Kayaks

Folbot has revamped their website and the new look is refreshing and cool but I still kinda like the ‘old’ Folbot website as with the white background and clean, uncluttered look; it reminds me of the first theme that I loved and used - ‘Minima’, when I first started blogging on the blogger platform. Anyway if I get too nostalgic I can always go to their blog - ‘From the Front’ which retains the old look.

Anyway I was pleasantly surprised by their newly redesigned website which also coincide with the introduction of their new folding kayak - the ‘Citibot’. And as the name suggests; it is designed as a city boat and at only 10ft long and a wide 34inch beam, it’s certainly not something that I’ll bring along for our Lake Toba Expedition! Unless I am on a family holiday and want to muck around with my kids playing on the waters close to the shores. I can imagine a hard-core expedition kayaker like Huey sneering away at this ’silli-bot’ but at 24 pounds light, a 10 minutes assembly time, 35 oz. Hypalon hull fabric & urethane coated polyester deck (in other words quality materials), availability in 8 colours and at an introductory price of USD999/- it is not such a silly toy! It is a hassle free folding kayak that allow you to go kayaking on the spur of the moment.

Anyway I am intrigued by the new coaming (not referred to as the quirky ‘washboard’ anymore?) and seat design of the Citibot and was wondering if they would upgrade the rather uncomfortable (for me anyway) seat of the Cooper with this new design. And I’m also speculating that Phil Cotton could be working on the design for a new ‘Kodiak’ incorporating these and other more amazing features - no Phil? Never mind lah.

Note: I still CANNOT upload my own photos (help!) and all the images are stolen ‘referenced’ from Folbot’s website. but I’m sure David AvRutick would not mind this plug … And David if you’re reading this - why are there extra bungee deck riggings on your Cooper? Although I think perimeter deck lines all round would be a welcomed feature on the Cooper (along with better seat of course) … *hint hint*

Click to see Video of Citibot Assembly

From the ridiculous to the sublime …

Dennis or Melvyn could probably do this too although they’d better start collecting the chopsticks now! Perhaps I should give Green Bento Company (those working in Kuching should check out Green Bento Company for delivery of their fresh and healthy lunches) a call to see if they can start saving them up for Dennis …

A beautiful canoe made from 7,000 disposable chopsticks. I can’t even make a tooth pick from one!

I came across this interesting story here and if you can read Japanese, you can check this out here. So here goes:-

“A former city employee in the Fukushima prefecture town of Koriyama has built a 4-meter (13-ft) long canoe from thousands of used disposable chopsticks recovered from the city hall cafeteria. Bothered that perfectly good wood was going to waste after a single use, Shuhei Ogawara — whose job at city hall involved working with the local forestry industry — spent the last two years of his career collecting used chopsticks from the cafeteria. An experienced canoe builder, Ogawara spent over 3 months gluing 7,382 chopsticks together into strips to form the canoe shell, to which he added a polyester resin coat. The canoe weighs about 30 kilograms (66 lbs), which is a bit heavier than an ordinary cedar canoe, but Ogawara is confident it will float. A launching ceremony is planned for May at nearby Lake Inawashiro.”

Amazing and admirable.

Although my feet is now firmly planted in Malaysia but I’m now smitten with the beautiful clear waters of Fiji and I’m daydreaming here about the kayaks that I’m going to use if I am living in Fiji!

I have only kayaked along the beaches but I know that the next time I visit Fiji I would definitely want to run the rivers there -especially the famed Upper Navua and Luva Rivers. River running and creek whitewater kayaks would be ideal to run these Class 3 plus rivers.

My kayak of choice would likely be Jackson Kayaks as they specialize on Whitewater Rivers kayaks be they for creek, river running or even freestyle. Jackson Kayaks was founded in 2003 on the principle of creating the best kayak possible for paddlers. It is a kayak company that is simple, streamlined, small, and dedicated to bringing you the best kayaks that it can. The designs for Jackson kayaks are always evolving and improving, showing the company’s dedication to both the sport and their customers. I like that. Although they are located at Rock Island, Tennessee in the US, I suppose I can always order it online as this type of river kayaks are usually no longer than 8ft and not too heavy being around 40lbs.

But for me it would be river running and I would be looking for a kayak that is well constructed durable and retains its shape well in the hot tropical sun. It should have a planing hull for great initial stability and a predictable ride and ample footroom as I’m quite tall. Jackson Kayaks also comes with a shock absorbing bulkhead system which is very reassuring and gives a more solid feel and to absorb more shock than the bulkhead by itself.

I should be able to find the model I like as Jackson Kayaks have a wide range of selection to choose from including their new 2008 models - Jackson Hero for medium size adults and Jackson Super Hero for larger adults up to 300lbs! I like the Jackson Hero as it’s designed to handle the largest diversity of water possible.

Now back to the grind … *sigh*

She floats and she’s beautiful - wood strip kayak designed and built by clever Kuching kayaker Dennis Leong

Dennis’s father picked up one of our flyers and passed it to him and he called me up one evening inquiring if he could join in one of our kayaking trips using his own kayak. “Sure!” As I’m glad to meet another kayaker in Kuching. So I asked him what make of kayak he has and he replied that he’s building his own! Needless to say I asked him if I could have a look and I sped to his house to meet him and have a look at his home built kayak. My jaws dropped as it was a most beautiful wood strip hand built kayak that I’d ever seen. Actually it was the first wood strip hand built sea kayak that I’d ever seen! It was all completed just awaiting the final few finishing coats. If Huey sees this - I bet tears will be rolling down his face! It was simply beautiful.

Maiden paddle - Dennis in his own designed and built sea kayak on Sarawak River, Kuching

When Dennis took her (christen ‘Rilo Fun’) out for a maiden paddle a few weeks back; I was away and this morning I received an email from him with these 2 photos and these 2 simple and beautiful words – “she floats.”