Building the TSS 2010 Kodiak

I thought I should record the process of building the Kodiak if only to show that it is indeed a kayak that comes out of a bag - two actually.

However, the dogs got bored and the kids playing hide and seek under the deck didn't seem all that interested. So, instead of 30-40 minutes of me sweating and puffing in the heat I thought I'd speed up the film and only take a few minutes of everybody's time ... unless you want to play hide and seek - don't let me stop you! ; )


Screwing the camera onto the neighbour's bathroom window was perhaps the most risky part of this daring documentary. I had no idea how I was going to explain myself in Greenlandic if they caught me. I haven't really figured out how I would explain myself in any language! Given the position of the camera you can perhaps appreciate why the film is "silent"!

Without further ado - here's the film:

The finished Kodiak was worth all the sweat. It was the sun on the deck rather than hard work that had me sweating. It really is a straightforward build, especially if you refer to the instructions once in a while - or a lot, as I did.

Everything clicks easily into place without the need to be heavy-handed. No tools are needed either. I have built three different brands of folding kayaks and canoes and the Folbot is by far the easiest and quickest. This is a bonus when the mosquitoes are out for blood!

All that remains now is to thread the rudder lines, attach the rudder and make my seat comfy. The Folbot standard seat is not comfy at all. They now make an inflatable optional seat, but I will use a lightweight thermarest placed on the seat with an inflatable cushion behind me.

Folbot included a spraydeck and skirt with the TSS 2010 Kodiak along with lots of other goodies like the rudder and a sail etc. I am excited to be using a Folbot kayak on this journey and very grateful to Folbot for agreeing to sponsor the expedition! A huge thanks to David and Co.!

From Hi-Tec to Low-Tec ... my wet shoes are an old pair of running shoes worn over my drysuit, seen here drying out after a quick trip in the GII the other night.


Sea Trials begin on Monday when I will be paddling solo for a week in Uummannaq fjord.