep stroke was most effective for turns" noted GL, adding that it took more strokes than other boats to turn. "The responsiveness of turning the boat by leaning" wrote DL, "was directly related to how much I leaned. Once leaned and the turn started, the boat carves a turn nicely without any steering paddle strokes." "The Kodiak tracked well. Once on a course it stayed there" (VK).

In winds to 10 knots, GL noted that the Kodiak had "very slight weathercocking." For VK, paddling in winds to 15 knots, it "tracked well in every direction relative to the wind."

"The kayak tends to ride over waves rather than punch through them, which creates less splash and a drier ride" (GL).

The Kodiak "is not a fast boat. It was slow to get up to speed; once there, however, it maintained speed with moderate effort" (VK). Because of the kayak’s beam, "the paddle stroke can’t be very vertical, and becomes less efficient" (GL).

The Kodiak is not equipped with hatches or bulkheads, so access to stowage is through the cockpit. The cargo capacity of the Kodiak is "more than adequate, although the frame made it difficult to load and unload the boat. I was able to stuff my tent, sleeping pad and tarp forward, while in the rear I was able to stuff one large tapered dry bag, a medium-sized cooler, a mid-sized dry box, and my three-liter pots with room to spare. Capacity is for about two-week trips" (DL). With a load of 60 pounds aboard, GL noted that the Kodiak has excellent stability, but it is difficult to turn.

"Slow speed and high gear capacity and windage make this kayak more comparable to a canoe than to a kayak, but with the bonus that it breaks down into easy-to-transport bags. Great for shoreline cruising, multi-week trips, photography or fishing at that dream location only accessible by float plane" (GL). "If all you are planning to do is paddle in sheltered waters where tight maneuverability would be a bonus, then this boat would be an excellent choice. However, open ocean paddling is beyond its capabilities. You can pack it into a couple of bags and take it with you where conditions don’t exceed the capabilities of this boat" (DL). "The Kodiak would meet the needs of paddlers who want to take their own boat for an extended camping trip to a distant destination. Not fast, [but it is] a very stable boat that will go where you want it to go" (VK).

Design Response

Because of their intended extended-trip use, Folbots are specifically designed with carrying capacity in mind, rather than the ability to be rolled; therefore they lack thigh bracing and foot bracing. One of our main design criteria was also a boat that tracked well, even at the expense of quick turning. For us, versatility (such as for sailing and scuba diving) and excellent stability are more important than speed.
Phil Cotton - President, Folbot

Options and Pricing

Designed: 2000

Standard materials: Stainless-steel keel brackets, cast-aluminum cockpit fittings, drawn anodized aluminum tubing, adjustable seat, solid brass frame fittings, anodized hinges, polycarbonate frame plates, anodized aluminum washboards, injection-molded glass-filled polycarbonate cross frames, polycarbonate keel ends. Hull: 43-ounce fabric (Hypalon laminated to both sides of 1000-denier tire cord); ends protected by aluminum strips. Deck: sun-resistant, urethane-coated polyester.

Standard Features: Repair material, carry bags, paddle

Optional Expedition package: Foot-operated rudder, spray deck and skirt, compass, padding on lower longitudinal frames, additional "D" rings for cargo, perimeter deck line.

Options: Sailing rig with rudder, outriggers and inflatable floats

Approximate Weight: 52 pounds

Price: US $1,495

Availability: From the manufacturer and Folbot Australia Pty. Ltd. Phone: 61-7-32009109.
E-mail: fboz@folbot.com

Folbot Japan Inc. Phone: 03-3862-5340. E-mail: marunishi@folbot.co.jp

Manufacturer’s Address: Folbot USA, 4209 Pace Street, Charleston, SC, USA 29405.
Phone: (800) 533-5099 or (843) 744-3483.

Fax: (843) 744-7783. Web site: www.folbot.com E-mail: folbot1@aol.com