Posted on by Fiona

Mo’s Kaafu, and how it came to be.

Being from a surf background beginning in Greece, Mo caught the paddling bug early on and soon had a go at sit-inside kayaking – a river, sea, and lake trip all based in New Zealand. And, without further ado – found herself researching all flavours of kayak online.

Mo told us she kept finding herself returning to the Kaafu – and why not? She noted its interesting shape, and the definitive contours underneath the craft, giving it the stability that the Kaafu is known for. Speaking of happy customers, Mo mentioned the love for the kayak that current customers already had, seen in a multitude of glowing reviews. Last of all, she noted how well priced it was.

Curious for a second opinion after continuing the search looking at kayaks in shops, Mo spoke to a dealer who made a solid point, particularly relevant for Mo. If she was indeed to be kayaking alone, a sit-on-top was, in the dealer’s opinion, the only way to go. The reason being – should the boat capsize, a traditional kayak would need to be swam to shore in order to be emptied of water before usage continued. However, a sit-on-top design (like the one employed by all Fatyak™ kayaks!), meant that you simply had to clamber back on-board. Being from a surf background, this point resonated rather well with Mo, and the search continued.

Mo found a local company, Fluid Adventures, which had one of our Kaafu kayaks on trial. She hired it for an hour, and sure enough, she found that it paddled very well for a beginner, and that she could lift the front end with ease – something that she noticed was not a universal feature for kayaks in her search. At 5’3”, and being no spring chicken with a tall car and roof rack to mount the kayak on, she knew it would be manageable.

Promptly receiving her Kaafu a week later, Mo found that it loaded very easily onto the car, and out on the Solent, found it stable and fun to paddle. Mo also gladly found that she fitted into the current kayaking trend – as the green Kaafu she purchased was matched by plenty of other green kayaks being purchased by youngsters too. Good job Mo, and keep fatyaking!

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Posted on by Fiona

Review – Fatyak™ Kayak

Fatyak™ Kayaks very kindly sent me one of their 1 seater Kaafu kayaks to feature on the blog, and so this is the beginning of an amazing new hobby for me. As a keen explorer and fisherman with access to hundreds of miles of Cornish coastline, I intend on kitting the kayak up for both fishing and fun in Cornwall over the coming weeks.

Top Quality Build and Design
The Kaafu is Fatyak’s™ 1 seater sit-on kayak. Manufactured in the UK to a very high standard of production, you can see the quality of the 1 piece moulded structure as soon as you take it out of the bag. There are no seams or joints, meaning that there is much lower risk of leakage, even when the kayak is being put through it’s paces.

The cockpit area is well designed, with loads of leg room and staggered foot braces to suit kayakers both large and small. The recommended maximum load is 130kg, and so there is ample capacity for myself and all of my fishing gear!

The hull has 6 x scuppers, with sharp chines and a raised middle spine that helps with the tracking of the kayak. The scupper holes are sizeable enough to use to use one for installing a fish finder transducer (very handy). The bow has an upwards curve which helps riding waves which will be a huge benefit for me when launching off of surf beaches.

One of my biggest concerns (before seeing the Kaafu) was transportation. But the Kaafu has 4 x moulded handles (front, back, and on each side). It only weighs 20kg too, and the side handles are really well positioned for perfect balance when carrying the kayak on your own. Lifting it onto a car roof rack by myself is going to be no problem either.

Main Features and Spec
Size – Length = 3020mm, Width = 770mm, Height = 300mm
Weight = 20kgs, Capacity = 130kgs
2 x Dry Storage Hatches
2 x Paddle Parks
1 x Drain Plug
Deck Loop Fittings
Padeyes
Staggered Foot Braces
Moulded in Carry Handles
Rear Storage Area

Onboard Storage
The standard model of the Kaafu comes with 2 x dry storage hatches (with rubber covers) – perfect for keeping your mobile phone and car keys. The dry hatch directly in front of the seat could also be useful for keeping bait or lures when I am fishing. There is also a large open storage area behind the seat with bungee cord straps for holding cargo, perfect to hold my fishing equipment, an anchor, and also a fold-up crab pot.

See full review here

Posted on by Fiona

BCS United Learning ICE Adventure Challenge 2013

Bernie Shrosbree performance coach at Red Bull Formula 1 was so impressed with the Fatyak™ Mahee double kayak used in the BCS United Learning ICE Adventure Challenge he has ordered one for him and his wife to enjoy the coves and beaches of Poole Harbour and Studlands during the wonderful summer we have been promised. Bernie says he was amazed how well the Fatyak™ tracks and maintains stability enabling young people the opportunity to enjoy their natural environment in safety. What a testimonial!

The BCS United Learning ICE Adventure Challenge is an innovative business enterprise, leadership and Adventure Challenge enabling participants to develop new skills relevant for the market place in the 21st century. Fatyak™ Kayaks saw this as a great opportunity to get involved with this challenge and get youngsters out in our Fatyak™ Kayaks. We had some great feedback from the participants some of which had never been on the water before, the Fatyaks™ are ideal for beginners as they are stable and very easy to paddle.

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Ben Fogle patron of the challenge even had a go at #fatyaking™ Next year promises to be bigger and better so watch this space!

Posted on by Fiona

Blue Mile Event Plymouth

Blue Mile Event, Plymouth – Super Saturday what a day!

