: Whereas Yost likes to use alluminum for his folding boats, means
: alluminum is the best choice.
: That said, I wonder if there is also a way to build a folding (e.g.
: sea rider or nikumi) using 6' wood stringers.
: Can you see any problem? shortcomings? weak points?

Aluminum may not be the best choice... it is however, the easiest to build choice for the homebuilder :)

My first couple of folding kayaks were made of wood (see pic), but their assembly process was a beast.
That was my fault as at the time I had no idea what I was doing, having never seen a folding kayak.

After looking at wood Klepper's, I realized that these excellent folders were just too complex
a build for the average homebuilder due to the hinges and pins, and other metal hardware required for assembly.
Contrasting that was the much simpler aluminum Feathercrafts with their simple riveted inserts and snap-on HDPE
to round aluminum tubes. All well within the reach of the average homebuilder... like me.

Folders, wood or aluminum, may appear to be a lot like non folders, but the complexities of making them far exceeds
anything you will encounter with a simple wood frame non folder.

You could scarf / sleeve your wood take-apart stringers, or round the wood sections so that a plastic sleeve will fit.
Cross sections can be wood, but this is where the connection between the stringers and cross sections becomes complicated.
HDPE and aluminum are hard, so snapping them together is a "snap" :) Not so with wood. That's why Klepper style construction
is the norm for wood folders.

Look at the link found in my "Folding Kayak Builders Manual" for pics of the "Victoria Patagonica". This is an aluminum / wood folder
but it's built the same as traditional all wood folders. You will see the complexity I mentioned above. A beautiful piece of work, and
that's why I chose to include it in my manual.

My lightweight "Sonnet" designs can be built more easily with wood than my other folders due to the simplicity of their mostly free
standing frames, with no stringer to stem connections, and fewer stringers. But still not as easy to build as with aluminum stringers.
The Sonnet prototype called the the "Lacar", had wood stringers.

Aluminum and HDPE have another advantage over wood ..... no shaping, no sanding, no finishing... though for esthetics, nothing can touch wood !

Regards, Tom