The Folbot Citibot

First Impressions

Like the Cooper, the Citibot, on first glance, appears to have more parts than it actually does- the use of shockcorded sub-assemblies measn that there are actually very few parts to deal with. One surprise- the sponsons are separate pieces, instead of being sewn into the hull. I thought this might have been done as a cost-saving move, but it also means that replacement and maintenance is much easier than on the older Folbot models. The original Cooper method of coaming construction has also been replaced by a one-piece coaming that attaches to the frame with a pair of classic Folbot plastic wing nuts, which greatly simplifies assembly. The biggest surprise was the new seat- with foam-filled, inflatable pads (inspired, perhaps, by the Long Haul Thermarest-based seats) this is hands-down the most comfortable seat Folbot has ever produced.

Assembly

My first assembly took about 30 minutes, without any reference to the manual. I'd assembled the Cooper before, a nd the boats are similar, although the Citibot has a number of improvments over the early model Cooper. For my first outing with the boat, I brought along one of my testers, and asked her to assemble the boat. She'd borrowed the review Cooper twice, for extended use, so she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the new Folbot assembly method, but it's been about eight months since she last assembled the Cooper. She refused help, saying she wanted to see if she could do it herself, without any reference to the manual, and indeed she did it as fast as I did my first time out- maybe even a little bit faster.

The assembled boat is a good deal stiffer than the Cooper, owing to the shorter length and greater beam. At 2' shorter than the Aleut- not the fastest boat out there- I wondered how well it would paddle?

Paddling: First Outing

I'm a bit large for the Citibot, and though it could carry my weight, I thought it would be a lot more useful if I brought along a tester who was better suited to the boat. My bicycling and paddling pal Adventure Girl (as she prefers to be known for this review!) is a fit 5'9", and a skilled paddler who paddles a 16' rigid boat. For our outing, we picked a location made for the Citibot: A branch of Southeast Michigan's Rouge River, a 42 mile long river that runs through neighborhoods, parks, and even golf courses, through a dozen cities. It's pretty shallow, ranging from about 4 feet to less than a foot, and varies in width from 80 feet to perhaps a dozen feet wide. Our entry point was Riverside Park in Beverly Hills, a regular stop in our bike rides. AG launched quickly, and I followed in my Folbot Yukon.

Her first response was "this is great!" The boat seemed very responsive, and responded very quickly to turns. It wasn't at all the dog I'd worried its short length and wide beam might suggest; with an appropriately-sized paddler, actual wetted area is small, and it has a good glide. Some prospective owneres viewing the video on Folbot's site have wondered if this boat "didn't track as well" as other Folbots, but AG says the boat has good tracking- just not that running-on-rails feeling you get in older Folbots, like my Yukon. And indeed, as the river became narrower, and we had to manuver around fallen trees and shallows, the manuverability of the Citibot showed its worth.

The seat was a big hit with AG, both for the comfort and the ease of installation- it snaps on to the frame, so there are no straps to thread, no back stiffeners to fall out and get lost, none of the minor annoyances with earlier seats. Phil deserves major accolades for this piece. Incidentally, the water is about 8" deep where this photo was taken- hence the lack of PFDs on this leg of the journey!

What we thought would be a short paddle tuned into a three-hour tour as we explored different routes, made our way around obstacles, and from time to time got out of the boats to drag them through shallows. The open design of the boats made this very easy, and the Citibot's light weight was a plus for AG, who found it easy to carry the boat with one hand and her paddle with the other.

Her final opinion? This is a great boat for sheletered water. The lightness makes portages easy, and the compact size and great manuverability is ideal for rivers and creeks. She'd like to borrrow it again.

Paddling: Second Outing

This time out my paddling partner was my girlfriend, a paddler with some experience, but not a lot of advanced skills. She usually paddles my Folbot Aleut, or from the front seat of my Klepper Aerius II. She's also paddled the Long Haul Ute, her favorite boat to date. Our paddling destination was the Huron River, a favorite spot for local canoists and kayakers. Water conditions are mainly Class 1, although there are a few Class 2 rapids, as well as some long fetches where you occasionally encounter 2' waves. We didn't expect anything like that today, although we did encounter some stiff winds.

Carrying the Citibot to our put-in was a pleasant surprise for the GF, who is used to the two of us carrying the 40-lb Aleut. She's 5'2" and about 110lbs, and could easily pick up the boat and carry it unaided. Her first reaction on setting off: "This is really responsive!" She liked the way it easily moved with a few paddle strokes, and how quickly it turned. Despite having most of her paddling experience in straight-tracking boats like the Aleut, she had no trouble keeping it on a straight track. It did wobble a bit back and forth with each stroke, but after an hour in the boat she was tracking it as straight as she did the Aleut. As for the seat: "Best kayak seat ever."

We paddled two miles upstream into a mild current and occasional custing winds, and then two miles back downstream, taking our time, exploring the shore and watching fish and birds. Halfway back, she asked me how much it cost. A little further, she asked how long I could keep it. I may have to hide it from her.

