Video – The story behind Lekker Kayaks

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I’m excited to share this video about the story behind Lekker Kayaks. Whether you find it brief or lengthy (that might depend on your TikTok habits!), it offers a bit of insight into my journey and mission.

A special thank you to Ruan Kotze for his exceptional work on this project. He did a fantastic job of showcasing what I do and featuring a bit of the stunning Cape Town waters that serve as our playground.

If you like this, check out www.lekkerkayaks.com and follow Lekker on Facebook: Lekker Kayaks

Have the best day ever!

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On December 7, 2010, time stood still for an agonizing moment, for me and for others who considered Hendri Coetzee a close friend. Hendri was one of the world’s best whitewater paddlers, especially when it came to expedition paddling. More than that, he was a philosopher, an intellectual, and generally a tough guy with utmost savvy when it came to the African bush. But on that fateful day in 2010, his life came to an end when a crocodile took him from his kayak during an expedition on the Lukuga River in the DRC.

For those who are not familiar with Hendri’s life and philosophy, I suggest that you visit https://livingthebestdayever.com/ to read more about him. More importantly, do yourself a favour and order a copy of his book “Living the best day ever“, which was published posthumously.

A few days after the tragedy, I wrote a piece about Hendri as my friend and as a Fluid team paddler, which ended up being quoted widely in the press at the time. I copy the piece at the bottom of this post.

In 2011, I decided to honour Hendri’s memory by making his personal motto “Have the best day ever!” the slogan of Fluid Kayaks, my company at the time. I announced this in Fluid’s 2011 brochure, pictured below, and proudly displayed that on all our media.

After I left Fluid in 2014, the slogan was remove from Fluid’s media and replaced with something like “get out there”. It’s been haunting me ever since. It felt like sacrilege.

Now, 10 years later, I am in a position again to honour Hendri’s memory in the same fashion. After getting the blessing from Hendri’s mother, whom I hold in very high regard, I just made “Have the best day ever!” the official slogan of Lekker Kayaks, my new kayak brand.

My tribute to Hendri Coetzee, written in December 2010:

Hendri walked into my office a couple of years ago, asking for sponsorship. By that time we knew about each other for a while already, but haven’t met yet. My answer was an obvious yes, his reputation for running the hardest stuff was already growing. Since then a close relationship grew between two paddlers who discussed everything except paddling. Our connection through paddling was too obvious, there was no need to talk about it. Instead our talks was about life. Hendri was a keen observer of life’s nuances and how people react to it. He tried to make sense of it all, and managed to do it in a way that few people are privileged to do. He completed a degree in psychology, part time, in between his expeditions. To him the degree was never a big deal, the theory was merely another tool to observe life.

Hendri was never a guy for half measures. When he decided to do a source to sea, he chose the longest river in the world, the White Nile. The journey took a few months to complete. When he decided to run the major part of the Congo River solo, he spent a few months in the DRC ahead of the kayak mission to learn to speak Swahili and to get to know the area better. When he has done the Murchison section of the Nile a few times as expedition leader, a continues class 5 section of big volume rapids with countless hippos and crocs, every time taking a couple of days to do it, he decided to do it solo in two days, a feat that is unlikely to ever be met. When he went to Thailand for some yoga, he didn’t go for a week or two, he went for three months. When he went to Norway to run some steep stuff, he did it with hand paddles. When he landed in Uganda the first time to paddle the Nile, he wasn’t content with the lines that everybody ran, instead he opened many of the back channels with much more challenging rapids.

Hendri was without doubt one of the greatest river explorers of our time. He was also the most humble of them all. He didn’t know what self- promotion is. It took me years to convince him to share some of his exploits and thoughts to the world, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who tried. When he did it finally by starting his blog http://greatwhiteexplorer.blogspot.com/ a few months ago, his writings were an inspiration to countless people. His view on life was unique, his quest for the best day ever was relentless.

