Folding Kayaks Forum

If solo, what options do you need to change the rudder from rib #4 to #3? How much does this option cost without the cost of a spraycover?

Frank, it's probably best to talk to Mark, but the Klepper has a rudder set up which is not connected to a rib. This allows it to be moved just about anywhere on the deck,

Here's Mark's version in the catalog:

http://www.longhaulfoldingkayaks.com/accessories/item.php?product_id=228&header_id=6&category_id=18

You might find one of these handier than the rib installed version?

d

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Klepper Aerius II
Klepper T9
Long Haul MK1 Expedition 'light'
Klepper S4 sail rig
Kayaksailor 1.6 +genoa
BSD 36HP

I own a MK II Stretch Quattro w/ the BSD 38' Batwing kit and I bought the tandem and solo rib kits as part of my package. I got the boat in September of 2012 just before a lengthy business trip to Europe so I have not used the boat much (and I haven't used the solo rib assemblies or sail kit at all). On my boat, in tandem configuration, rib 3 is normally an open top rib and rib 4 is an enclosed top rib with the captive rudder pedal assembly. The solo kit includes duplicate ribs for the 3 and 4 spots with the configuration reversed. (Rib 3 is enclosed with the pedals and Rib 4 is open).

As I noted, I can't yet speak to the function in solo configuration but the boat is a piece of functional art and it paddles beautifully in the tandem configuration. I'm in Wisconsin too. Just south of Madison in Janesville.

Jeff we have to get together this year sometime and get these beauties wet. If your are interested let me know. What color did you get?

We got the Blue Seamark deck. We'd like to meet some fellow paddlers Frank. Right now, we are in Playa del Carmen, Mexico until mid-March but we are chomping at the bit to go paddling. (If this March is anything like last March, we might be able to get on most of the rivers as soon as we get home) Biggest issue might be water levels. Fall depth on the Lower Wisconsin was iffy in late September. Hoping to hear about some serious snow cover but so far that sounds like wishful thinking.

On Oct 17th my wife & I paddled the Upper Dells from the boat landing in town to Stand Rock and back (about 8 miles) in our inflatable and had a blast. The water level there was great but there is a dam downstream a little from the ramp. Beautiful colors in Oct. How low was the WI River southwest of Mad town last year? I know there are a lot of sandbars and islands along the way from Arena to Spring Green. Were they passable by kayak all summer? I heard you can see many birds and even Bald Eagles. BTW, I heard today the DNR counted over 400 Bald Eagles on the Mississippi in WI but I didn't hear where. That would be very cool to see several of them. We saw one on Tellico Lake in TN last summer and it was the highlight of our 2 kayak trips while we were there.

We live in the Milwaukee area. You could be paddling in Mexico right now you know!

We have never done the upper Dells trip. The time of year you went (and the early spring before the tourboat traffic) is pretty much the only time you are able to do that trip. That area of the river doesn't have the water level issues you experience south and west of Sauk. The river wasn't impassible but I pretty much yanked the rudder up and gave up on that. I think the lower Wisconsin is a great trip. We saw numerous eagles from Muscoda to Boscobel.

We thought about bringing the boat with us to Mexico but ultimately decided not to because we had a couple of gaps in our normal condo rental arrangement and we planned to visit Merida, Campeche, and Bacalar during those gaps. We use public transit when we are here and the idea of schlepping all the boat bags on bus trips throughout the Yucatan was not terribly appealing.

[quote][/quote]We have never done the upper Dells trip. The time of year you went (and the early spring before the tour boat traffic) is pretty much the only time you are able to do that trip. That area of the river doesn't have the water level issues you experience south and west of Sauk.

Except for one narrow section (about 3/4 mile long) the Upper Dells is more like a lake. The current is not much of an issue going upstream and it's plenty wide if the occasional tout boat does come by. If you paddle around Blackhawk Island (I recommend you do) it is a bit narrower than the main river. I think you are right about the summer tour boats at least in the narrows.

We have paddled several times over at nearby Mirror Lake State Park and the best time is spring through August. In September we had to paddle through 1 inch thick Duckweed in our favorite part along the cliffs where it is narrow. We decided to turn around and paddle back through our trail in the Duckweed. It was like paddling in molasses . I would not want to take the MK2 into that mess. If you do take your boat up there in the summer, paddle into the narrow cliff section then past the wide part of the lake into a river that goes under a road bridge. This river winds around for at least a mile or more. Its beautiful back there. My wife and I saw a pair of Sandhill Cranes with their chick.

Mirror Lake

Thanks for that suggestion Frank. We have never paddled there. The image you posted is beautiful. My wife is from that area (New Lisbon) but honestly, until we saw that image, Mirror Lake was just another one of those road signs you pass on the interstate without a second thought. I picked up a Wisconsin Sportsmans atlas at Rutabaga Paddlesports a month ago and just paging through that, I have learned things I never knew about some of the places in my own back yard.