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Posted on August 4, 2016 by Fiona

Harbourfest FAQ

What are the event prizes from Fatyak?

This year, Fatyak Kayaks are offering £250 for the fastest paddler, A hono board for the fastest female, as well as for the fastest family or adult/child entry. In addition, Channel Adventure Ltd is offering their Grom Squad sessions for the fastest youth paddler.

Can I enter the Raft Race on the day?

The Raft Race cannot be entered on the day

Can I enter the Fatyak Races on the day?

Fatyak races can be entered on the day by going to the Registration stall – though some personal details will be needed and so registering online in due course could save time!

What are the prizes for the Raft Race?

As well as a prize of up to 6 hono boards from Fatyak for the most money raised through sponsorship, various sponsored cups and prizes are given each year. Details will be announced at a later date.

How much is entry to the harbourfest?

Entry to Harbourfest and all that it has to offer is free for spectators and those not participating in any event!

Who was the quickest paddler last year?

Last year David Farr was the quickest paddler with a time of 9 minutes and 23 seconds. So this is your time to beat!

Whats the minimum age for the Fatyak Races?

14 years of age in order to participate unaccompanied (with a counter-signed form for those under 16), or 6 years of age with adult supervision for doubles or family entries.

Whats the minimum age for Raft Race crew members?

Crew members participating in the Raft Race must be at least 15 years of age on the day of the event.

What are the rules for the Raft Race?

A full list of rules can be found here http://www.mineheadraftrace.co.uk/?page_id=23

Will there be parking?

There will be a road closure in place along Quay Street from 8am on the Sunday. The nearest pay and display car parks are located at;

Minehead Steam Railway Station, Postcode TA24 5AP
Blenheim Road Car Park, Postcode TA24 5QW

What facilities are available?

Public toilets are available opposite the RNLI Boat House. There are no changing rooms available, and no baggage storage options available – participants are responsible for their belongings.

Where is the Harbourfest?

The Festival is located at Minehead Harbour, TA24 5UL with a road closure in place along Quay Road in order to accommodate all the activities that will be taking place.

Where do I sign up for the Fatyak Races?

You can sign up for the Fatyak Races here. Registration on the day will also be available

What happens to the proceeds?

100% of proceeds from the event go to the RNLI, who’s Minehead Station is located right at the heart of the festival, in order to support the great work they do out on the sea.

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Fiona

The Fatyak Timeline

We feel as though we’ve come a long way since we launched our first kayak, the surf, around 7 years ago in 2009! Since then, we’ve built up a loyal fanbase (you guys!), a fantastic range of kayaks for every application, the upgraded Adventure S series, the Hono board, and we are soon to release our first SUP board, the Samos!

We’ve made this short video to celebrate some of the key milestones in our journey so far, but we feel like we’ve got plenty more to give yet!

2009 – Fatyak Surf
2012 – Fatyak Kaafu
2013 – Fatyak Mahee
2014 – Fatyak Hono
2014 – A new van
2015 – Fatyak Kaddy
2015 – Adventure S series
2016 – Adventure S in Orange
2016 – Fatyak Samos

We’re always interested in hearing what you have to say regarding our current line-up, or any ideas you have for new products, so get in touch!

Posted on July 9, 2016 by Fiona

Paddle round the Pier Summary

Fantastic weather accompanied a fantastic event in Brighton last weekend. A great selection of trade stands, entertainment and exhibitors on land overlooked a medley of successful events in the water, including races, the paddle, and demo events.

The atmosphere was electric – the sun was out for the whole weekend and with a footfall of around 50,000 people there was plenty going on. People were giving things a go, engaging with exhibitors and organisations and having a great time with the entertainment on both land and water. Watersports lectures, events, entertainment and exhibitions were all a fantastic success overall, with a huge turnout for events on the Sunday in particular on account of the improved conditions.

At least £6000 was raised on the Saturday alone, with the final figures yet to come. All money raised will be given to the RNLI, Surfers against Sewage, and Amaze – fantastic charities that carry out some crucial work not only for those of us involved in watersports but for the wider community also.