When Hendri told me about the ambitious project he would embark on with Ben Stookesberry and kie as expedition leader, which would turn out to be his final mission, I wanted to send him a new boat. Any other paddler would have said yes, but Hendri’s answer was no. He told me he has never been one for shiny stuff, he was happy with his trusty, scratched old E Solo that he used during his Congo mission earlier this year. In fact, when I sent him the E Solo early this year for his Congo mission, he asked for a second hand boat that has been scratched already.

Hendri was a great chess player. Our count on matches won was even, and we were constantly planning to get together for the ultimate game to see who is really best. It hurts to know that game will never be played.

Hendri was more than just a team paddler. He was a great friend, a great expedition paddler and a true legend even in his own lifetime.

Lekker Kayaks – Skimmer

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My range of kayaks keeps growing… Here is the second touring kayak in my Lekker line-up, the Skimmer!

The Skimmer (501cm / 16’5″) is probably my personal favourite in the touring line-up. It is no secret that I love speed and multiday trips. At the same time, I want a responsive hull and good stability for long days on the water. I designed the Skimmer to provide all that, and more.

A lot more info is available here: lekkerkayaks.com/skimmer. First ones will be available in SA from Nov 2024, and in the USA from early 2025. If you want one, let me know!

Lekker Kayaks – Piper

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Since my first child was born 19 years ago, getting kids into paddling and designing kayaks for that purpose has been a real passion for me.

I believe that the vast majority of kids should start out paddling with sit-on-tops. As a result, I designed two kids sit-on-tops in the past. The first was the Fluid Vaya, back in 2005. The second was the Vagabond Kwando in 2018. My kids grew up paddling the Vaya first, and later switched to the Kwando when I started manufacturing that. These two models have been instrumental in teaching them paddling skills and nurturing a love for paddling and the outdoors. At the same time, the hands-on experience and feedback that I received from them, as well as other kids who used the same, helped me to come up with the ultimate kids design.

Now I bring to you the Piper. Based on what I’ve done before, but more refined and with past glitches fixed. I foresee the Piper becoming the go-to kayak for parents with young children.

Check out lekkerkayaks.com/piper for more info. First ones will be available in SA from Nov 2024, and in the USA from early 2025. Let me know if you want to preorder one!

Lekker Kayaks – Albatross

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I’m excited about every kayak I design. However, my excitement for the Albatross might be even more than usual, simply because this is what I got the most requests for from paddlers and commercial operators over the past two years, and I believe I’ve really nailed this design. I trust that this will become my most successful double-seater sit-on-top ever, which says a lot, given the legacy of the Fluid Synergy and Vagabond Mazowe.

Check it out at lekkerkayaks.com/albatross for more info. First ones will be available in SA from Nov 2024, and in the USA from early 2025. Let me know if you want to preorder one!

Lekker Kayaks – Gull

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I’m happy to announce the second new model in the Lekker lineup, the Gull.

The Gull is a true pocket rocket. At 425cm/14′ it is on the short side for a surfski, but it carries enough speed for experienced paddles to enjoy in rough conditions, while having all the stability that a beginner needs to get into surfski paddling. On top of that, it boasts hatches front and back, making it a double up as a touring kayak too.

Head over to www.lekkerkayaks.com/gull for more info. First ones will be available in SA from Nov 2024, and in the USA from early 2025. Let me know if you want to preorder one!

Lekker Kayaks – Osprey

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Here is my first new release, which marks the start of my range of touring kayaks.

The Osprey is a 430cm/14′ touring kayak, with as much high performance as you can pack into such a compact design. It is super stable and very maneuverable, and still pretty fast. With a longer-than-standard cockpit, it also handles bigger guys well.

Head over to www.lekkerkayaks.com/osprey for more info. First ones will be available in SA from Nov 2024, and in the USA from early 2025. Let me know if you want to preorder one!

