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Care Instructions
 
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(Good Habits-Simple Care- A few Secrets and common Sense) Based
on quality materials and quality customers, most Kleppers habe a lifespan of 20-30 years, 40 not uncommon,
50 Years is very rare.
The secret: 300 days of the year the boat is indoors, under a roof, outside only when in use.
It is good, to develop a few good habits right from the beginning, and then just carry on the same way.
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1. Typical Storage
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Schort-term of long term, clean and dry, in the packing bags, indoors, in a safe and favorable place.
Do not avoid assembly and take-apart, the more you do ist, the easier it gets.
a) Ater the usual trip, boat would be somewhat wet here and there. Take out the woodwork,
prop up front deck and rear deck with a rib, to allow better air circulation. Hull is self-
drying, just needs air, a little sun, a little time. When dry, wipe out sand and moisture, and
take home dry and clean in car.
b) If it rains, or if it is dark and cannot dry outdoors, take home wet - and in the next few days lay
out hull in backyard, hallway, basement to let dry properly. Under tightest conditions:
2 old chairs in small kitchen, lay hull over two chairs, saves space.
c ) Where to store: usually a good section in basement, backroom, shop, or safe garage.
Never on cement floor or wall, always on a chair,carton, shelf, box ,off the ground. Avoid
extreme wetness or extreme heat.
Not so good: in a barn, or woodshed, or open garage, there will be rodents!
d) Taking boat apart allows wood to relax, wood can dry nicely, sand comes cut, hull
material can dry. The most fastidious owners keep a hull, gently folded, on a shelf in a
dark room but covered with a bedsheet.
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2. Storage of assembled boat
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This is not our favored way to store, but we all do it during a use period. We dont`t favor it,
as the assembled boat keeps sand, grit, moisture inside. But, if it suits your purposes, the
preferrred way is:
a) In basement, shop, garage, on 2 cartons or sawhorses, upside down, cockpit facing floor. Let the
air out of sponsons, to increase aircirculation, and as you walk by, slap hull a little, which lets
dry sand fall out.
b) Some owerns store it "cockpit up, cockpit covered": fine while on vacation, but lang-term, there
can be condensation forming, and sand/grit stays in.
c) If you must keep it outdoors (no other choice), then get it off the ground, upside down, and find
a good canvas cover, to break UV rays. Plastic sticks.
d) If a boat house is above the water, or next to the water (=high humidity) it would be most helpful
to get boat out into wind and sund often, to avoid harm.
Thus: use the boat as much as you want, but keep it safe in long storage periods. Wet storage is harmful
to the hullmaterials, permanent wetness is harmful to the wood.
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Handling and care
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Established clubs habe two annual habits: preparation and inspection before the season, major
clean-up after the season. You can also do a good clean-up after a longer vacation.
Paddlers often carry a sponge or old towel with them. After a trip remove sand, grit, twigs, leaves
from the inside of the boat. When good and dry, and you fold up hill: use old towel to clean off grass or little stones.
Avoid oils, grease, fats, chemicals if you can.
If hull appears dirty inside: mix up a pail with fresh water and gentle soap. Use a soft brush or sponge.-
As a general rule of thumb through life: regarding brushes or soaps, if it does not bite your skin,
it won`t bite the boat.-Never use harsh detergents. A muddy deck: use a soft brush when dry. After
a saltwater vacation: spend a little time to wash hull and wood with soap-suds and fresh water.
Use brush, soapsuds, fresh water to wash deck. You want to do this at end of season also.
Some customers do it more often. A gardenhose does usually not remove dried-up salt from deck.
For care of rubber: we habe developed an excellent clear (no color) boatpolish, liquid.
When rubber hull is clean, apply thinly with cloth. This seals pores, and keeps grime
and even watermarks off the rubber. Good long term care! Apply once or twice a year.
Briefly: remove sand, which works like sandpaper, against wood amd rubber. Very neat
paddlers place a thin, protective cover under woodwork. Care of sails: modern, synthetic
sailcloth does not rot, but catches water residue, which looks unsightly. Hang up sails to
dry, use a wet sponge if necessary. After years of use: gentle handwash with soft brush.
Care of Wood: As the years go by, rubbing and water/weather effects will remove some of
the varnish in places. Such places are: where your feet rest against ribs, on the woodblocks of
the gunwale connections, also on wood bow & stern.- If you wish to touch up such places, use
pur Original Marine Varnish. Important: Wood parts have to be completely dry - do not do this
in the sun.
Clean damaged area, remove wax or oils with fine sandpaper or steelwool, apply varnish thinly
with a brush, avoid heavys drops; then hang up to dry.
Two thin applications are better than one thick one - After many years, a more complete varnish
job might be desirable, ask for special instuctions then.
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Transportation
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1.) For all high-speed, long distance trips, take advantage of the special properties of the folding kayak:
carry in trunk, in backseat, in packbags. You will do this for fuel economy, security of goods,
and convenience.
2.) For shorter trips or daily use in vacation area: surely, a Klepper can be carried on a sturdy car-top
carrier. Special advice: baot sits on carrier (2-bar) the way it sits on water - cockpit to sky! Make sure,
carrier is well-cushioned, no boat should sit on thin metal, raw wood, on obstructions. Place two strong
belts across beat, from carrier bar left to right. Very astute owerns keep bow lower than stern,
to avoid wind-lift. All owners place a security line from front bumper to bow, and down to bumper;
same in back of car. Be aware: for a car 60 mph. speed is normal, for a boat 60mph. speed is the
windspeed in a strong storm.
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Replacement of metal fettings
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A Klepper is a masterpiece of simplicity. All wooden parts are precision-made, and can be replaced.
All metal parts attached to wood, are attached with soft rivets- a trouble free way of doing it.
However, it is possible to replace rivets and thus metal parts with simple tools: small sharp chisel,
or a file; a punch and a small tack-hammer. - A few parts are attached with small screws.
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Many years later...
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Keelstrips:
as the years go by, you will find scars and abrasions on hullbottom.
Those are usually covered up with patches from repair kit. The application of 1 pair
of keelstrips, using our special rubbercement, is protection for the wear points, from bow to stern.
On expedition boats such keelstrips are already factory-applied in advance. Keelstripping is a
job that can be done by the owner , but as you do it only once in life, it is worth obtaining
very exact instructions when the time comes, plus the needed materials from your Klepper supplier.
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Re-Impregnation:
through the years, we count on the natural sealing of tight,
woven (natural) deckmaterial - which is sloping, and under tension. In the long run,
on older boats, there is a procedure a apply more deck impregnation, liquid form.
Partly to re-new color an faded blue decks, partly to seal tighter, through swelling
of fibers. A deck would be thoroughly washed wish medium brush und mild soapsuds (Never use harsh detergents!)
After cleaning & drying, liquid deckimpregnation would be applied with a brush. When the time comes,
ask for detailed instructions, and tie right materials.
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Last but not least
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at the end of the hull, in rear, is the metal stern rudder bracket.
Itis held on the inside with a bolt, a curved washer, and a six-sided nut.
You never actually see it. However, if you would find looseness, or a slight
trickle of water - in the couple of the years the six-sided hexnut can be tightened up,
if you would use a 10 mm-socket, thin wall, if possible. Lacking that item, can be done
with pliers (pointed) or pointed fingers.
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