We experienced some pretty severe wind on the Saturday, making the water so choppy that it would have been rather difficult to paddle very far! Luckily, the weather was brilliant all day Sunday which meant the races and other events could be re-scheduled, and continued to go off without a hitch.

The Fatyak Races were a great success with competitors taking to the water in pursuit of a Fatyak Kaafu as first prize, and a Hono as second! Big congratulations to Michael Van Doorn who came first in the race, with a time of 2:26, and has bagged himself one of our lovely UK-made Kaafu kayaks!

As well as the races – we also a lucky young man who won himself a Hono in the raffle! Along with a variety of great prizes from generous exhibitors at the event, including kayaks, surfboards, lessons, accessories and more.

Overall, we had a fantastic time at Paddle round the Pier and would like to extend our thanks to the organisers, the other exhibitors and the community who came and engaged with it all. We loved chatting to you all about our products, and hearing your thoughts on issues within kayaking and the paddlesports world and can’t wait to do it all again next year!

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Fiona

Paddle round the Pier

Paddle round the Pier is a fantastic event run by volunteers, which has raised over £300,000 for charity! Not only does the event give to charities, but it’s also a great community get-together over the course of the weekend, with plenty of local involvement and a friendly atmosphere to boot.

We at Fatyak Kayaks are delighted to be a part of it this year’s celebrations on the lawns, as part of over 200 stalls and in the midst of a 50,000 strong crowd. Additionally, the festival’s 20th year in operation will see the launch of our new Fatyak Races, alongside other great events that will be happening simultaneously – including various shows, competitions, and performances.

The festival will be on the Hove Lawns in Brighton, on an expansive 60,000 square metre venue that will host the main event village for the weekend. A variety of bars, stalls, activities, events, competitions and prizes will be available for all to enjoy, as well as many industry and trade stands. A lecture theatre will be in places offering a variety of insights from within the watersports and beach leisure industries.
We will be running a competition to find the fastest fatyaker at the event on the Saturday, with a load of great prizes up for grabs including Kaafu kayaks, and Hono boards, as well as a variety of great accessories up for grabs. The heats will include Mens, Ladies, and Youth categories – full details can be viewed here, including how to enter.

Additionally, we will have a trade stand for the duration of the weekend with a variety of our range on show, including our latest and greatest addition to the range; the Samos! If you have any questions or thoughts whatsoever, come and find us for a chat!

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Fiona

Introducing the Fatyak Samos

If you’re already a keen fatyak follower then theres a good chance you’ve already heard about our new Samos board, and perhaps even seen some pictures of it in development! But for those who are as of yet, unaware, we are pleased to announce the very latest addition to our range.

The Samos is a rotationally moulded stand-up paddleboard, born in effort to bring something new to the SUP arena which has recently exploded in the world of paddlesport. Traditionally, epoxy and composite boards are the natural choice, although with the continuing adoption of inflatable paddleboards, we wanted to do what we do best, and bring a fresh new alternative to the market.

We had two main priorities in creating the Samos – firstly, to combat some traditional problems found in Rotationally moulded boards, and secondly, create a feel that was comparable to more expensive options on the market – making it suitable for beginner to intermediate level paddlers. Typically, rotationally-moulded paddleboards have been problematic due to their evolution from a kayak design, making them impractical in shape and weight; often in excess of 25KG.

The innovative design of the Samos targets both these problems in one. The unique wishbone features on the Samos works by acting against the natural yarding as the paddler strokes – which keeps the nose pointing straight; splitting below the deck to give support for a natural stance. In doing so, this has allowed us to produce a much thinner board than many standard rotationally-moulded boards, which means at 18KG the Samos is the lightest board on the market! Even still, the Samos still manages to boast an all-rounder profile, making it great for all applications from day play, and exploring, to fitness and fun on the waves.

