Well Rockpool of Anglessey has hit North America. I've been eyeing these boats for some time now and owning one may be a reality sooner than I thought. A new composition even? I Emailed Chris Mitchell of Rockpool North America and this is his reply:
Hi Stan,
Thanks for the inquiry. I have been getting alot of email interest so here is the generic answer,
"Hello,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding Rockpool Kayaks in North America. We are in the process
of developing a manufacturing operation to produce the boats here. The molds and demo boats are in transit
from the UK and I hope to see them in 3 weeks. Refining the manufacturing process
and actually producing boats ready to sell will take at least another 5 weeks. The boats are being made by an
Aerospace composites manufacturer and as such will be of the highest standard available using the latest materials. We anticipate
using an infused Epoxy process with a 2 part polyurethane finish eliminating the use of gelcoat , thereby saving 10-15 lbs over conventional
composite manufacturing. This is the same process currently used in space craft, airplanes and racing cars where an exceptional strength to weight ratio
is required.
We anticipate the finished boats to be in the $3100-$3400 range. Due to the high cost of manufacturing, we will not selling
to a dealer network so we can keep the price in line with other high end composite kayaks.
Instead we will being holding demos days around the country beginning in June or July. We are developing a website
www.rockpool.reednorthamerica.com that will have updates and schedules as soon as we receive the molds from Wales.
The site will have a place for you to sign up for those updates if you choose.
Thanks again for your inquiry,
Sincerely,
Chris Mitchell
Reed/Rockpool North America "
I am ramped over this. Reed North America is also part of their company here is the cool link:
http://rockpool.reednorthamerica.com/index.php/Rockpool-Home
photo courtesy Rockpool Gallery
3 comments:
OMG Stan, there goes our savings... Lucky thing it's for a good cause! ;-)
My thoughts absolutely Michael. It will be nice to see what their end product looks like. I am sure it will handle much like the current model if the only changes are in composition. Hope you are enjoying your trip south...I'm envious.
Paddle Safe...
Stan
Latest news is the kayaks will all be in gelcoat as this will yield a better product for the intended purpose. I'm waiting for chris to get the GT mold. He has a discount program for out-of-state buyers coming to Washington, as well as a reinburdement program to buyers for referals. Cool.
Doug Lloyd
Victoria BC
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