The Pursuit of Ultimate
We started by asking the question, “What qualities does a kayak need to be the best… the ultimate, touring kayak?” We asked all our fans and thousands of kayakers. We got lots of feedback, then we went to work. That was in 2015 and it has been our relentless pursuit since.
Honouring Beginnings
Reinventing a watercraft that's over 4,000 years old has not been easy. But it's been a fun challenge and one heck of a journey. Honouring the Inuit origins of the skin-on-frame kayak is something that we know makes our modern watercraft unique and special.
How To Begin
Our team started out by compiling hundreds of survey submissions from our community to learn what features, qualities and capabilities a portable skin on frame kayak would need in order to be worthy of the title "Ultimate".
We arrived on the following Benefit / Experience / Perception qualities in order to rank importance and must-have characteristics for the TRAK.
- Tough, Durable, Rigid, Lasting
- Quality Construction, Components, Well-Designed
- Stores Easily, Available When Needed
- Performance, Paddles like a Hardshell
- Easy of Setup, Assembly
- Portable, You can take it with you
- Versatility, Changes Shape, Suitable for a Range of Paddlers
These features were measured in a number of ways, and compared to other kayaks in the current market place. We compiled that all into a big spreadsheet.
Expanding the idea of the Touring Kayak
When we think of a "touring kayak", most paddlers think of long trips, expeditions and weeks long adventures. While we love those journeys as well, we wanted a boat that travels to and from those adventures just as seamlessly as it paddles. TRAK Kayaks were developed to re-imagine that idea of a touring kayak that tours well itself!
Unexpected Uses
While developing a "touring kayak" for oceans, lakes and hard to reach waterways, we stumbled upon more and more TRAK paddlers who loved the ease of portability for urban storage, or transportation by bicycle, or not needing a roof rack to transport as key aspects of their boat. We've since incorporated those aspects as a key focus of our development.
Next Month's TRAKing Our Course
Do you know the SOURCE of the kayak? We've discovered that its history is as brave, resilient, and raw as the people who created it. We are honored to share this history with you, and we believe that in order to evolve, you must venture back to your roots to identify where you came from.
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