Kayakers may think that they are among the most environmentally conscious people out there, as nature lovers and such, but a lot goes on behind the scenes that we don’t really think about. Neoprene, magical material that it is, does have some environmental impact stemming from the materials and process used to make it. Todd Copeland at Patagonia has a good explanation about the environmental impact of neoprene made from petroleum versus limestone. TLDR? Petroleum neoprene is bad because of oil, limestone neoprene is bad because of the mining.
But now there may be a third option that has recently been developed by a company called GreenSmart.
Neogreene is the GreenSmart trade name for the collection of products made from a proprietary formulation of thermoplastic elastomer foam. TPE-G2 foams provide the unique physical properties of traditional rubber foam products but with the processing efficiency of plastics.TPE plastics have long been used in automotive, electrical, and toy industries however a TPE foam suitable for sportswear application had yet to be introduced. Our neogreene formulation has been modified to also match the Shore A value a hardness test method similar to SBR, rubber, and CR neoprene foam. This modification opens up the opportunity to offer the performance and environmental benefits of neogreene for bags.
No word yet on if and when there are plans to use this for wetsuits, gloves, or little wet booties for your kayak-loving little feet. But we are one step closer to being even more smug and self-righteous about our ever increasing eco-consciousness!
For those of you who like to DIY, you may find yourself working with neoprene from time to time whether you are making your own spray skirt or kayak seat, or patching up some of your gear. However, you can’t always expect the neoprene you cut yourself to be as clean as the pieces coming out of the wetsuit factory. There are several outfits that cut neoprene industrially. The methods they use are usually better suited for mass production, and include die cutting, laser cutting, and even water jet cutting. Die cutting, for example, requires a blade shaped specifically to cut the shape of the part – this means it’s not worth it to die cut a single part, but can be very efficient for high volume production. Laser and water jet cutting require expensive equipment that no one in their right mind would purchase for a low volume job.
If you are cutting neoprene for a DIY job or a prototype, you have a number of options available:
Scissors – This is your first option because it’s very likely that you already have a pair lying around. But cutting neoprene is not like cutting paper or cloth, so you have to make sure your scissors are particularly sharp. If you have a sharpener, it will be worth it to sharpen up those blades before cutting rather than gnawing through the neoprene with a dull pair. You may also find that there’s a limit to the thickness of the neoprene that you can effectively cut with scissors.
Razor blade – If you only need to cut the neoprene in straight lines, this is a good way to do it. Lay the neoprene sheet flat on a cutting board, line up a metal edged ruler with the cut line, and slice slowly and steadily with the razor blade, bearing lightly against the ruler. This also works with very sharp knives, such as X-acto knives. It is possible, of course, to cut curves with a blade, but it may take some more practice to do it cleanly.
Rotary cutter and mat – A rotary cutter has a circular blade and a handle, and resembles a small pizza cutter. You can use one of these in conjunction with a cutting mat to cut more complex shapes out of neoprene. Lay the neoprene sheet flat on the cutting board. Trace the pattern first using chalk, then roll over it with the cutting wheel. Not that many people have one of these just lying around the house, but they are not too expensive if you think you will be cutting more in the future.
When cutting neoprene, be careful not to stretch it, or your final shape may be deformed. This is another reason why the cutting wheel often works better than scissors.
There was a time when I was really intrigued by this inflatable kayak. It seemed like a nice quick-and-dirty way to get on the water without a lot of fuss. And by quick-and dirty, I mean cheap. In this case, cheap means $214.00 for a single kayak and $279.00 for a double kayak. But I am no longer intrigued, only because common sense reminded me that I already have three kayaks.
Qayak appears to be a fairly new company, and there seems to be only a few spotty reviews on the web about these inflatable kayaks. It’s also troubling to see that some people have complained about the quality of qayaks. Such a small number of reviews is not necessarily trustworthy, so I still have to wonder if the reputation is deserved. Come on, people! If you’ve paddled one of these, let us know what you think!
Folbot loves me. And not just because I have about $4000 worth of kayaks from them. I know because they sent me an email, direct to my inbox, full of pictures of candy hearts. The aforementioned email also said (and this is a direct quote), “I love you”. They even offered me 20% off a new Greenland II kayak, or 20% off two Cooper kayaks. I think they really like me.
Sale ends on February 8, 2010. Does anyone else think it’s odd to have a Valentine’s Day sale that ends before Valentine’s Day?
Instructables member “1337 2.0″ has demonstrated his 1337ness by building this kayak from water bottles. Not only is it environmentally friendly to recycle, but this kayak could potentially save your life if you were, by chance, stranded on an deserted island where water bottles and chicken wire were constantly washing up on shore. It is also camouflaged if you happen to be paddling through polluted trashy waters. Not bad for a first instructable…
“Exploring the limits of human power” is as appropriate a phrase as any describing Greg Kolodziejzyk. And by “human power”, I mean “human insanity”. Greg is planning to pedal from Canada to Hawaii, over 3,000 miles.
Greg’s boat “WiTHiN” is a feat in itself, and there is a nice Picasa album of the development and build process here:
The design is loosely based on the modern kayak, but is barely recognizable as such, after being customized with a lot of fancy electronics and creature comforts. I haven’t yet found out the origin of the name WiTHiN, or the reason for its apparently random capitalization. I can only speculate that it is some sort of acronym. “Wise Thin Hiking Ninja”, perhaps.
In summary, these two kayakers ventured out into treacherous waters after being warned not to. On one hand, that’s how you live your life to the fullest. On the other hand, it’s how you become a burden on society. Should these guys be charged for their own rescue?
The cost of most land or water search and rescue in New Zealand tends to fall on taxpayers, with ACC often paying out.
In some cases, organisations send bills to people such as the two kayakers, who are now arguing that their rescue from the swollen Shotover River near Queenstown was not necessary.
There seems to be some kind of threshold of fault that decides whether or not we think they should be charged. If they were completely innocent we would rescue them for free, but we are not going to bail them out at our own expense if they were just being intentionally stupid. The reality is probably somewhere in between – so maybe they should be charged the partial rescue cost?
Another solution for future rescues would be to announce over a PA system from the helicopter, “We’ve decided that your perilous situation is a result of your own stupidity and/or recklessness. Would you like to purchase rescue services for $4,000?” Ok, just kidding. That’s terribly impractical. The best opportunity for sarcasm comes when the rescued kayakers claim the rescue was not necessary. Yes, you seemed to have everything under control with your broken finger and missing kayak.
But then again, I wasn’t there, so what do I know? And sometimes a little stupidity does pay off with some fabulous life experience. And sometimes it doesn’t…
Mr Smith said the bottom line was that “even stupid people deserve to be rescued”.
It’s very nice that Trak kayaks has their own Youtube channel, and it’s a great way for them to market their boats. I, for one, appreciate seeing how any folding kayak is assembled, although maybe I will look for one where the assembly is not sped up as it is in this video. Are we supposed to get some skewed view of how fast and easy it is to assemble? It’s not working on me, buddy!
In any case, the tight skin of the Trak T1600 will appeal to those of you (like me) who have OCD about that sort of thing. There is also a nice view of the “Keder Storage System” in use, which is the zipper-like closure behind the cockpit.
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