A tiny city apartment isn’t a great place to store a 12-foot long kayak. But for outdoorsy types, cities can be a tease as they’re often located near bodies of water but with housing that’s far from suitable for boat storage.
That’s why Anton Willis, designer and founder of Oru Kayak, has developed a foldable 12-foot kayak. He came up with the idea after a move to San Francisco (we know how small those apartments can get) from rural California. He missed the easy access he had to lakes and rivers and “inspired by an article on new advances in the art and science of origami” he developed models and prototypes of the folding kayak.
Now he has developed a product that has been thoroughly tested on the open water and is now ready for urban commuters and adventurers. When folded out, the kayak is 12-feet long, weighs 25 pounds and can be used in any water conditions except whitewater. According to Humans Invent it’s made from a lightweight, but strong, plastic:
Only a single sheet of this double-layered plastic is used to make the boat with the single seam sealed by a watertight rubber gasket. Despite this, it is strong enough to hold a maximum of 260lbs.
When you’re done it folds (paddle, life jacket, and all) into a carrying case that’s small enough to take with you on the bus home.
It’s a product that seems to have plenty of demand. The production costs are being funded on Kickstarter and with a little less than two weeks left, the company has raised over $313,000 (the goal was $80,000). Check out the folding kayak in action below:
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