Collapsible kayaks having several designs have been commercially available for many years. Some of the better known types are assembled from a plurality of disconnected stringers and formers which are joined together with latches and clamps to form a relatively loose framework, in which the bow and stern halves are temporarily hinged together. A skin or liner is stretched over the framework having bow and stern-shaped pockets and a central upper opening adjacent the cockpit structure. The opening receives the two halves of the framework, sometimes separately, which halves are then rigidly connected together inside the skin. In some designs an over-centering means or an equivalent stretches the skin to form a relatively taut skin around the framework. Commonly the skin is strained somewhat to provide a reaction to force on the framework and thus is an integral structural part of the kayak, that is, without the skin the kayak frame has insufficient rigidity.
Such designs, when disassembled, result in a large number of disconnected pieces and require a considerable time to re-assemble, and require skill and care in following the instructions. It is not unusual to accidently lose an important piece when the kayak is disassembled. If the kayak is to be transported in its collapsed state at least two bags are required, one of the bags containing the stringers, formers, fasteners, etc. of the framework, and the other bag containing the skin. Whilst such a kayak has the advantage of being collapsible for fitting in a confined space, these structures are usually not designed primarily for easy carrying on a person's back.
Due to these difficulties, there is a significant demand for a watercraft that can be collapsed into small packages for storage or transport. The simplest of these are inflatable boats, which use a system of air-filled pneumatic tubes to provide form, structure and flotation. While such watercraft are compact and inexpensive, they are typically slow and hard to maneuver, due to shape limitations imposed by pneumatic systems. Thus, there is a need for a kayak that is more easily transportable than a traditional rigid-bodied kayak, yet more durable and reliable than an inflatable kayak.