She has arrived

Kayak: The Point 65 XP18, Paddler: Designer Magnus De Brito, Photo: Malte Danielsson Place: near Stendörren, Stockholm archipelago

Kayak: The Point 65 XP18, Paddler: Oscar Westlund, Photo: Malte Danielsson Place: near Stendörren, Stockholm archipelago

Whitewater Kayaking is Dying. Could Sea Kayaking be Next?

David H. Johnston, who runs the always interesting blog Paddling Instructor raises an interesting issue following the latest issue of Outside Magazine who publish an eye opening analysis of the rise and subsequent collapse of whitewater kayaking largely because of extreming themselves out of mainstream.

David agrees with this and that touring does not face the same threat. But at the same time he argues that beginners should buy faster, narrower and less stable kayaks.

Hey Papa, you want to try this? Photo: Jay Carroll

I have given this issue a lot of thought but have arrived to a contrary conclusion than David. I follow him regarding windsurfing and white water who extremed themselves out of oblivion. Windsurfing started as an easy sport with large stable boards that almost anybody could learn to master.

Windsurfing started like this

It was extremely successful. Even my dad learned how and bought a board and it was easy and lots of fun.Then things got more complicated. To be cool you needed a smaller board. You needed to jump.

and went to this...

My father bailed out. After 3 years I finally quit when, with my last board, I had to start from under water and had a very hard time holding against the wind. My jumps where pathetic compared to the magazine covers. It just became to hard to master.

Not Papa...

When comparing with windsurfing, touring paddling has seen almost the opposite development. Seakayaking (or touring) was born by extreme users paddling in narrow, unstable and fast boats in rough British seas. Wedged into impossibly small, round cockpits hard men with beards, preferably with icicles hanging out their noses, cruised the seven seas all but alone. Then something happened. The sport developed to easier to use products. Wider, more stable boats with larger cockpits that almost anybody can consider trying. With sit on tops the feeling of claustrophobia was totally eliminated.

yours truly not with Sue

This I consider the key to the lasting and long term viability of touring. That Sue cannot follow David in speed is not important. Sue would have never gotten into a narrow claustrophobic kayak in the first place. Sue doesn't like the feeling of slow drowning, trapped upside down:-) I am glad that most public images of seakayaking look inviting, calm and easy. This attracts new users to the sport. The more extreme cousins of touring have the problem of images of massive waterfalls, impossible jumps ect to fight. Given, it is fun and exciting to look at (from a safe distance).

This is not Sue but it could be

Here all you seakayaking instructors out there have a responsibility. Rolling and paddling upside down when doing public appearances is fun and attracts the folks to come watch. But they would rather be dead than put themselves in your cockpit. So show them also how easy a stable boat with a large cockpit is to use. Stand up in it (but don't fall in). Edge it, turn it, go sideways. Show them how easy it is.

Some of all those Sunday paddlers will want to progress and will learn more and exchange their stable, slow boat for something more exciting.

While many a sport take a long time to master before you can flush yourself down a waterfall, hurl yourself down a slope or balance a snow/wind/surf/skate/kite -board, touring is so easy you can head out on a full day paddling adventure your very first time.

Bring a friend, have fun, be safe!

Outdoor Retailer (OR) 2009

OR 2009 was fun as always, although not as interesting as it usually is. No new products worth mentioning (unless you are a dog) and many key players missing. Trendsetter Point 65;-) bailed out already last year and now many in the industry followed suit. Companies like Johnson Outdoor Watersports (Necky etc), Werner Paddles, BIC, Valley and many more followed Point 65's lead (joke) in missing out on Salt Lake City.

SUP at the demo day-I just don't get it... (photo by Jeroen)

At the demo day I was like a zombie, crazy jet lagged. I got lost driving there (directions were appalling) so it took me 2 hours. I only made it thanks to my iPhones maps ap. The drive through the mountains was, I must admit, incredibly beautiful.

Ones there I staggered around like a crazy person. I met some people I know but I did not recognize them (sorry guys). And my camera never left my pocket, so I have stolen one of Jeroens pictures.

Pierce SUP:ing. Maybe more fun if you live on Hawaii?

Anyway, Stand Up Paddleboards dominated the demo day on and of the water. I tried SUP a few years ago and must say it is nothing for me. Even though Pierce Brosnan is crazy about it my guess is that this thing will be over in a couple of years (as Bill Gates said about the internet:-)

With Stig Larsson, Level Six co founder. We now distributes Level Six in Sweden. Fantastic paddle apparel!

I was feeling a lot better as the actual show started and met a lot of interesting people and managed to do some business. The US paddlesport industry is in turmoil on account of Johnson Outdoor Watersports seemingly in chaos and the new paddlesport show being launched in 2010 by Jim Marsh of Canoe & Kayak Magazine and some others.

Jim Marsh, Editor of Canoe & Kayak Magazine and the North American Paddlesports Show

It is a bit of a tough situation. OR is a great show and I hope that paddlesport manufacturers will stay there for the sake of Outdoor retailers to have some choice of products while a speciality paddlesports show will be great for paddlesport retailers.

