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Site last updated July 15, 2008
My first thoughts on opening the Cooper's bag were "boy, this boat sure doesn't weigh much" and "that's an awfull lot of frame pieces!" The boat certainly doesn't weigh much- Folbot advertises it as weighing 31.5 lbs- but the frame isn't anywhere as complicated as it appears. What looked like a great many bundles of tubing was in fact just a handful of shock corded assemblies. The bulk of the frame consists of just five parts- four longerons and a bow assembly. The design reminds me a little of Feathercraft's frame design, but the Cooper goes together much faster than any Feathercraft. On my first outing with the boat, I assembled both the Cooper and my Aleut in about 45 minutes, although to be truthful, my girlfriend was sorting the Aleut parts and doing some of the assembly. Nevertheless, I think with very little practice I could assemble the Cooper in well under 20 minutes.
Assembling the main frame and inserting it into the hull can be done in under 10 minutes with practice, if you have all your parts at hand. You just shake out the shock corded assemblies, clip the longerons into the bow assembly, clip the ribs onto the longerons, slide in the stern assembly, and slide it into the hull. That's it. The longerons are color coded, and require no force or juggling of multiple pieces. In many ways, this is the easiest to assemble Folbot yet, requiring no leaning or pushing or holding the frame apart as you try to pop in that middle frame. Owing to the tensioning mechansism in the stern assembly, everything just slips together.
Attaching the coaming takes about as much time as does assembling and inserting the frame, and although it's very different
from any other Folbot, Phil has used the same connectors he used in earlier boats- the inner coaming is held in place with
the same T-bolts used to attach coamings to ribs in other Folbots, and is held fore-and-aft with the same clips used
to attach ribs to deck bars in other Folbots. The outer coaming is held in place by a novel system that is both solid
and easy to
attach. The hull attaches to the inner coaming via velcro flaps, and to the outer coaming via a flap that
wraps around the outer coaming and tensions via a pull cord secured by a tiny cam cleat. Simple, easy and
doesn't require any muscle to get
parts into alignment.
Once assembled, the boat is tight but still very flexible- much more so than any other folder I've paddled. I was curious to see if this would affect handling.
The Cooper was a snug- though not tight- fit for my 6'2" 230lb frame. Foot room was a bit tight, with my bare size 11.5 feet poking into the deck unless I canted my feet to the side. This wasn't at all uncomfortable, but those with size 11 and larger feet should be advised that things can get a bit tight under the foredeck- particularly for those with longer legs.
I first got in with sandles on, and quickly removed them; the heels became caught on one of the frames, which made for a moment of panic as I carefully back-paddled into the shallows where I could unhook myself without worrying about capsizing. I got out and changed into neoprene booties.
It's far too easy to get your sandles hooked under the tubular frames of this boat and other Folbots, trapping you inside with potentially fatal results. I strongly recommend you paddle this boat- and just about any folder, really- in either neoprene booties or barefoot. The seat was like that of any other current Folbot, which is to say it's reasonably comfortable and tends to flop forward when you try to get in- more of a problem in this boat than in other Folbots because of the smaller cockpit. Note to Phil- this boat really deserves a better seat, with lumbar support and a back that stays in place.
Once underway, I was very pleased with the handling of the Cooper. It accelerates easily, tracks well, and turns without difficulty. It doesn't respond quickly to leaning, but putting it on edge does help turn initiation. Once moving, the Cooper glides along with very little resistence. If you're used to other Folbots, you'll be amazed how easily this one paddles. As you might expect from the fine bow entry, the Cooper leaves very little bow wake. Paddling next to the Aleut, it was interesting to see how much more the Aleut disturbed the water, even with a 120 lb paddler in it. I didn't use the standard paddle that came with the review boat, instead using my two favorite paddles for narrow boats, the Feathercraft Klatwa, and the Werner Arctic Wind, a paddle that is sadly out of production (see the Paddles section). Both paddles worked well with the Cooper, the Klatwa being my favorite. If you decide to get a Cooper, I'd recommend a narrow, Greenland style paddle over the usual wide-bladed paddle. Wide paddles owe their design to European river touring and whitwater boating, where you need to generate lots of torque. The Cooper is designed for cruising, and the Greenland style paddle is optimized for comfort and efficiency on long trips.
I didn't detect any tendancy whatsoever to windcock in the mild (10-12mph) winds we encountered, and felt no need to deploy the rudder; I don't think you ever need the rudder on this boat unless you encountered the kinds of strong currents and high winds that would keep me off the water, or you chose to sail the Cooper. (I haven't read any reports from anyone sailing the Cooper yet, but I imagine it would be a fast boat under sail, though owing to its length it might need a little help in tacking.)
My review boat didn't come with a spray deck- an option I would also strongly recommend to prospective buyers. Using the Klatwa, I had water running into the cockpit on almost every stroke. Not having a spray deck I was also inclined to not test secondary stability too much; I didn't want to spend an hour pumping water out of the boat if I went too far. I didn't use the supplied vinyl float bags, preferring instead to use a pair of my own much larger nylon bags that would displace far more water if need be. (I do wish Folbot would offer larger float bags as an option.) Prospective purchasers are encouraged to get their own bags.
I later loaned the boat to my neighbor and paddling pal Joanne, who took it with her on a two-week trip to Michigan's upper peninsula. She's a long-time hardshell kayaker, but had never paddled a folder except for one day in my Aleut. She's quite tall and slender, and the boat was a great fit for her; I suspect the newer Kiawah would be even better. We did a practice assembly in my back yard, and off she went with the boat and a sheet of instructions.
That's a photo of it above, taken on her trip. Her verdict? She loved it. Faster than her hardshell, and the portability really attracted her. She drives company cars and so can't put a rack on her cars; folders are a great option for her. She's thinking of buying her own now.
My overall impression? This is a fun, fast boat, perfect for someone who wants the value and support you get from Folbot, but is looking for a higher performance boat than the typical wide, stable Folbots. It's not an expedition boat- although I can imagine a version with thicker wall tubing and a few other changes- but unless you're planning on open sea crossing and fighting through surf, it's probably as strong as you'll ever need. At under 32 lbs, I can see the Cooper as a great boat for the kind of train and paddle touring that Bill Longyard writes about. Comparing it to the Feathercraft K-1, the closest boat to it performance wise, I'd say it delivers 80% of the K-1's performance at less than half the cost. It's not perfect; the seat, while fine for the wider Folbots, isn't up to a fast cruiser like the Cooper. It would be nice to see some sort of padding- perhaps inflatable- that a paddler could brace against for rolling. I'd like to see more deck bungees and D-rings- perhaps as an option?- so one could carrying more safety gear on deck- pump, spare paddle, paddle float, compass, etc. But for what it is, the Cooper is a very good value.
Addendum: I tested the boat with the original urethane hull. A number of early purchasers complained that the hull wasn't abraision resistant enough, and so Phil quickly came up with a slightly heavier, but much tougher replacement using the new Hypalon material that Folbot's been using for the last few years. Phil has promised me a new hull this spring, and when it comes I'll compare it to the original. I also hope to have more paddling reports from other members of my team of testers, the Southeast Michigan Folding Kayak Commandos.
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