Outdoor Industry Products and Innovations: Modular

Point 65 Degrees North Kayaks - Background and Designer Information . . .

I would like to introduce you to Point 65 Degrees North Kayaks. Owner, Richard Ohman is a true innovator and has a knack for bringing in some of worlds most revered engineers to make his ideas a reality. Hall of Fame sea kayaker, Nigel Foster joined Point 65 in the latter part of 2007. He pioneered designs for many sea kayaks including The Rumour by Current Designs, but was unhappy with later versions of these boats. In early 2008, Nigel announced he was working with Point 65 and unveiled the Whisky 16 -- characterized by Nigel as a quick responsive touring boat that is easy enough to spin without edging, yet even quicker on edge - and thrives in rough conditions.

This past year Point 65 has been receiving notoriety for boats other than their world class touring fleet. If the name Magnus de Brito rings a bell at all, then you are definitely up on your engineering innovations of the last decade. Magnus has been involved in design projects for industry giants like Porsche, Intelligent Sound, and Pirelli. His Pirelli boat design won the prestigious Red Dot Design award for "Best of the Best" in 2009, and is responsible for streamlining parts of the new generation Porsche Carrera 997 and Carrera GT. With his extensive design experience in marine design technology - experience not usually available to kayak companies - Magnus has designed many of Point 65's kayaks, but his two modular kayak designs - the Tequila sit-on-top and the new for 2011 Martini sit-inside - are truly revolutionary to the kayak industry.

Point 65's Tequila and Martini . . .

2010 saw the Tequila enter the market with excitement, wonder, and apprehension. The ambivalence toward the Tequila was mainly due to the question of whether a modular take-apart kayak could still have the same stability and maneuverability that other sit-on-top kayaks are known for. The prevailing answer was a resounding yes, and then some. The Tequila not only tested amazingly well, but received countless accolades along the way. An ISPO Finalist for "Best New Hardgood," Red Dot Design Award Honorable Mention 2010, and Popular Science's prestigious 2010 "Best of What's New" winner to name a few.

It is by far the lightest sit-on-top kayak on the market (24.3 lbs per section) and maybe the feature that runs a close second to its ability to be taken apart, is the ability to add sections to convert the Tequila into a Tandem, a Thrandem, a Fourdem, or more as the guys at Point 65 illustrated at the 2010 Summer OR show. I'm sure if you were at the show, you saw 9 people paddling a 41' foot craft on the lake.

The possibilities are now endless for many people who once thought owning a kayak was impossible due to storage limitations, weight, cost, or convenience. There are other companies out there that make take apart or folding kayaks. Usually it takes quite a long time to put together all of those structure poles, inflate the boat, then clean it off before deflating it and trying to cram it back into the impossibly small bag they give you to store it in. The foldable kayaks are a joke - super heavy, and just plain terrible in terms of performance. The Tequila and Martini snap together in literally 10 seconds! Check out this link to see it firsthand: TEQUILA VIDEO.

2011 introduces the Martini - the next innovation by Point 65 in the form of a take apart, sit inside kayak that, like the Tequila, can be made into a tandem by adding a mid-piece. During my time as a salesman at the retail level, I ran into countless customers that wanted a tandem kayak, however the first question they had was:

"If I wanted to take this boat out by myself, would I be able to paddle it solo?"

The answer is a resounding NO in most instances, and even when there is an adjustment to a tandem kayak's seat, paddling something that large by yourself is about as easy as pulling a semi in neutral. Well, maybe not that bad, but if you've tried to paddle a tandem you know it is extremely hard work and very frustrating. Further, the pain of loading a backbreaking 60+lb tandem kayak measuring 15+ feet in length is a painstaking process. I've done it, and it is no picnic.

Martini montage

The Martini provides a solution to all of these problems and more. No need to buy two kayaks anymore. The mid-sections transform the Martini into a multi-paddler kayak in 10 seconds flat. Add another midsection for extra storage, or to bring along your dog, or your toddler. No more gripes from your little ones having to sit on your lap making it difficult to paddle your boat. With two mid-sections, your son or daughter, grandson, or granddaughter can sit comfortably in the middle section where you can have your eyes on them at all times. The features are plentiful with an integrated rudder in the hull providing precision tracking, while the cup holder serves its much needed purpose, and the Paddlepark frees your hands when you are lounging, or baiting your line to hook a big one.

Check out http://www.point65.com for videos and information on these amazing new innovations. Also click on this link to see Richard Ohman's blog and the April 2011 Outside Magazine write up praising the Martini for its ingenuity writing, "That's why Point 65's Martini is so brilliant."

Back by popular demand - another one of our team's RETAIL TIPS OF THE DAY. "If it's true then preach the truth all day long!" If a product has unique points that are specific to one, two, or a hundred customers, make sure you know those points. It is the easiest sale you will ever make. If a customer comes in looking for a take-apart kayak and you say, "Sorry, we don't have those." and he points to a Martini sitting on your wall, 9 times out of 10 he is going to walk out thinking what a rag-tag operation they are running here. 99 times out of 100, sales associates should have more knowledge than the customers. Of course there is that google-laden gearhead who knows the chine pitch, resin density, and the best color boat to match his eyes, so I am leaving him as the outlier. Check the points below for just a short list of perfect customers to match with either a Tequila or a Martini and get sellin' guys and gals.

Breakdown Points:

✓ People who are unable to lift heavy kayaks.

✓ People who live in apartments or condos with no place to store a kayak.

✓ People who can't put a rack on their car, or those unwilling, or unable to spend extra money on a pricey roof rack.

✓ People who want a tandem, but also want to paddle it solo.

✓ People with cottages and want a kayak that has the potential to handle multiple people - cousins, aunts, uncles, friends etc who are visiting.

✓ People who travel with an RV and want something compact.

✓ People who travel on vacations once or twice a year and want to ship their kayaks to where they are going to be, these kayaks can be shipped UPS in sections.

✓ And the list goes on. There are so many uses for these boats and I'm sure dealers and retailers can see the possibilities.

Outside Mag Digs Point New Rig

At last month's Paddlesport 2011 in the Garden State, our Point team witnessed the demand for these boats firsthand. Patrons and industry moguls were lined up before our team even arrived to get a look at the new Martini. All the boats that were brought to the event sold. One woman was so ecstatic that she practically had tears in her eyes saying that she paddled her whole life and when she retired she moved into a condo with no place to store a kayak. Plus, she remarked that the weight of most kayaks is too much to lift by herself. The Martini has given her another opportunity to participate in an activity she has loved her whole life.

Happy Prius owner now able to trunk her Teqila

Earlier this year Point 65 contracted with WYNIT, Inc. to be the sole distributor of Point 65 kayaks in the US. WYNIT has 20 years of experience distributing products in the US, offering competitive pricing, no-minimum order requirements, and same day shipping.

For retailer inquiries in the US please contact Josh Marino at Marino.Midwest@gmail.com