There’s a new rec kayak company hitting the market, with a launch this winter on Kickstarter. Trident— a new line of modular rec kayaks utilizing a new construction method yielding a rigid hull at half the weight of comparable plastic hulls—is founded by Greg Ferris, owner of Iowa’s Adventure Designs. We caught up with him for more on his new design:
Paddling Life: How and why did you come up with the idea?
Ferris: I developed the Trident family of kayaks because I see how much trouble it can be to transport and store a kayak. It seems like current kayak manufacturers keep making their products bigger and heavier which is driving people to use trailers, carts, etc., which for many people flies in the face of why they kayak in the first place—a simple way to be in the outdoors. The primary mission with these products is to facilitate getting more people out on the water by making the entire experience of owning a kayak easier to manage.
Paddling Life: What makes them so unique?
Ferris: The key to this product lineup is the new, innovative construction which creates a rigid hull that has a weight comparable to many inflatables. Further, the hulls can be modular to allow transport in smaller vehicles and storage in smaller spaces. Instead of several (loud) minutes to inflate/deflate one’s kayak, the Trident Kayaks can be assembled in about one minute with no tools.
Paddling Life: What’s the material?
Ferris: This new construction is comprised of foam that is fully encapsulated with an extremely tough coating; and all of this is done in the Midwest. The foam is cut rather than molded which is key in allowing for such a broad range of hull configurations and integration of a la carte’ options.
Paddling Life: What’s the price-point?
Ferris: The price points are inline with other high-quality kayaks on the market that are comparable in size and performance. The best pricing that will ever be offered will be included in the early-bird offers in the Kickstarter campaign where there’s a limited number at that price followed be still discounted pricing after those are sold out.
Paddling Life: What’s your paddling background?
Ferris: My paddling background started out as simply paddling rivers in Iowa to be in the outdoors. Later in life I discovered kayak fishing, and developed a love/hate relationship with it primarily because of wind. About five years ago I developed the Trident Explorer which is a very unique personal boat built around a system of paddling using one’s feet to drive the paddle. With your hands totally free and being extremely maneuverable, this system works very well to counteract wind and keep yourself right where you want to be. This system is also available on the Trident Kayak, however the kayak was developed to be more diverse and a great choice for someone who wants to use their kayak for recreation and fishing alike.
Watch YouTube video here:
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Link to a brief slideshow on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_m_OPflWQ7s
Link to Kickstarter preview page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/trident-kayak/trident-family-of-kayaks-innovation-on-the-water