Folding Kayaks Forum

I was curious about the differences between Pakboats Arrow 14 and Puffin Swift. I know they both are discontinued but they seem to be similar.

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2004 Long Haul Mark I
2003 Pakboat 150T Canoe

I believe that the Arrow was Pakboats first kayak with a polyurethane hull as opposed to the PVC material normaly used. Others who are more knowledgable on Pakboats (KerryOnKayaks for example) might weigh in.

Thanks, I own the swift and I saw pictures of the Arrow and I thought they look very similar.

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2004 Long Haul Mark I
2003 Pakboat 150T Canoe

I have an older 12' Puffin )2004) and bought one of the old stock Arrow decks a few years ago to replace the worn and stained one that came with the Puffin. I had to add a 3" splice to extend it to fit but it worked fine after that. So the Arrow may have looked like a Swift but was clearly 2' 3" shorter, since the Swifts are 14', and the Arrow was the same width as the Puffin. therefore wider than the Swift.

I bought two Swifts last year, used and apparently in perfect shape, but it turned out they were both from a small run of the model that had defective material for the sponsons and seats where the coating failed (so they quickly deflate with air leaking through the material pores.) The original owners got them as a wedding gift in 2007 so they were never aware of the recall Pakboat did on the failed components. I have materials to make new sponsons but have yet to get to the project. But i have assembled one of the frames and skins and it is very much like the structure of the Puffin but narrower. longer and with more deck structure. Having owned one of each of the model series from PB, I would judge the Swifts to be a sort of transition from the Puffins to the Quest series. And the Arrow was closer to the Puffins in shape and size.

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Current:
Feathercraft Wisper
Pakboat Quest 135
Pakboat Puffin 12
Pakboat Swift 14
Greenland SOF
P & H Easky 15LV
Previous:
Feathercraft Kahuna
Feathercraft K-1 Expedition
Pakboat XT-15

Thanks, I have been luck, so far my swift's sponsors have not developed any leaks. I would like to know when you start making your new sponsors. I purchased material from DIY pakraft and I am trying to make 2 sponsors for my Klepper Passat. I am not having much luck, the first 2 failed miserly, I am on my third one and it has a small leak that I need to find and seal. Practice make perfect.


I like the Swift but at 6' and 250lbs, I am at it's limits on weight and there is a noticeable rocker when I sit in it. But so far so good, it is holding me up. Because of my size, I was thinking about upgrading to something bigger, got any ideas?

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2004 Long Haul Mark I
2003 Pakboat 150T Canoe

The Arrow was our first attempt of using a polyurethane hull material. Otherwise the Arrow is like the Puffin (it could be that the material stretches a little differently). Must admit that the present polyurethane hull is much better.

The Swift was not made for a 250 pound paddler, even with the added stiffening structure. A better bet would be the much stiffer structure in the XT.

Thanks Alv. Christmas is just around the corner. The XT just might be the ticket.

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2004 Long Haul Mark I
2003 Pakboat 150T Canoe

I can concur with Alv on the XT Pakboats. My ex boyfriend bought an XT-15 (shorter model now discontinued) -- he was around 200 pounds at the time and the kayak was fine with him and a substantial amount of camping gear in it -- no sagging. The ladder-like frame in the XT models make them very longitudinally rigid.

I would not worry about your Swift. Apparently it was just one batch of the parts (seats and sponsons) that were defective -- Alv can speak more to that. If your Swift is still holding air the probability is that it is fine -- I heard that the defects turned up in less than a year.

You can also use regular vinyl (the clear or frosted looking stuff that you can buy to make storm windows or tablecloths at fabric stores and Walmart sewing departments) with H-66 vinyl glue to make sponsons.

You mention getting material from DIYpackrafts -- what kind of tool did you use to heat seal the seams?

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Current:
Feathercraft Wisper
Pakboat Quest 135
Pakboat Puffin 12
Pakboat Swift 14
Greenland SOF
P & H Easky 15LV
Previous:
Feathercraft Kahuna
Feathercraft K-1 Expedition
Pakboat XT-15

Kerryonkayaks, I used a Coverite Black Baron Iron on setting 3. I am on my 3rd sponsor and I am getting pinhole leaks. I sorta got fed up and I found some vinyl sponsors from Sailyourkayak. They are a bit long and not wide enough, only about 6 inches wide when flat on the floor, but they are better than nothing. Today I put the Kleeper Passat together with the new sponsors and hopefully I can start preparing the haul for the inflatable boar repair liquid rubber coating next week. The haul needs to be refurbished.


This winter I will try making sponsors out of vinyl. Thanks for the tip. I sure would like the Passat in the water this year before it gets too cold.

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2004 Long Haul Mark I
2003 Pakboat 150T Canoe

Hmm, I got my coated fabric from DIYpakrafts too -- I hope there are no pinhole problems with it. If I was you I would get in touch with them and tell them about the problem. New fabric should not leak like that.

There is a product that you can get that blocks pinholes from the inside, a liquid latex that you pour inside the inflated tubes through the Boston valves and then swish around until it flows over the entire inner surface and plugs any holes. I tried it on the failed defective fabric of my old Pakboat Swift. It worked great on pinholes but not on the larger delaminated areas. It's apparently used by commercial raft users with good results.

I also got the Coverite Black Beauty craft iron but have not used it yet. The sponson making project has been on the back burner since I complicated my life last Spring by buying a 128 year old house as a rental income unit -- lots of work and time have gone into getting it in shape since then.

I may try making a set of vinyl glued sponsons first, recycling the Boston valves from the old leaky sponsons. Then I'll try the nylon ones with the heat seal for the second boat.

One thing I plan to try is making the tubes with overlapping long seams instead of the edge to edge that is usually used. Since blowouts tend to be the side seam that should reduce the frailty of that construction. The ends will have to be edge to edge but I will make those seams extra deep to reinforce them.

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Current:
Feathercraft Wisper
Pakboat Quest 135
Pakboat Puffin 12
Pakboat Swift 14
Greenland SOF
P & H Easky 15LV
Previous:
Feathercraft Kahuna
Feathercraft K-1 Expedition
Pakboat XT-15