The Samos includes a wide set of features as standard, including branded carry handle grips and deck area, drain plug, bottle holder, paddle, straight leash, a custom 10.5″ fin box accepting all standard fins. And, as always, you can be safe in the knowledge that it’s manufactured to Fatyak’s high quality rotational moulding standards; with no seams and no joints the Samos is manufactured using high grade, high density UV stabilised polyethylene; in accordance with BS7852 as well as our own procedures, in Somerset, England.

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Fiona

Are these the best-travelled Fatyakers around?

Of course, our Kayaks are travelling the country every day to new homes, straight from the factory, to be enjoyed by fans all over the UK. However, the main point to note here is that the kayaks in question here are travelling along Britain’s roads in the back of our lorries, and not in the water!

Not to forget, of course, the beaches that have their share of Fatyak action by way of a plethora of retailers, schools, and partners up and down the country – wisely stocking Fatyak Kayaks as part of their business:

So what about the Fatyaks that travel the country themselves? The independent kayaks, well-travelled Fatyaks that see many, many different bodies of water throughout their career. We occasionally ponder the question, and we think we may have found one of the most well-travelled group of Fatyak Kayaks to-date!

This group of kayaks belongs to Martin and a keen kayaking family, who have been enjoying their fleet of Fatyaks in all kinds of spots. Martin and his family have explored waters from The Grand Union Canal to the Praa sands in Cornwall, with destinations in between – a distance roughly as long as 160,000 Fatyak Kaafus!

Here he can be seen in the waters at Croyde Bay, in Devon. Croyde Bay is not too far from ourselves in Somerset, and certainly a location worth checking out for adrenaline junkies and explorers alike – offering a beautiful location for outdoor activities and exploration in general, especially kayaking and surfing!

As well as Croyde, Martin and his family have experienced some of the wealth that Cornwall has to offer for lovers of the surf; including both Maenporth and Praa Sands in West Cornwall:

If you think you’re also a well-travelled fatyaker, we would love to see your pictures and some details on the spots you’ve covered! Keep on fatyaking Martin!

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Fiona

Balancing exercises for Kayakers

Despite the naturally stable design of our Fatyak kayaks, the importance of good balance cannot be emphasised enough. Our kayaks cater for all shapes and sizes of paddler, but sometimes even the most seasoned kayak users can sympathise about the wobble one might experience if stepping into a floating kayak.

Luckily, there are a variety of exercises and movements that can be practiced in order to help you keep your balance, and they revolve around the 3 main types of movement that the graphic below shows;

It’s important to include all three planes when training to avoid the possibility of developing muscle imbalances. Some simple balancing acts that will help you to stay stable on a kayak would logically start from one requiring the least amount of compensation in order to retain balance, and would progress upwards and onwards – for example, from sitting on a chair, to standing with feet apart, to feet together, to one legged, and so forth.

Fabio Comana with ACE Fitness does an excellent job of demonstrating some simple exercises incorporating all 3 planes that could really help to develop skills for stable fatyaking!

If you’re interested in some local training and outdoor expertise, our friends at Exmoor Adventure and Channel Training can certainly offer some great assistance!

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Fiona

Fatyak Quality Control

We pride ourselves on our high quality kayaks, known and loved by our customers who use them well – and push us to keep improving! And not only are our kayaks of a great quality – we strive to provide great customer service and after-sales support to boot. By ensuring we keep up the high standards we think it results in a good name for the sport, not to mention promoting the goodness of paddle sports to a wider audience; the benefits of which trickle down to all of us. Oh – as well as providing safety and fun for Fatyak owners everywhere.

You can be content in the knowledge that the manufacture of your Fatyak has been left in safe and experienced hands – and it’s not just our manufacturing workforce that know their stuff. Both our manufacturing workforce and management team have over 30 years of experience in working with plastics in various applications. Daily meetings amongst our team help to keep our process as efficient and targeted as possible, taking into account any suggestions from customers or staff as part of our customer-focused approach.

