Fun with Foster

Nigel Foster visited Sweden for his annual Point 65 staff training sessions as well as doing some classes and participating in "Kajakdagarna", Stockholms largest kayak symposium.

Point 65 team members after completing the annual Nigel Foster paddle clinic. From left in kayaks: Sofia, Mats, Emil, Carolin, Edina, Carro, Nigel, Lina. On dock: Doris, me, Linn, Tobbe, Staffan, Carl, Mats, Erik.

Mats Ståhlberg runns one of Swedenes largest kayak centres and the only one in the city of Gävle.

Surf ski? Emil Kellander taking the Tequila! on a spin. Here in a tripple configuration. Emil runs a massive kayak centre in Norrköping.

Happy campers in Gävle! Christer just took part in one of Nigels clinics "Fun with Foster". A full day on the water where you not only learn things you thought impossible but also have lots of fun doing it.

Emil is a busy man!

Point 65 team memebers go through an annual multi day clicic with Nigel focusing on helping others and general safety issues.

Here Nigel demonstration different resques with Emil. The water in Sweden is ice cold in May.

Mats and Doris from Gävle. Lessons learned.. Never turn your back on Nigel:-)

Enjoying an evening paddle with one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen (this and the next photo by Nigel)

The Point 65 XP21 -mother of all Surf Ski's

Today, in a Swedish winter storm and sub zero water temperatures (only the harbor propellers keep the water in the dock open. All around it's thick with ice) Magnus de Brito took the prototype of our new monster Surf Ski for a first spin.

Magnus de Brito, testing the Point 65 XP21 prototype at Pampas Marina, Solna, Sweden 59°N, 14:20 hours, March 1, 2010

Magnus, our design maverick, has been working very hard on this dream project. While working with Porsche on the Boxter 987, the Carrera 997, the Carrera GT and other similar projects, the 21 foot surf ski has never been far from his mind. A 21 foot Mother of all Surf Ski's.

"It glides through the water without a sound..."

Magnus is never humble about his designs and he is pretty confident that this surfing machine will not only out surf and out glide the rest of the pack, but also keep the paddler in the saddle, no matter how rough and fast it gets.

The bow makes me think of the Red October...

But this thing not only rides like a bullet, it looks absolutely spectacular. Words cannot make this creation justice. It looks like any surf skiers wet dream, times 10... Walk this ski down to the Molokai and there will be a stampede.
By using advanced hydro dynamic computer engineering, Magnus has achieved a craft that is as fast as anything out there while significantly more stable. While this might only be a small advantage for the likes of Hank McGregor, Dawid Mocke, Murray Stewart and Oscar Chalupsky it sure as hell makes a heck of a difference for all those strong, converted flat water racers sniffing the back of their necks. Not to speak of yours truly who might actually be able to participate in a race without half drowning before reaching the finishing line!

It was a cold day!

Extensive testing will now be carried out by Magnus himself, an avid surf skier, as well as one of Swedens strongest surf ski paddlers, Paul Rosenqvist.

Paul, still a rookie, came in 19th at the Mauritius Ocean Classic 09, just a couple of minutes behind some of the worlds most experienced surf ski paddlers. Would the XP21 give him that edge?

Ones the boys are happy, the production mold will take it's shape and production commence. When? Keep your eyes on my blog and the very day I have a release date I will publish it here.

Until then, Happy Paddling!

Richard

(All photos except the one with Paul by Peter Ekström)

Point 65 & S.O.G.

Point 65 Kayaks Sweden is happy to announce that it has been selected as the newest member of The Scandinavian Outdoor Group (S.O.G)

Point 65 is the only paddle sport company in the group and shares membership with such legendary brands as Haglöfs, Bergmans, Ecco, Primus and many many more.

The parties at the S.O.G trade show stand, Scandinavian Village, where members co exhibit, are legendary and it will be fun to function as host rather than guest from now on!!!

Scandinavian Outdoor Group (S.O.G.) was founded in 2000 as an industry initiative to serve outdoor retailers and media in export markets. It unites well-respected outdoor gear manufacturers from all five Nordic countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland.

The cooperation is based on sales and media oriented projects serving outdoor gear retailers and journalists on markets outside the Nordic region. It's mission is based on the simple observation that if equipment works well up here in the north it must also be perfect for outdoor enthusiasts in the rest of the world.

