Tom

: One other point. Aluminum isn't the old standby. Wood holds claim to that
: title. In fact, aluminum frames are relatively new to the marketplace.

Too true. I was going to say something about wood but I couldn't think of any wood specie that could be used that I had experience in. Lately I've been playing around with apitong (genus Dipterocarpus) salvaged from shipping containers and truck beds (okay, I confess, I have a series of dumpsters that I frequent). It's the stuff that looks like mahogany that is used in cross-trees on power poles, sometimes as railroad ties, docks, and exposed truck beds. For laughs and giggles I made up a 1/2 by 1/2 inch by 36 inch stock a few minutes ago after putting the epoxy cans out in the sun to warm up. It seems pretty strong. People usually just oil the wood every 6 months or so.

: Even traditional longtime wooden folding manufacturers are now including
: aluminum framed kayaks in their lineup.

There you go, that arrow of time thing.

: That includes companies like Klepper, Nautiraid, (wood and aluminum) and
: Folbot, Atlatl, and Feathercraft (aluminum). It would be interesting to
: hear reports from owners of these commercial folders regarding ocean use.

Well, I'll repeat myself for this post: we had a K1 we inherited, and it had suffered badly. I replaced the tubing with 6021 that was ard anodized, I would have preferred a 5000 series allow at the time but that would have been a special order. You should look at the amount of useage each boat experiences and where, too. As you know, each manufacturer is definite about care and maintenance of the aluminum, because as we all know, aluminum corrodes in salt water. Frozen joints is the common complaint and all have some kind of joint wax or grease they recommend.

: FirstLight of New Zealand produces Carbon / Kevlar framed folders, though
: they seem to have dropped their fiberglass stringer models.

That should be a potential warning flag against composites. There's usually several resons that something is dropped from a marketing line.

We've paddled First Light's older 480s in the past when down in New Zealand, caravanning around a while back.

: So, it would appear there is room for everyone, even homebuilders like me.

Well, on the other hand, now I must be the devil's advocate:
cons:
1. carbon fiber is expen$ive stuff.
2. carbon fiber is rigid but unlike an aluminum tube, if it's too thin, it'll shatter and splinter. Aluminum will essentially bend in most cases. BTW: recall the last America's Cup race...
3. carbon fiber stringers and components are exceedingly rare. You don't see tent poles being made of the stuff
4. there's no established manufacturing guidleines and standards per se. So a bad lay-up can cause pre-mature failure.
5. aluminum tubing is cheap and easily found
6. a carbon fiber rod is better and more durable then a tube

However;
Pros:
1. Carbon fiber has a very high stregth to weight ratio
2. salt water doesn't have any effect
3. the stuff is markedly more rigid then fiberglass.

My first choice would be titanium tubing. Not that titanium alloy with steel buy real titanium. The problem with Ti is that is that it's an arm, leg, first born, for this and several succeeding generations except in Russia where it's cheap.

http://www.oceanint.com/content/materials/titanium/

Finally, calm down and have a beer, stick with what you like, and deal with it. Aluminum in saltwater corrodes, joints sieze up, and that's the way it is. For the casual paddler who dabbles in small paddles and has time and dilligence to carefully maintain aluminum then fine. But on the other hand, there are alternatives and I'm pointing them out. There's nothing worse then things breaking on long trips, the risks should be minimized and I always consider things around extreme useage and built in reliability. Hence, if anyone is going through the trouble and expense, then the pros and cons should be thoroughly explored and considered.

Frankly, I don't know why I spent so much time and effort screwing around with this.