Swell Watercraft Hits Ground Running with WeFunder Campaign

Swell Watercraft is getting a boost from a WeFunder campaign for its sit-on-top kayak with footwells lowered below the waterline, a patent-pending scupper valve, and a lightweight, durable kayak shell.

Consulting with Ocean Kayak founder Tim Niemer, creator of the first sit-on-top kayaks in the 1970s, the company says it filled a much-awaited design gap in the industry with the fastest, most stable, and ergonomically superior sit on top on the market by putting a spin on Niemer’s original Scupper kayak with a new and improved successor.

Watch Paddling Life Interview Here:

“All the other new kayaks out there were getting wider, longer, and too heavy,” the company states on its fundraising site. “As seasoned kayakers, we felt lost at sea and decided to take matters into our own hands.”

swell

The new version has lowered footwells below the waterline, creating “a lower cockpit with a lower center of gravity, increased stability and more legroom resulting in an ergonomically superior kayak.” In one fell swoop, it says, it increased speed, comfort and stability, all in the same kayak. Its team also designed the first-of-its-kind Scupper valve that drains the cockpit easily when moving.

Swell’s kayaks are currently made in a South African factory headed by kayak designer/manufacturer Celliers Kruger, who employs a Poly2 rotomolding process that adds a foaming agent mid-production. The result, it says, is a two-layer polyethylene material that’s lighter, stiffer, more buoyant and more durable.

With the fundraising effort, Swell plans to bring this manufacturing process to the Chicago area, reducing shipping and importing costs.

Who’s Behind the Boats

Jim Marsh is the CEO and founder at Swell Watercraft, as well as the former publisher of Canoe & Kayak magazine.

Thomas Marsh brings to the team over 30 years of experience as a chemical engineer and consulting factories about manufacturing and chemical construction.

Celliers Kruger made his name in the early 2000s with his whitewater brand Fluid Kayaks in South Africa. He also manufactures high-end surf skis with his Poly2 process.