S.O.G. operates projects such as the

- Scandinavian Village™ the dynamic one-stop-shop for smart buyers and journalist that has become one of the busiest and best visited areas of the international trade shows where it participate.

- Outdoor Academy of Scandinavia
R&D facility for the best staff training program in the outdoor industry. OAS offers a two level program, EXPLORE and EXPERIENCE.

- Scandinavian Outdoor Award.
The competition for the Scandinavian Outdoor Industry hosted by S.O.G. since 2006. Up to 20 products from Scandinavian Outdoor Group member brands get nominated every season to compete for the Scandinavian Outdoor Award.

Point 65 is proud to be a member of S.O.G and will be an actively participating member.

Tequila! back rest

This might be boring for most everybody but very hot news for us at Point 65. This is the new back rest for the Tequila! So much more comfortable and easy to use than you usual floppy seat with straps going everywhere.

ISPO Brand New Award Finalist

We are extremely proud that our new product, the Tequila! has been selected as a finalist in the ISPO Brand New Award!!! Among 305 nominated for the ISPO Brand New Award, the Point 65 Tequila! was one of seven selected finalists in the hardware category.



The Tequila! is also our biggest commercial success ever. This product has outsold our other 17 kayak models COMBINED!!
We would like to thank the designer, Magnus De Brito for a fantastic job. Without Magnus design genius we would not have been able to realize our vision of a modular take-a-part sit on top kayak.
The Tequila! will be displayed in the ISPO Brand New Village at ISPO 2010, February 7-10 in Munich. If you are interested in checking it out and meeting me at ISPO 2010 please let me know here on my blog and I will arrange it.

Happy Holidays!

Point 65 introduces The Tequila! and changes the world of paddlesports

I had this idea for a kayak that anybody can own.

The main challenges facing a kayak buyer are mobility and storage. So these were the issues to resolve.

Watch this clip of the Tequila! paddled in the Solo and Tandem configuration.

The design specs for the Tequila! were:

- Have equal or better performance than a standard kayak (unlike inflatables & folding kayaks).

- Produced in rotomolded polyethelen.

- It should fit in a station wagon.

Another clip.

- It should fit in a small elevator.

- It should fit in a small apartment.

- Be light weight enough for a child to carry (e.g. weigh a maximum of 14 kg / 30lbs).

- Take less than 10 seconds to assemble (unlike inflatables and folding kayaks).

- Be modular so it can be used as a solo, tandem, triple and more.

- Hold up for abuse, play, surfing on waves etc

- Each section should be possible to emergency paddle.

The Tequila! Tandem easily fits in the back of a station wagon.

Rigid take-a-part kayaks have been around for years. It's just that the designs have been flawed. Those kayaks have either taken much to long to assemble and/or not been strong enough in the joints so they have flexed to much and/or come apart to easily.

Like Lego on the beach.

Also, all those designs have focused on large sea kayaks. Whereas the demand for this kind of innovation actually is in the recreational segment where the hurdles to enter paddle-sports are the greatest.

It fits on a small boat!

Once you are dedicated enough to buy a sea kayak, most paddlers are willing to make sacrifices like getting a roof rack, finding storage etc.

It fits on a big boat!

However, the design specifications seemed impossible. Polyethylene is a rather soft and slippery material. In all our trials, testing different ideas the kayak was to weak, to heavy or to difficult to assemble. That is until we met design genius Magnus de Brito.

Accustomed by impossible demands from manufacturers such as Porsche, Scania Trucks and Pirelli Boats he succeeded in resolving the issues with an ingenues concept - The Tequila! SNAP TAP SYSTEM (PATENT PENDING). And there you have it!!

I also wanted the kayak to work for one ore several paddlers.

Here as a Solo

So Magnus created a modular system where a mid piece is added between the solos bow and aft section thereby creating a tandem.

Here the three pieces floating around. Just pop in the mid section et voila, it's a Tandem.

Ad another mid section and it becomes a triple etc. etc. Who will make the longest Tequila!? Send me your picture proof and the winner gets a bottle of, you guessed it, Tequila!

Assembled it's a great Sit On Top -performance kayak.

Each part is small enough to be accepted as a suitcase by most airlines.

I have already flown all over the world with a Point 65 Tequila! Tandem. The customs officer at Seattle Tacoma was perplexed and after I explained what it was he asked me where he could buy one...

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