folding boat design and construction

I am new to small boat design and would like to find good sources of technical information on the design and construction of skin on frame folding boats-utilizing inflatable portions, if necessary-ranging in length from 12 to 18 feet.

 

The best you can do is to look at commercial folding boats and study what they do (though for me most of them are too heavy and complicated). I have made several folding kayaks, and plan to make a folding sailing dingy, but I am pretty much on my own to work out the details. I do not know of any plans for a skin-on-frame folding boat, kayak or otherwise. There are some plans for small boats that can be taken apart in large sections, but it is not really folding.

go study the free information on ducksworth on-line magazine that have a few articles on folding boats, and also go find the free on-line builder's manual for folding kayaks at the Yost works website.

What I have done is found a hull design that I liked or wanted to try out, and than adapted the sking on frame construction method to it, and developed my own way to make it break down and pack up.

When you do this keep in mind the best design has means to put tension on the skin in both the width directions (usually the inflatable sponsors can do this) and length wise, which is not as easy to solve.

good luck.

 

Did you see this topic?

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/sailboats/backstay-problem-gunter-rig-48649.html

Several folding boats are presented in it.

 

Some on this link are commercial folding/origami etc. boats which may give you some ideas:

http://www.nestawayboats.com/

There are also quite a few commercial drop stitch inflatable kayaks, if you wanted to go that way.

PC

 

Patented design http://www.orukayak.com/

 

Smart, Self-Propelled, Self-Inflating Stand-Up Paddleboard

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...inflating-electric-powered-sup-b?ref=category

 

yostwerks.com has kayaks that are "take a part" in a normal - remove the frame/ break it down manner. Yost also has at least one inflatable kayak with a minimal frame.

 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/730902621/funwater-designs-waterfun-for-everyone?ref=discovery

 

I once made a folding back-packable open canoe/kayak. It had screw tensioning to the stem pieces to stretch the fabric lengthways, and bungee cords to stretch the fabric across the frames. But the original Klepper kayak is probably worth looking at: the whole frame forms a toggle lever to stretch lengthways, and inflatable bouyancy in the sides stretches the fabric widthways.
Find Klepper images on line; here is mine:

 

I can agree with the others, you should study the designs and try to figure out the design and construction. I found one good resource which provide information on boat design. Please visit the below link:

http://www.portableboatplans.com/

Hope above link will help you in designing of folding boats.

Cheers,
Micheal