Ralph Hoehn here. Nick Schade has kindly agreed to let me post the following "ad":

Wanted: Builders of folding boats, kayaks, canoes, dinghies ... we have just launched FoldingBoats, the mailing list dedicated to the construction of folding skin-and-frame boats!

In various parts of the world a rebirth of interest in the "craft" is currently under way - may the term refer to the folding boats themselves, as well as to the art of building them, of course.

There is a great variety of solutions to the challenges involved in designing and constructing sturdy, dependable, sea- and white-water-worthy craft in such a way as to allow their disassembly for storage and transportation and their reassembly in a reasonable amount of time for use.

The FoldingBoats mailing list provides a platform for fellow enthusiasts, on which to exchange ideas, techniques, designs, tips and tricks, materials and their sources, as well as a means of updating each other on current projects, of asking for advice and to benefit from others' experiences, whether they be successes or failures. The list will also serve as a collection point for historical information.

The FoldingBoats mailing list runs in parallel to the "Amateur Folding Boat Builders Corner" online forum (AFBBC), hosted on www.PouchBoats.com/discus. We intend eventually to merge access to the mailing list and the forum, giving correspondents both options of a) using the online version, which allows the posting of pictures, or b) reading and contributing conveniently via email only.

Come and join us!

More information: http://www.pouchboats.com/mailinglist.html

To subscribe to the mailing list FoldingBoats, send an email to majordomo@pouchboats.com with the single line

subscribe foldingboats

in the body of your email message. Do not include anything else in your email message (for example a signature).

Ralph C. Hoehn
FoldingBoats@AOL.com