Lekker Kayaks

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After a 5 year hiatus, I’m finally getting back to writing on my blog. My life went through major turmoil after Covid: two relocations, business partner troubles, factory problems, losing what I’ve built up and generally a crushing of dreams. It’s been a rough ride.

Two years ago I said “never again”. I thought creating two kayak brands, Fluid Kayaks and Vagabond Kayaks, was enough. I kept myself busy with CAD design work for multiple international brands, designing everything from whitewater to touring to fishing to surfski to recreational kayaks for clients all over the globe, as well as some other industrial parts and fittings. At the same time I grew my paddle brand, CEKR, with no intention to create a new kayak brand again.

Yet, time heals wounds. My head keeps spinning with new ideas for kayaks; some completely novel concepts, some building on designs I’ve done in the past. Paddlers keep bugging me for new designs, while giving me feedback on what they currently use. Commercial operators keep asking me what’s next, they need something better. Dealers ask when I’ll have something they can sell again.

All this built momentum until it reached a point where it would be harder not to create a new brand. It appears I have more to offer to the world of paddling.

So here we go. Lekker Kayaks is live! It is still a somewhat bare-bones website, but it will continue to grow and get more refined as I have a lot of new content to work with.

This time around I’m doing things differently. Firstly, I’m not setting up a factory again. I’ve been doing projects with suppliers over the past two years that I’ve gotten to trust, and I have full confidence that they can manufacture to the quality that I expect. That leaves me free to focus on what I enjoy most: R&D.

Secondly, the range will be more diverse than what I’ve done before. With Fluid, my main focus was on whitewater kayaks that were distributed all over the world, with some recreational sit-on-tops thrown in (which turned out to be the best selling sit-on-tops in South Africa, my local market). With Vagabond, the main focus was on high performance recreational sit-on-tops, with a bit of whitewater. Now, with Lekker, I’m doing quite a different mix. Don’t want to let the cat out of the bag prematurely, but expect to see some interesting models being released over the next few months. It’s certainly my best work to date!

Does your design add value?

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I was asked recently to quote on a design project. I quoted around R5,000 for the CAD design, which was a very reasonable amount considering the complexity of the job (quite complex but not a big job), the hours I would spend doing it, and the substantial base knowledge I have of the specific type of product. The tooling for the product would cost the potential customer about R120,000 to get made. Imagine my surprise when the customer let me know that they had decided that my quote was a bit much for them, so they would do the design in-house.

Now, I know with certainty that no-one at this particular company has any reasonable knowledge of the specific type of product. They also know my skill set, and acknowledge that my design will be better than their own. Nonetheless, they would rather save a little money upfront and then go ahead to spend a chunk of money on a tool in order to manufacture a product for the next few years that will not be nearly as good as it could and should have been.

This specific quote is not a big deal in the bigger scheme of things, but it typified one of my biggest pet hates in this world, both as a designer and as a businessman.

My reasoning is simple: to make a tool for a product costs what it costs, regardless of whether it is a good design or a bad design. To manufacture the actual product costs what it costs, regardless of whether it is a good design or a bad design. Yes, there could be cost differences as a result of using more expensive vs cheap material, and yes, sometime a really good design may require a more complex manufacturing process. But, for the vast majority of products on the market, the manufacturing cost is what it is, no matter how good or bad the initial design.

So, why on earth would anyone spend the money on expensive tooling to make a product to sell, if the design does not aim to be the best it can be? Some products are designed to fail to make them consumables, and this is another pet hate of mine. But, many products that were clearly not intended to be consumables tend to fail miserably after minimal use, or are simply not as practical or as user friendly as they could have been with very minor design changes – without costing a cent more to manufacture.

Every designer knows that no design is ever perfect. It can always be better. In the development of any new product, the line has to be drawn at some point where development (and the associated costs) needs to stop and the product must be put into production to start earning money. This point could be determined by a physical deadline like a trade show or a seasonal market that is about to kick in, or it may be determined by the budget (often both seem to converge at the same point!). But, every designer worth his salt will aim to reach that line with the design at 80% or 90% of what can be achieved with current knowledge and limitations.