NRS, Terry and Bennet took good care of me.

As for JOW, time will tell. But the big surprise of the show was Riot. Looking very strong in a massive two story stand with tons of great looking kayaks all from their new production sources in the PRC. I was very impressed by this. Those guys must have worked 24/7 for a year to pull that of. Congratulations!

With Mark Pelland, Delphine and Jeff Rivest of Riot Kayaks on their terrace.

With Kokatats Michael Duffy.

Matt Poischbeg of Sealect Designs (formerly SeaDog)

Swedish maffia. With Bo, Renate and Petra Hilleberg (the Tentmakers)

Orust Runt; Cool 2 day marathon

Check out this really cool 2 day marathon around the incredibly beautiful Island of Orust in South Sweden. It takes place Saturday/Sunday August 22-23.

This is a highly laid back competition where all are welcome to attend! It doesn't matter what you paddle, or how fast you paddle. As long as you like to paddle, like camping and having a good time!

Around the whole Orust with overnight at Vallerö.

The paddle around Orust takes two days. All camp together at Vallerö half way around.

The campsite on Vallerö

The really cool thing about the race is that it is free of charge and completely self sustained. There are no officials, instead everyone takes responsibility for one self. Thus, there are almost no rules, and high demands for fair play and common sense for the participants.

At this time there are about 100 participants that have registered!!!

XP18 -a legend is born

Our latest model makes my juices flow. This is a seakayak -but it's fast as hell. Sort of a new concept. It's like a racing/exercise kayak but for touring. It can take a huge payload. It's stable -so no problems in the rough. It's comfy. And it looks really cool! This is the kayak I will take on my next expedition as well as when working out.Micheal working the XP18

Magnus de Brito, the designer, has some sort of computer gizmo where he can calculate the exact speed and stability of the thing. According to this it is 7% faster than the "old" XP while 15% more stable. What does it mean? Who knows and who cares.

Point 65 & Magnus De Brito

Point 65 is developing some of the most exciting and revolutionizing products in the kayak industry. Point 65 proudly presents the latest addition to our team, Magnus De Brito, one of Scandinavia´s leading designers.

Magnus De Brito at the Point 65 head office in Stockholm, Sweden

Magnus has headed design projects for industry giants such as Porsche, Scania Trucks, Intelligent Sound, Pirelli Boats and Agipi Marine. Using computer science technology, Magnus was responsible for streamlining parts of the new generation Porsche Boxter 987, Carrera 997 and Carrera GT.

If you have designed this I guess a kayak is not that big a deal...

His Pirelli boat design won the prestigious 2009 Red Dot design award, “Best of the Best.” Working for Pirelli and Agipi Marine has given Magnus engineering experience in marine design technology – experience not usually available to kayak companies.Magnus designed the Pzero 1400, winning the “Best of the Best” Red Dot Design Award

Magnus was only 18 when he developed the first commercially viable wind surfing harness. He went on to earn his Master of Science degree in Design and Product Development from the University of Linköping, Sweden.

Tomas trying the new XP18. One happy camper!

Throughout his career, his passion for water sports - and designing the best water crafts- has continued unabated. XP18 has a markedly improved stabilty, manueverabilty and speed compared to it's predecessor.

Now, at Point 65, Magnus is applying both his engineering skills and his kayaking expertise to our most challenging design projects like the new XP -series and the Tequila!

The XP18 by Magnus de Brito

The new XP series by Magnus will be available in a 18, 17 & 16 foot version. More information will follow.

Whisky 16 review, The Skook-Worthy shake down

The worlds leading kayaking magazine, US Canoe & Kayak choose four of the worlds most experience rough water sea kayakers (James Mole, Brandon Gonski, Dave Shively and Scott Waidelich) to test 5 of the most celebrated rough water seakayaks at Skookumchuck Narrows, British Columbias famed tidal beast.

This was their conclusion:
"The Point 65 Whisky 16 went down smooth as our unanimous pick as the top Skookumchuck performer."

Read the full review Canoe & Kayak Magazine March 2009:
Billed as a spirited coastal playboat from this Swedish boat manufacturer, the Whisky 16 went down smooth as our unanimous pick as the top Skookumchuck performer. With the cockpit just aft of center, increased bow volume and a hard chine into the flattest, most planing-like hull of the bunch, the Whisky handled with the smallest degree of separation from its distant whitewater playboat brethren. "it was the only bow where, when the bow and stern were in the water at the same time , you could still react -crank into turns, load up on the paddle and bring it back," one of the testers said, "With the others, you'd shoot off the far end of the wave." In building the new Whisky boat range for rock gardens and surf zones, Point 65 R&D head Nigel Foster designed the 16's hull to avoid purling and to push onto a plane more easily than other displacement -style hulls. Fosters globe trotting research has also resulted in an upgraded, "beefier" foot peg system, alleviating our testers' main gripe with the outfitting. Weather you see it as anomaly or vanguard, the Whisky 16 handled reasonably well on the flatwater tour back to Egmont (with the skeg dropped), but fits as the most highly specialized rough-water boat"