I have been running rivers, competing in, and selling my own whitewater kayak designs since 1992, with 1997 being my big Debut with the Wavesport X. All of my designs were created with David Knight being my design partner under the Wavesport and Jackson Kayak banners. I haven’t counted exactly, but over 100 designs over the years. X, Y, Z, XXX, ForPlay, Score, Mutant, Evo, EZ, Big Ez, Super EZ, Ace 2.1 (dane’s orange prototype ), and the list goes on… Fun 1, Rocker, Hero, All-Stars, Rock Stars, Villain, Nirvana, Zens, etc. etc. Ricochet, Rocket, HotLanta (Slalom boats)… Karma Unlimited, MixMaster, Dynamic Duo… Each kayak was a project in of itself. The design, the graphics, the plugs, molds, molding, outfitting, assembly. manufacturing, team, sales. Each kayak is like a child to me. I care about the boat, I care about the people paddling the boat.
Competition kayaks- I want people to win in the kayak, it is what they expect. They expect an advantage, or they would be in another boat. Apex Watercraft is about to be the banner under which I can express myself in the form of new kayak innovations. It starts with the Ringer. When Extreme slalom was added to the 2024 Olympics and now is a part of every World Cup and World Championships, there was a need for a boat specifically designed to give athlete’s an advantage over designs created for general paddling and not considering all of the key elements for this sport. Yes, the ringer will also be the most fun 1/2 slice on the market, and be the best 9′ racing kayak for any race, if I did it right. Luckily I was on the USA Extreme Slalom Team and went to two World Cups and the World Championships. I met with many of the top Extreme Slalom Racers and coaches. I got a lot of very good input on what they wanted in the Ringer. Like the many years leading Team Wavesport and then Team Jackson Kayak, I enjoy getting input from everyone. In the end, I filter and ultimately make decisions on what direction to go and it is not a design by committee process, however, the knowledge and opinions of the top paddler are always known and part of the design process for me. I still have to prove the design on the water, but I am 99% confident that we nailed it. We? Yes, I have a new design partner in Mark Nordstrom out of Colorado. I do the designing and he transfers the information into a CAD file. The design partnership requires trust and mostly a great communication process. Failure to communicate properly creates a poor initial design, costs time and money, and ultimately makes the end result less than it can be. So far, Mark and I are firing on all 8 cylinders and the Ringer is going to be epic.
What whitewater kayaks will we make? Composite, plastic? Like all beginnings, we will start at step 1. I have really wanted to have lightweight carbon fiber whitewater kayaks in all of my designs over the years. Plastic has it place and so does composites. Pyranha, Dagger, Liquid Logic, Waka, Jackson Kayak, Spades,Soul, Zet, etc. etc. all make plastic boats. Apex will get started with carbon fiber boats. The Ringer will be first available in carbon. Imagine a 23 pound 9′ long, speedy, bow dry, epic surfing/squirting 1/2 slice! SO FUN! Yes, it must be in plastic to race in Extreme Slalom at ICF events. It will be in plastic. Exactly what month- not sure yet. However, the process is underway.
Design #2 is underway- Freestyle/Playboat- Ohh baby… yes, I am excited. The design is not completed, but we are not terribly far off. Look for a sneak peak later this month, or maybe next. In the ideal world, I would have a prototype for USA Team Trials in March at OKC. However, that is a very challenging timeline that would require everything go just perfectly.
Design #3? Creekboat/River Runner- I’ll be collecting information from paddlers. Nirvana, Scorch, Billy Goat, and more…. What do you like, what direction should I take this type of kayak in? It will take a stand and it will offer something new, but the goals are always the same- safe, fun, easy to paddle, and “takes care of you”. It will be a couple of months before I start designing it with Mark. Send input to me if interested: eric@apexwatercraft.com
My goal for Apex Whitewater is to do right by customers, dealers, and myself. I will give you boats you couldn’t get otherwise, and give you options to the “status quo”. There are many wonderful whitewater kayaks and kayak brands out there. Graham from Pyranha has owned and run his business since 1971! Some brands are “corporate” and no longer owned by the founders. If nothing else, by starting Apex whitewater, I can, once again, be an owner-operator who uses his own products at a high level. I won’t be perfect, and my boats won’t be for everyone, but I will do my best.
Europe will have access to my boats without the challenge of cost and high tariffs. Made in Portugal means easy shipping around the EU. European dealers should inquire sooner versus later. Paddlers in Europe that want to have access to Apex Whitewater kayaks should tell their dealers to email me. eric@apexwatercraft.com
OK- it is Sunday morning- it is raining- Rock island is running good today! Time to get off the computer and go paddle!
See you on the water!
🙂
EJ