To make sure we can back up our claims of a high quality product (as well as the glowing reviews we get from the community!) we implement a 4 stage quality check system throughout the manufacturing process – ensuring that the Fatyaks are fit for purpose in every way. All products undergo inspection for moulding defects, visual examinations by the shift leader, examinations as bagged or stored, as well as an examination on dispatch. Additionally, each Fatyak undergoes a check against 3 key criteria as part of a customer-focused approach to assess potential risk, including;

Functionality, such as performance and longevity
Aesthetics, considering how the product will meet our customers’ expectations
Legal requirements, ensuring that the product complies with or exceeds necessary standards

And if any defects are discovered are recorded against the product’s unique serial number and investigated – allowing us to amend process, implement training, or increase control checks if needed to stop any further failures.

Our quality checking system is independently verified by external auditors to the British ISO 9001:2008 standard, so you know we can be relied upon!

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Fiona

Kayak Security and Theft

Have you asked yourself what you would do if the unimaginable occurred, and your beloved Fatyak™ was stolen? And of course, with Fatyak™ kayaks being so desirable as a kayak, its highly possible – with opportunist thieves targeting roof racks, car parks, and beaches as just a few common targets to be hit.

One of the first things you should consider doing is properly identifying your kayak. All our kayaks have a unique identification number moulded into the body of the kayak which will aid the recovery of your kayak if it was ever stolen. If your kayak was stolen and recovered, knowing this could help to prove that it is your kayak, so take note of it and keep it safe somewhere, along with any timestamped photos or other unique marks such as stickers, fittings, etc. Secondly, armed with this information, a stolen kayak could be registered on one of a few community-driven databases online, including the Facebook group as well as websites like StolenBoats and SCKD.

Another thing worth doing is checking your home insurance policy to see if your kayak would be covered in the event of theft – while you may imagine it would be covered under the category of sporting goods, a lot of insurers may in fact consider it a boat, and as such, may not cover it. Which would be an unwelcome and unexpected surprise!

Of course, the best strategy to take would be preventing theft in the first place. Extra special care should be taken in any public locations such as car parks, beaches, and town centres, as well as anywhere you might leave a parked car with a kayak on the roof – parked on the road, on your street, or even on a driveway; anywhere it could be easy enough for someone to slide a kayak off the roof as they walk past. If it’s absolutely unavoidable then lock your kayak securely to the car or something else, use ideally a D-lock if possible, steel cable or something along the lines of a bike lock. And, as we recommend, always try to store your Fatyak™ securely inside away from prying eyes or opportunists – ideally inside your house but otherwise inside a locked garage or similar.

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Fiona

Caring for your Fatyak

Durable as they are, a little TLC here and there during your Fatyaking™ career will help the boat last for a lifetime of enjoyment out on the waves. Fatyak™ Kayaks are manufactured from our specially formulated Medium Density Polyethylene; a very durable material with a somewhat flexible memory, meaning it has a tendency to return to its original shape if it becomes distorted. Also, ours has an ultraviolet inhibitor blended in with it, helping to resist colour fade and maintain strength. Regardless, the occasional once-over will help to nip any problems in the bud before they develop into a serious issue, potentially hindering the performance and the safety of your boat.

For example – check the Neoprene dry-hatch covers for wear and tear; check that they seal properly over the hatch and haven’t become worn or damaged, or your dry-hatch storage could end up being more of a water tank! Cables, buckles, and straps need to be checked for wear and tear, and replaced when necessary, in order to keep you and your equipment safely held on top of the boat when you’re out in the waves. If you need help with replacing any parts, feel free to contact us for some advice!

Give your hull and deck a good, thorough review at least once a year to look for any deep wounds or scratches. A few scrapes, light scratches, or nicks are signs of normal wear and tear that would be expected from use on beaches and in the sea; but anything serious, or anything that looks like it could hinder normal operation needs to be repaired. If in doubt, get in touch.

Lastly, while your kayak is designed to require minimal maintenance, it’s always a good idea to rinse your boat and any hardware after you’ve been in salt, brackish, or polluted water. Use mild soap and water and then rinse when complete. After drying your kayak, store it on its side under some form of shelter from the elements, particularly avoiding excessive heat build-up from the sun. If you can, store it inside for the winter, else use a mooring cover.

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