spang621

bike carries the kayak, kayak carries the bike. i can't be the only one to think of this, but i can't find anything on it. folding bike + collapsable frame and skin kayak = land and sea roaming capability. sounds like fun. add a couple bags for the bike and kayak to check them on a plane and now we tour by land, by sea, and by air (or train).

thoughts?

Rogerinchrist

I remember seeing a picture somewhere, maybe Adventure Cycling Association? Thought it was on a guy doing the Lewis & Clark Trail. Can't seem to relocate it right now.
The kayak was towed like a trailer by a folding bike.

Moose

Here's my sister, she's been trailing her kayak for a year or two.

Magictofu

It's funny you are talking about it.... the other day I was day-dreaming about a way to do exactly that but the idea of a folding bike and kayak did not cross my mind... the best idea I found was to use those inflatable boats... not nearly as exiting!

skookum

There was an article in the "folding kayaker" newsletter some years ago about a guy who travelled with a folding kayak and a folding bike.

Unfortunately I don't have a copy of the newsletter anymore. Does anyone know if it is still being published?

MichaelW

I investigated this, I live near the Norfolk Broads: a series of lakes interspersed with narrow lanes ideal for bike/kayak travelling.
As far as I could figure, you need a fairly good folding bike with a luggage rack and a collapsable canoe. With a trailer you have to return to your launch site.
The inflatable kayaks are OK and affordable. You can get really lightweight folders (20lbs) but they take longer to dis/assemble. I recal models coming from New Zealand and Alaska both quite pricy.

I wondered abut having dual-purpose carbon tubing for the bike and the canoe (eg paddles).

https://www.foldingkayaks.org/
https://www.atob.org.uk/

skookum

You would need a folding trailer too, so you could carry it in the boat.
I have a folbot double, its big enough to carry a folding bike, but there is no way you could ever carry the folded up boat on the bike, you would need a trailer.

jamawani 

Howdy -

Here's a simple solution I use when touring and when I want to cross water bodies. As most of us realize, automobiles have dominated transportation planning for the past 50+ years. Where there used to be many ferry crossings across major rivers - now they have all but disappeared - replaced by widely-separated megabridges - - often with no shoulders or outright bans on bicycles. How do I cope? Well, most of those old ferry landings are now ramps for recreational boaters. If you are willing to wait a bit you can hitch-hike across most rivers. The real advantage is that roads leading up to the old ferry crossings on either side of the river have very little traffic since cars can no longer get across.

Another option I have used on a few rivers is to ship a decent (not K-Mart) raft to a little post office and switch over to river mode en route. I include a pretty good sized inner tube for the bike. So I inflate the raft and inner tube - - bunjee the bike securely to the inner tube - - double my tent drop under my panniers so that they don't punch any holes in the raft - - and set off down the river trailing my bike behind me on the inner tube. I stayed out on the Missouri River in Montana a couple of days - - then pulled into another little town and packed everything up and mailed the raft back home. Takes a bit of time to switch modes - - but it's a great way to enjoy two alternative means of travel without a lot of specialized hardware.

Best - J