Who built it & why?

I would like to consider myself as an all round competition canoeist and have enjoyed taking part in all types of events, rough stuff and flat stuff, short stuff and long stuff. I have been paddling around in canoes and kayaks since the age of ten and first competed for Great Britain 6 years later when my partner and I won the notorious Liffey descent. I went on to win a few classic canoe races including the Devizes to Westminster 125 mile marathon & the Arctic Canoe Race, all 350 miles of it!! For the past 30 years it would be unusual for me not to have paddled over a thousand miles a year. This amount of time spent on the water has to give a feel for how a boat should look, feel and perform.

About 5 years ago I held the post of ‘Paddlesport Development Officer’ for the West Midlands. It was this job that made me realise that most people like to be beside the water but little had been designed since the pedalo that would encourage a family or group of people onto the water. I also learned that more people are self-conscious & unlikely to try something at which they might fail. Wind surfing for example has changed dramatically to provide easier and exciting equipment. In addition to these issues, an ever-increasing duty of care is required and it seems that craft legislation will increase, not go away. I wanted a boat that would exceed regulation requirements & allow a group of up to 6 people to all participate in comfort. (most people feel a lot safer in a group, both physically and emotionally.)