As is often the case, it was a windswept day when I arrived on the beautiful island of Anglesey to meet founder and owner of one of the most respected sea kayaking brands in the world, Rockpool Kayaks. The island off the north coast of Wales is full of low-lying hills and farms and is rich in history with megalithic monuments hinting at the cultures that once occupied this region.
The unassuming Rockpool factory in Holyhead barely hints at what a handful of skilled workers are doing behind the factory doors. It is here that among the best sea kayaks in the world are designed, developed and manufactured adhering to the highest of standards and innovation and build quality with plenty of performance records set over the years showcasing what the various models can achieve.
After introducing myself and the company, Mike was keen to learn more about Thailand and was intrigued as we discussed the background of TANKstore, the people of Thailand, geography and of course the kayaking scene in the country!
The Rockpool team builds 2-3 sea kayaks a week, generally 1 third being sold to people in the UK, 1 third to Europe and 1 third to the rest of the world. More recently though the brands presence is growing in regions such as Canada and the US and now Thailand thanks to TANKstore. Amazingly, Rockpool Kayaks does no marketing other than occasional posts on Facebook and some print magazine adverts, word of mouth drives business and the brand has established a loyal fanbase that has built up over the years.
It is this word of mouth that has increased orders so much so that there is now a 12-month waiting list, but does this put people off I ask? ‘I do expect people to cancel the order when I tell them the waiting time, but everyone is understanding because they appreciate the time to craft kayaks of this quality’ Mike says.
Covid has been challenging for everyone around the world and certainly tested the commitment of the team to complete kayaks on time. Aside from lockdowns in the UK, supply issues which have affected all industries, greatly impacted the kayaking industry. Resources such as fibre glass and resin were almost finished, prices have skyrocketed and then the global shortage of shipping containers meant that delivering orders proved very difficult. To worsen things, with the UK leaving the European Union, delivery to countries within the Union presented yet more problems.
Slowly but surely the team returned from Covid lockdowns, supplies became more readily available and shipping issues eased and thanks to the resilience of the company, the order book is larger than it’s ever been. I asked whether there were any plans to increase the size of the team but Mike said; ‘thankfully companies like TANKstore appreciate the quality and time it takes to build the sea kayaks, expansion is difficult as it’s not easy finding the staff and training them to the standards I require’. For now, the company will continue in its current location where it has always been and there is a friendly family like atmosphere between the companies that share the industrial estate, and everyone helps everybody if needed.
So why has sea kayaking exploded in popularity? Mike describes sea kayaking like walking – quite a strange analogy I thought to myself but Mike clarified ‘you can walk up Everest or you can walk to the shops, the same is true of sea kayaking, you can kayak in the most extreme, rough seas or a flat, calm beautiful bay’ and people are starting to realize that yes you can buy a Rockpool kayak to enjoy nature, peace and tranquility thus they’re not just being bought by avid kayaking enthusiasts to tackle the roughest of seas or to attempt a navigation record.
With international travel restricted during Covid, people have been turning to other activities to keep themselves occupied - kayaking being one of them, and with the need to unwind and switch off from the world becoming ever more important, outdoor adventure activities and sports should continue to see growth. We discussed whether it would continue once people start travelling again and there is some apprehension but Mike was optimistic it will.
So how did the company get started? Mike initially had a background in engineering but quickly found out from a young age that he had a natural talent for building windsurf boards so started making them full time. After a while people started asking for sea kayaks so Mike moved into building those and mentioned ‘once I took a sample to a show and quickly sold it, so it took off from there’. He goes on to say, ‘People liked the designs, the lightweight quality so we stuck to that’. The company remained premium quality as not to compete with other countries who could mass produce cheap kayaks and the ethos was to make kayaks that people truly appreciated.
At the time the lightweight kayaks that existed were generally used by professional athletes so offering performance kayaks made from the best materials to regular consumers was unusual and no doubt made the brand stick out in the early days. Later on, professional kayaker John Willacy who represented Great Britain in Wild Water Racing and Canoe Slalom joined the team and helped develop the Taran 18. John’s solo sea kayaking records are considered holy grails in the kayaking community and firmly put the brand on the map.
I asked Mike what the inspiration for the design was, and it was a simple answer. Anglesea has some of the roughest seas in the world and some of the best kayakers in the world so the mandate was simple. ‘Make a kayak that was strong enough and maneuverable enough to handle the ocean on our doorstep’. Mike showed me the factory floor where various kayaks were in different stages of construction, including a Taran 16 bound for Sweden having a subtle glitter finish applied, bulkheads were being prepared and a bow has recently come out of the mould and being prepped for finishing.
Mike explained that the Taran 16 is the most popular model at this moment, perhaps due to its slightly shorter length making it easier for storage and transportation, with the Tarantella recently becoming more popular. This low volume sea kayak specifically designed for smaller, lighter paddlers and features the same distinctive bow, long waterline, high front deck and flat hull of the Taran. The Isel and Eto have the more traditional hull shape and combine stability, speed and responsive handling whilst the Menai is designed for a larger framed person who wants the most out of an expedition boat.
As we looked around the factory discussing the various models and stages of construction, Mike occasionally had to tend to the building process in person as alarms went off requiring Mike’s meticulous attention to detail. Mike then continued to make adjustments to a mould to reduce wear over time showing the continuing need to innovate and evolve to remain at the forefront of sea kayaking technology. We then moved to a holding area with 20+ sea kayaks ready for delivery to countries such as Canada, Denmark, Australia and Scotland.
So do you have time to go kayaking I asked Mike. ‘I generally look out the front door and if the weather is nice I’ll go out alone to paddle a few miles, enjoy the nature and solitude, I don’t do big trips’ Mike explained.
Something I think we can all do more of. As we said our goodbyes I asked if there were any final words for customers in Thailand. ‘I look forward to more customers buying Rockpool kayaks in Thailand, but I hope the finishing is not as complex as the last order! Mike quipped.