My regular frustrations with so many products that we often use tells me that a large number of designers settle at 20% or 30%. Is this because they simply cannot do better? Is it because they do not care? Is it because their employers/clients do not care? Is there just not enough time to do things properly? What I know with certainty is that for the vast majority of products on the market, the cost of design (literally, the cost of paying a designer), is a fraction of the total costs involved in the lifespan of each product.

As I said to a friend of mine today, when we discussed this matter, there is a big difference between drawing something and designing something. Many products are just drawn, with little deep thought and little real understanding of the product. Good design costs more, but it will make the capital investment so much more worthwhile, and will actually give joy to the users of the product instead of frustration.

I often think of a speech that a lecturer in my final year at varsity gave to us, just before our final exams. Yes, that was 23 years ago, but I still remember it because it resonated with me. The main premise of his message was that it is our duty as engineers to add value. That’s quite a powerful message, and in my mind it sets the criteria for evaluating our own work. If more designers, manufacturers and brands would take this to heart, then we may see a more even spread of good, usable, durable products out there instead of pockets of brilliance and a sea of garbage.

About life-changing experiences

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I often hear people talk or write about a life-changing experience. Sometimes they refer to trauma or having a child born or having a religious turn-around, but most often, at least in my larger circle of acquaintances (read: facebook friends), they refer to an adventurous experience of some sort. It could be a kayak expedition, a week in the mountains, hiking a Camino, doing a big adventure race, a month on the South Pole, backpacking through Europe, the list goes on.

I just read another post by someone who claimed to have had a life-changing experience, and it got me thinking about this phenomenon. Does it really changes one’s life? What changes? Is the change permanent, or is there a limited lifespan to this change? If so, what is the half-life of the change? And if the change is permanent, how many times can one’s life be changed by life-changing experiences?

My hypothesis is this: One’s life can only be changed in a fundamental way a couple of times over your lifespan. By definition, a fundamental change should change your outlook on life, your habits, your relationships, your chosen form of relaxation, your body image, and so on. These things don’t change easily and don’t change often. If your life changes fundamentally on a regular base, you are probably suffering from a serious mental condition.

So what to make of these life-changing experiences? Is everyone lying, or have these just become buzz-words to describe any experience that is out of the ordinary? The fact that an experience is different from your every-day life, does it mean that it changes your life?

I have been fortunate enough to have done a whole lot of different missions throughout my life that would fall in this category of life-changing experiences. I often relate the stories of a 7-day hike I did in the Drakensberg when I was 12, and the 1500km bicycle ride when I was 16. The fact that I still remember these in such clarity probably indicates that they were indeed life-changing. But did they really change me, or were these missions just the result of who I was already? What about all the other missions I did since then? Was each just a natural result of my outlook on life, or was each mission the result of the experience from the previous one?

I don’t have the answers, but I do think that some people are naturally drawn to such experiences, born with a curiosity for what lies around the corner, and with enough confidence to do something about it and find out. For people like this, it is somewhat disingenuous to call these experiences life-changing, as they are experiencing exactly what they were destined to do.

Most people, however, seem to be naturally inclined to avoid out-of-the-ordinary experiences; it could be out of fear for leaving the comfort zone or it could be out of laziness. For people like this, it can indeed be a life-changing experience if they’re put in a situation where they are physically and emotionally pushed to their limits, or even just removed very far from their normal creature comforts.

However, if you claim that such an experience was life-changing, but you never do something similar again, or if no fundamental change took place in your outlook on life, nothing has actually changed. You only had an experience that had the potential to be life-changing.

Conversely, if you do end up doing something similar again, you can’t claim to have had another life-changing experience, because you are doing it precisely because your life was changed already.

So yes, I do believe that life-changing experiences can be claimed with honesty. But use those words sparingly, otherwise they begin to sound hollow and make the experience cheap.