Fatyak™ kayaks being an official partner for the Blue Mile events again this year, attended the Plymouth event 14/15 September. Unfortunately, due to bad weather conditions being forecast for the Sunday all Blue Mile races were brought forward to the Saturday with almost 300 people taking to the water – either swimming, Fatyaking™ or SUPing a mile for charity. Olympic Chamption Tim Baillie won the Kayaking race again this year on the Fatyak™, closely followed in second position by his wife Sarah who is a Canadian International Canoeist.

Fatyak™ Kayaks are pleased to be associated with these events and with the proceeds going to the Marine Conservation Society recognise the significance of the great work done by this charity.

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A Fatyak™ Kaafu was offered in a free prize draw which was won by Sally Watts from Weymouth, who was at the Blue Mile event in Weymouth earlier in the year.

For some great action shots click here

Posted on by Fiona

Another great customer review of our UK made Fatyaks™

“My wife and I have just returned from 4 weeks kayaking in Mavisehir Turkey, we bought our fatyaks™ (surf and kaafu) a few months ago, apart from a 1 hr session we have never sat in a kayak before. we are both very impressed at how responsive and stable the kayaks were, we had a ball and we are delighted that we chose our fatyaks™.”
Danny Mc Nally

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Posted on by Fiona

Wildlife Spotting from your Fatyak™ Kayak

Fatyak™ Kayaks are perfect for kayaking around the coastline and reaching those far flung areas that cannot be reached by foot, perfect for observing the wildlife around. Fatyaking™ around the coast offers opportunities for close encounters with marine life such as seabirds, seals and dolphins. What’s more, with no noise or carbon emissions the potential impact on the environment is minimal which is an even better reason to have a go.

The Fatyak™ Kaafu and the Fatyak™ Mahee both have rear storage compartments and waterproof storage hatches for storing equipment that you may need, meaning you can spend extra time afloat.

Dolphins have been spotted off of the beach in Come Martin, North Devon on a Fatyak™. Mark from 3 Wiggle Adventures ltd Combe Martin can take you out and about on a Fatyak™ kayak – contact telephone number 07947 716721

Along with seals in Wareham, Dorset.

If any one has been lucky enough to see wildlife whilst Fatyaking™, please email any pictures to us and we can share with our Fatyak™ friends.

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Posted on by Fiona

Fatyak™ attend the National Watersports Festval

Fatyak™ Kayaks attend the National Watersport Festival for the first time!

A glorious sunny weekend back in September saw us attending the NWF Festival in Hayling Island along with our demo fleet of lovely Fatyak™ Kaafus. These were out on the water all day with people having a go and enjoying the water, resulting in many people going away from a day at the beach with a Fatyak™ in tow!

This was the first year for the kayak discipline has been included with the Wind Surfing, Kite Surfing, SUP and Surfing. Fatyak™ Kayaks had a great weekend meeting all of our customers and converting a few more!

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NWF 2014 has been provisionally booked for 5 – 7 September in the beautiful spot of Hayling Island see http://www.nationalwatersportsfestival.com/

Hope to see you all next year 🙂

Posted on by Fatyak Team

HUNDREDS TAKE TO THE WATER IN THE WEYMOUTH ECOVER BLUE MILE

The first ever Weymouth Ecover Blue Mile proved a massive hit over the weekend of 27-28 July, with thousands of visitors attending the event on Weymouth Beach and hundreds of people taking part.

An amazing 440 people – many of them young children – took part in kayak and stand up paddle boarding (SUP) taster sessions during the two days. The sessions were free, but participants were asked to make a donation to the Ecover Blue Mile’s charity partner, the Marine Conservation Society and in total raised £467.11 to help protect our seas shores and wildlife.

The Ecover Blue Mile kicked off the 10-day Dorset Festival of Sport, an Olympic Legacy event organised to mark the first anniversary of the 2012 Olympics, which saw Weymouth host some of the big water sports competitions.

As well as the taster sessions, there was also some serious racing on show, in the UK’s inaugural Naish One SUP Race Series, in which riders of all abilities could enter alongside international pros, including Naish wave rider Jan Sleigh.

Conrad Humphreys of Sport Environment, which organises the Ecover Blue Mile, said: “This is what we are all about – getting people out onto the water and enjoying what the sea has to offer.

“And we’ve been blown away by the venue; Weymouth Beach is just perfect for learning water sports.”

Steve Davies, Promotions and Events Manager at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council said: “Over 2,500 people came onto the site on Saturday and Sunday and all of the sporting activities – on land and on water – were very busy for the two days. It’s been a great success.”

Event sponsors, Ecover, handed out free samples of Ecover goodies to participants and members of the public. The water sports activities were supported by equipment partners Fatyak™ Kayaks and Naish UK, with qualified instructors from Canoe England and Weymouth College. Volunteers from Active Dorset were also on hand, evoking the spirit of London 2012 all over again!

The Marine Conservation Society had a beachside display and volunteers from the charity showed members of the public how marine debris affects the seas and wildlife.

Conrad Humphreys declared the first ever Weymouth Ecover Blue Mile a stunning success: “We’ve been absolutely delighted with the welcome that the Ecover Blue Mile has received from everyone in Weymouth.

“It’s been great to be part of the Dorset Festival of Sport and seeing all these children so keen to jump in a kayak or on a SUP board shows that given the opportunity, they love getting out onto the water.”

Next up … The Ecover Blue Mile in Plymouth, 14-15 September 2013!