Future Kayaks

Site Last Updated: 30/06/2009

Kayaks

I have been kayak surfing since I was about 11 years old and competing since I was 12 or 13. I represented England for the first time when I was 14, back in 1996. Since then I have had numerous competitive successes including being ranked no.1 on the British Ranking list, being British Champion and my best result to date was finishing second in the 2005 World Championships in Costa Rica, IC Class.

I manufacture Future Kayaks out of a love for kayak surfing. It is not a full time job for me; professionally I am a mechanical (manufacturing) engineer.  Making kayaks has been a hobby of mine for the last 5-6 years and I have produced somewhere in the range of 20-30 different prototypes and boats.

The driving force which motivates me to continue with a hobby which is both expensive and time consuming is the desire to have the very best surf kayak, for competition and free surfing. Prior to making my own kayaks, I knew that the commercially available products had too many compromises in them, and I would become focused on the aspects that I didn’t like. I had a burning desire to get out the grinder and make the changes that I knew would make the kayaks better.

I have a strong interest in composite manufacture and have learned a massive amount in the practical application of composites through manufacturing kayaks over the last few years. In the early days I was fairly inexperienced and went through a difficult and expensive learning process, but I have persevered and the quality and performance of a Future Kayak today stands out and speaks for itself.

I also have a sound engineering knowledge of composite theory and production, which was enhanced through my Master’s research project at university in 2005, which was a Finite Element Analysis of an orthotropic composite structure using ANSYS software.

Since graduating, I have invested  a significant amount of my salary in tools and equipment, which has allowed me to develop the techniques I need to produce hi-tech composite kayaks to commercial/industrial standards. I now have the capability to exact a very high degree of control and precision over manufacturing variables, and thereby apply my theoretical knowledge much more extensively.

There is a lot of hype and misconception in the composite kayak market; I would like to cut through some of it and demonstrate that a surf kayak equivalent to the top-end of the market can be produced for about half the cost of those currently available in the UK.

I will have demo kayaks available very soon, and I would encourage anyone who is interested to get in touch and have a go in one. I believe very strongly that I can offer a surf kayak which raises the current level of surf kayak design in the market today, and at a fraction of the price.

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