Summary

I'll be paddling the Citibot in other waters, and with other paddlers over the coming weeks (and maybe months), but my overall impression is that Phil has done an excellent job in producing a compact, carry-it-everywhere boat. It's fun, light, easy to assemble and easy to paddle, with plenty of stability for beginnners. Yet it's still very responsive, at least with a lighter paddler. (Rated load is 210 lbs, but I suspect it would be better for 160lb and down paddlers.)

Like all Folbots, it's a good value, and an excellent first choice for the mall to medium sized paddler planning on paddling in sheltered waters- though a really skilled lightweight paddler could probably get away with taking it out in more difficult conditions. It's the best Folbot yet for exploring small rivers, ponds and creeks. If you're considering the Aleut, and sailing isn't in your plans, I think you should give serious consideration to the Citibot.

'

I've been wanting to buy a folder for my kids for more than a year now and after a lot of reading my shortlist was a Pakboat Puffin Sport and Nautiraid's gorgeous little Raid 1 325. However, the boat would need to be more than a 'learner' boat for my boys but also for me to take on business trips. I travel a lot to places like Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar and the hotels I stay in are inevitabely close to the sea, so a lightweight boat for a quick post-work-stress-buster paddle is desirable. Thus travelability (ie: lightweight) was a prime consideration. In email conversations with Dave AvRutick soon after the takeover of Folbot (heck, sounds like a one of those hostile M&As from the 1980s) I mentioned that I was looking for a small folder but, either he or Phil were keeping things under wraps, there was no mention of anything in the pipeline and I never even considered looking at Folbot.

Then I read about the Citibot, followed by a long session of email-tennis with Dave, and hummed and haahed about choosing the Puffin Sport or the new Citibot. The Puffin's size and weight had it at a slight advantage, but my blood ties with Folbot (we're a Folbot family with a Kodiak, Cooper and a GII) finally tipped my favour to the Citi. The clincher was reading about Dubside using it for a rolling demonstration, I knew I was getting a well built boat. I don't live in the US, so when ordering things I take into account the hassle and cost of having to return faulty items, also I have to buy most things sight unseen. It takes a lot of trust and so far Folbot has been trustworthy. I ordered one and fidgeted for the next few weeks waiting for it to arrive.

The First Assembly:

I took my son to the beach, pulled the Folbot box from the rear of the car, said 'Surprise' and then we started the first assembly. The frame is very simple: A keel, 4 longerons, 3 ribs, 2 deck struts, a one-piece gunwale and a stern/tensioner assembly. Despite there not being many pieces the first assembly took about half an hour with lots of stops to read the instructions. The instruction leaflet was good, or at least a lot better than those that came with my other boats, with a lot of photos. I like lots of photos. The process is fairly straightforward: the bow and keel is one unit with shock corded pieces that snap together, there are two lower longerons and two upper longerons that easily clip to flanges on the bow and are held in place by a short piece of tubing. The same mechanism is used on the Cooper. There are only three cross-ribs and ours were mis-numbered, number one and two had the wrong stickers on, fortunately I have assembled my fair share of Folbots and realised something was wrong immediately. I just hope newbies don't try putting rib No1 where No2 should be or vice versa, they're very different in size (A slip of paper that comes with the boat gives who assembled and who checked each piece, so we know who you are!) My other boats also have all the stickers down one side so that all are visible from the same end, this aids in making sure the ribs are facing the correct direction, our stickers were not the same and so I had to undo the rear rib and re-fix it in place. Ensuring that the ribs face the right direction is critical with the citibot due to the high curvature of the sides, the longerons are even curved to cater for this.

Most of the moon clips holding the ribs to the longerons are backed up with a velcro strap, this made it all very sturdy. Putting the one-piece gunwale in place was fiddly but not difficult, you just need to be careful because it's so easy to drop the star-knobs in the sand. Unlike any other kayak I own the sponsons on the citibot are not sewn into the skin, instead they're attached to the upper longerons with velcro. Take careful note in the instructions on which way the inflation tubes must face, I didn't and learnt too late that I had one of the sponsons back to front and upside down. making inflation near impossible. The sponsons were a lot longer than the actual longeron to which they attach, I'm not sure if this is meant to be so or if it's a shop mistake, but I had a roughly 6" overhang at the rear on both sponsons.

The sponsons are not a plain open 'sausage', instead it is split lengthways in two by a welded seam running down the centreline, like two 'sausages' joined side-by-side. This seam has gaps in it to allow air to move from one side to the other so that the whole unit is inflated evenly. Combined with the fact that the sponsons are 'pinched' between the deck and longeron means that there is a technique to inflating them because you need to ensure that the air equalizes itself across the tubes. The trick is to blow steadily, then block of the tube with a finger and wait a few seconds before the next huff as the air finds its way through the sponson.

