Pakayak - The Ultimate Packable Kayak

Slight Delay
almost 9 years ago – Tue, Apr 25, 2017 at 05:54:28 PM

Hello Backers, Supporters, Friends and Family,

We have just learned that the start of our production has been pushed off slightly due to our manufacturer’s scheduling. We should know more within the next 10 days. We will keep you updated as we await the start of our production. 

We are as anxious as you all are to begin production and start shipping our boats. We appreciate your patience and support.

Hang in there with us!

As always, we remain gratefully yours,
Team Pakayak (Doug, Zinelle, Day and Phil)

So MUCH NEWS!
almost 9 years ago – Sun, Apr 09, 2017 at 07:30:02 PM

Dear Backers,

So much news! So...Let's get to it!

New Seat Back

A number of iterations later and here it is! As mentioned in the last update we had made the decision to lose the seat stem in favor of a more comfortable, band style seat back. Custom made to fit our Pakayak.

Cockpit Pad

We realized that we have not talked much about this detail, but it is an integral element for the comfort of the paddler. Our custom cockpit pad will cover the clamps at the mating surface where your feet (while getting in) and knees (while paddling) may make contact and where you might just want a little more padding. We've also added a bottle holder in the center. You can see the final prototype installed in the photo above. Below, a previous prototype is pictured in orange and black but rest assured it will be in all black in it's finished form.

Mac Daddy Bag

The bag has undergone radical changes since the Kickstarter campaign. We have listened to your suggestions, tested different bag styles and prototypes and we feel that we have come up with a bag that will allow you to take your Pakayak almost anywhere. How has the bag changed?

• Totally enclosed and hinged bottom so it folds and fits neatly behind the seat
• Double zipper for easy removal of Pakayak
• Padded bottom with foam locators - the pieces go in upside down so that during removal the pieces come out in the order in which they are assembled
• Heavy duty and padded backpack straps
• Foot doubles as a grab handle
• Lots of exterior grab handles for easy transport and clipping on your extra stuff

Clamps

Below is one of the very last prototype iterations of the clamp in a prototype boat. Seriously strong and relatively small. When unlatched, they spring back out of the way for easy nesting.

That's it for now. Until next time...

As always, we remain, gratefully yours,

Team Pakayak (Doug, Zinelle, Day and Phil)

Wicked Close!
about 9 years ago – Mon, Mar 20, 2017 at 09:37:15 PM

Dear Backers,

We are getting Wicked Close Now!! 

We were with our manufacturers a week ago and we are heading back out this week to go over all the last minute details. They have been running our molds and refining how to streamline the processes of trimming and assembly. We brought fixtures out with us which will hold the boat parts stable while they are being worked on after being molded.

Since we were there last, they have been building frames for the cooling fixtures we gave them. Remember those? We included pictures of those in a previous update. The frames for the cooling fixtures give the manufacturer a way to get the parts in and out of the fixtures quickly while allowing them to control how much pressure they put on each part. This insures that the sections will be the same size every time.

They've also been building templates for just about everything that goes on the kayak. The templates make sure that every hole drilled, cut made, and part installed is done exactly the same way every time and no time is wasted.

All of this is "Step One" in preparation for training a team to do the assembly process.

We are still pushing to stay on track and have our first boats produced by the beginning of April. If all continues to go well, we will be producing by April 10th and should begin shipping around the 19th. Bear in mind, only one color can be molded at a time, so your color might not be produced until 3 weeks after these timeframes. We won't know which color will be run first until we actually start production. But, they're coming!!!

Check out the video showing one of our (beautiful) parts being molded.

As always, we remain, gratefully yours,

Team Pakayak (Doug, Zinelle, Day and Phil)

Awesome SEAT!
about 9 years ago – Fri, Feb 24, 2017 at 02:26:18 PM

Dear Backers,

The new seat is here! Complete with surface texture! It's finished! It's beautiful and most importantly it's OH sooooooo comfortable! 

We are so excited to see all of these things taking shape and we love sharing them with you.

 and... Tah Dah!

On another note...

Surveys! Thank you to everyone who filled out the survey which we sent out recently. If you have not yet done so, please do. It will help us tremendously going forward. If you did not receive the email, please check your SPAM folder. We can always resend it to you, if you don't have it.

As always, we remain, gratefully yours,

Team Pakayak (Doug, Zinelle, Day and Phil)

Show & Tell Time!!!
about 9 years ago – Sat, Feb 04, 2017 at 12:13:48 PM

Hello Dear Backers,

Amazing packages arrived at our office door this week!

We are checking things off the list left and right!  Wait till you see the seat improvements!!!! 

Without further ado:

We just received our new Caution Stickers! Come on, don't yawn! These are a necessary part of the puzzle and must accompany every kayak on the market. We are so happy to be getting through all of the tiny, time consuming yet important details that must happen in order to bring the Pakayak to market!

ALL THINGS "SEAT"

A "Stretch Goal" during the campaign was to create a better, more comfortable custom seat. This was cause for a complete design change on our part and we feel very confident that we have not only improved the seat but it might just be one of the more comfortable on the market. We've gone from tricycle to Ducati on the redesign. ;)

First, the seat back has been separated from the seat pan and is now a more comfortable ergonomic "band" style. This will, once attached to the kayak, not need to be removed for nesting, storage or while in the bag. Photos in next update!

 Seat Bottom Cushion

You saw the photos of the prototype on the last update which needed a few tweaks here and there. This is the second iteration of that bottom cushion. We think we nailed it this time! Only thing missing now is the textured surface (wait till next time!!!) 

Another improvement with the seat cushion is that it will no longer need to sit on top of the "nest" when packed. You simply detach it and put it in the front of the nest. See photo above. 

 More New Items!

Assembly Sticker. While the Pakayak easily assembles in under 5 minutes (we’ve clocked it at 3 minutes), to get you through your first time, NEVER fear!  We've added an assembly sticker so you'll be in the water before your sunscreen dries.
 

Cockpit Gaskets

These little beauties are made from silicone and will insure a watertight seal at the cockpit rim. 

We hope you are as excited about all the progress as we are!!

Until the next UPDATE...

We remain, gratefully yours,

Team Pakayak (Doug, Zinelle, Day and Phil)