Puffin II

I bought the Puffin II 20 years ago, my family and I took if to a local lake to assemble. It wasn’t possible to assemble. We were offered help from other canoeists and took their help mainly in the form of strong arms. The skin would not pull over the terminators no matter how many people were pulling on it. It was a hot summer day with the skin very pliable but we could not get the keel to stop buckling beyond a usable point. Finally we used a hair dryer to soften the skin near the terminators but nothing worked. Finally we packed up the canoe and rented one at the lake. 4 years later we tried the Puffin again with some help from the canoeing staff at our local Mountain Equipment Coop, but they were also unable to succeed. Finally we put the puffing away and never looked at it again. Today August 24th, 2021 after 15 years I took the Puffin out again and gave it another try after watching some YouTube videos my son tried to assemble the Puffin again but no luck. Finally, after lots of money and many efforts we packed up the Puffin II and it went to a landfill.

I recently bought a Puffin II to use as a center hull in a trimaran sail rig. I bought it mainly because of the light weight (26 pounds), not so much because it can be taken apart. It took me over an hour to put it together the first time, so I'm glad that I won't have to do it more than once a season.

I don't think that there is another 14 foot kayak or canoe (in any material) that is as light as this and it is really amazing to load it on my rack after struggling with 65 pound sea kayak hulls. It is just in a whole different league when it comes to weight.

As far as paddling goes, it doesn't track very well and isn't very fast compared to a 14 foot hardshell boat. It's really for rec paddling for two people who want to travel with their boat in a duffle bag. I set it up as a single and since I'm 6'4 and 220 pounds, it doesn't seem at all large for me. The stock inflatable seats are comfortable, however they have a fairly low back.

If you are looking for a sleek, shapely boat, this isn't it, as the hull is a bit lumpy to my eye when the inflatable side tubes are pressurized. The engineering of the boat is clever and the quality of the fit and finish is good, although it isn't a Feathercraft in that regard. The bottom material looks to be very rugged and can probably stand a lot of abuse. The topsides are a thinner material that helps keep the weight down.

Overall, this boat does what it is advertised to do and does it well at a price that's competitive with rotomolded hulls of the same size. You can't beat the light weight and small storage when folded.

This is a folding kayak, for recreational use ($800). It comes in a bag that is about 34" long, by 18" by 18" (or close to that). It takes me about 30 minutes to put together, and I've put it together 4-5 times and don't think it's going to get much faster, at least for me. It takes about 10 minutes to tear down. The boat is 26 pounds, and according to the literature, can handle about 400 pounds. It is made of shock corded aluminum poles, some (4?) shaped ribs, and heavy-duty coated nylon. Everything seems to be quite durable. Between the ribs and the outside walls are sponsons. Everything you need to put the boat together is included in the package.

Once I got my boat together and on the water, everything worked fine. It doesn't track as well as my hard shell boats (Wilderness System Pungo and Current Designs Storm), nor is it as fast, but it was still a lot of fun to paddle. And, because it fits in the trunk of the car, and only weighs 26 pounds, I can get it to locations that I wouldn't carry my other boats.

It is not meant for heavy waves. The Puffin II can work for one person or two. There is an optional spray deck ($225), which I didn't choose to buy, so mine actually is open like a canoe, but I still sit on the bottom, on an inflatable seat. It's certainly the most comfortable of my boats.