Once assembled and with the sponsons attached the frame is inserted into the skin from the rear. I struggled a bit with this, mainly because (I think) the hull material is quite 'grippy' and so doesn't slide easily along the aluminium. I had to regularly shake and tug from the deck opening to get it seated properly. The hull is the same material as my Kodiak, but not as heavy as the GII or as light as the Cooper (we have a very early Cooper with the lightweight hull.)

You also need to check that the velcro at the deck opening doesn't grip to the gunwale otherwise you'll have a hernia trying to get the frame in. The cockpit coaming is very unusual, a sleeve running the circumference of the cockpit opening with a two piece plastic pipe running inside it, one piece for the port side and one for starboard. With the skin in place you push the pipes into the sleeve so that they meet at the front then, at the rear, insert one end into a collar on the other so the pipes form a loop, forming a rigid but flexible coaming. Simple but quite effective. My only gripe was that the pipes tend to pull from the sleeve during assembly and are not easy to push back, what is needed is a simple mechanism to hold the pipes into the ends of the sleeves (Mr Phil?)

The stern is the same screw tensioner as found on the Cooper, but with a better systems for fixing to the longerons using endcaps rather than the Cooper's keyed bolt-thingys. I had to turn the screw fairly far to remove all folds from the skin. Those who own a Cooper will know that the rear deck longerons have a pipe that you pull out to support the deck. The Citibot is similar but a bit more sophisticated. The rear support pipes slide into the longerons and then clip to flanges on the stern, making things a lot more rigid.

The last thing to go in is the seat, a very clever design that has a solid frame that clips to the floor and has a cross-beam that fits under the gunwale, giving it extra support. An inflatable cushion fits onto the seat and you can vary the amount of air to your personal butt-comfort level. When not in the kayak the seat can fold flat for easy packing.

The First Paddle:

We always name our kayaks, so it was up to my son to name his. In the true spirit of an indestructable 10 year old he dubbed it 'Kamikaze', I hope that's more of the 'divine wind' then a harbinger of throwing himself at the biggest waves. The Citibot was light enough for him to pick it up and manhandle it the few yards to the waterline. The sea was very choppy with some 1 to 2 foot shore breakers, so I helped him into his new boat and he took off across the Persian Gulf.

He was 50 yards offshore before I realized that he had no PFD ... ooops! Despite the sea's roughness the little boat never looked overwhelmed and my son was the picture of calm and confidence, I know it's not billed as an ocean going boat but not once did I think it couldn't handle the conditions. This was when I realised that the broad beam I'd grouched about had come into it's own, ensuring a very stable ride for my offspring. The beam meant he had to paddle with a high stroke but it did not seem to impede him, he almost surfed a few small waves while his Mom and I watched anxiously but proudly from the shore. After paddling back and forth a few times he came in and neatly rode it up the beach, grinning widely.

I decided to have a go, I'm not a big guy in height but pack a solid 98 kilograms (about 215 pounds,) so was wondering if I'd wreck our new purchase on its 1st day. Getting in required me to sit on the rear deck with straight legs and slide into the seat. Then it struck me! No way was this a Folbot!! The seat was waaay too comfortable, I could easily spend a day in this one! The seat is the single best thing from Folbot in ages. I'd inflated it a bit too much, though, which raised my centre-of-gravity quite a lot and upping the 'tippy' factor a bit. I paddled out into the cat's paws and was very impressed with the stability of the boat, despite the short hull length it tracked fine, not as good as the Kodiak or Cooper, but adequately. It cut through the waves rather than over them, probably due to my personal ballast capabilities than anything else, but very little water got inside and despite my earlier concerns it handled my bodyweight with aplomb. It was fun to paddle and a lot more snug fitting than the Kodiak or Cooper around my feet, however I would strongly recommend getting the extra foot braces, we didn't and so there was nothing to 'lock' my feet against.

All in all I was very happy with the purchase, and my son's grin told me he was also.

I've taken it out subsequently, on much calmer water, and it was great. I probably would not use it for extended paddles of a few hours but think it would be a great boat for knocking about in lakes, rivers and sheltered coastal areas. Assembly times are now down to 10 minutes or so (including the usual mistake compensation and beverage break.)

Concluding Remarks:

It's heavier than a Puffin Sport, but I believe it's sturdier. Despite it not being touted for offshore use I trust Folbot's enough that I have no qualms in letting my son paddle in even moderate chop (but sticking fairly close to shore.) Although I see the benefits of the broad beam I still think that dropping the beam 8 - 10 inches would make it great for kids and still suitable for smaller adults, and it would shave a few more pounds off the weight. But considering that Folbot's line-up is really substantial now (heck, it's eight boats) I can't see a dedicated kids boat seeing as the citibot is darn close.

All things considered it was a great choice for my son and I know that it will pass on to his brother when he's old enough. I hope this is the start of a long relationship with the ocean and of many paddles together.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The Folbot Cooper

First Impressions

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.

Assembly

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.

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.

Paddling

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.

Summary

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.

The Folbot Cooper

Folbot Cooper Review - Joerg Glaus

21 May 2007

Purchase Experience

Assembly

On the Water

Improvements over previous models

Summary