Four new toys for fun on the water
Published 12:23 pm Thursday, March 6, 2008
So you’ve got a power boat, or a sailboat, or heck, maybe one of each, and are starting to think about add-ons — a kayak, new crab traps, that kind of thing.
The Everett Boat Show can help, and not only with those slick accessories.
The show, held today through Sunday at Comcast Arena at the Everett Events Center, also has a fair amount of products that seem straight out of some infomercial fairyland.
Need electrical tape that can double as a tourniquet? Trot out over to the Rescue Tape booth. Or what about some polyresin sandals, available in solid colors and camouflage styles? Hawaiian Crazy Shoes has you covered in more ways than one.
From high-priced kayaks to random miscellany, the show has it all.
— Andy Rathbun, The Herald
Airis Inflatable Kayaks
Everyone and their sister seems to love kayaking these days. According to the National Sporting Goods Association, the sport — along with rafting — has grown from 3.5 million participants in 1995 to 7.6 million in 2005.
With a growing market to serve, Yakima-based Walker Bay Boats Inc. launched its Airis inflatable kayak in November. The lightweight vessel already has earned accolades, thanks in part to its impressive design.
The kayak’s AirWeb construction employs a heavy-duty, seven-layer fabric, joined internally by thousands of drop-stitch fibers. In simpler terms: The design lets the kayak inflate to six times the maximum pressure of other inflatables.
The kayak, which can be carried in a large backpack, won an innovation award in February at the Miami International Boat Show. Powerboat magazine editor Matt Trulio, a judge at the show, called it “the most portable kayak I’ve ever seen.”
The Airis, which is expected to be at the Alki Beach Boats booth during the Everett show, comes in four models. The Airis Play (retail price of $749-$849) starts at 8 feet long and weighs as few as 15 pounds, while the Airis Sport ($1,149-$1,249) hits 11 feet and weighs as much as 21 pounds.
Coil-Away Flexible Crab Ring
Who wants a big, bulky crab trap when you can buy one that shrinks to the diameter of a dinner plate?
The Coil-Away Flexible Crab Ring, a new type of trap that can fit in a 5-gallon bucket, is expected to be for sale at the Popeye’s Marine and Kayak Center booth during the show.
At full size, the flat, circular trap stretches 28 inches across. But thanks to its coiling edge, it can contract to 11 inches.
The trap, made by Crab King, stores easily but requires more work to crab with.
“It’s an active crabbing process rather than just setting the trap down and, ho-hum, pulling it up an hour or so later,” said Dean Sevon, owner of Popeye’s Marine and Kayak Center of Everett.
The circular trap (boat show price of $29.95) sinks through the water, resting on the bottom. The crabber pulls it up every 15 minutes or so, netting any prey that happens to be munching on bait in the trap’s center. The force of pulling it up keeps the crab trapped until it’s on board.
Hawaiian Crazy Shoes
Along with its usual styles of Shaka Shoes, the Anacortes-based Hawaiian Crazy Shoes plans to trot out a new sandal, which will be on hand — or is it on foot? — at the Everett Boat Show.
“It actually looks like an egg crate,” said Lori Mullen, secretary for the company. “That helps to massage the foot, and it’s got an arch in them. It’s called the Wave.”
The company’s lightweight styles ($22-$29.95) are made with polyresin, a substance that resists sand and wipes down with a cloth. The waterproof shoes are also slip-proof and have a non-marking sole, so there’s no need to worry about scuffing up a white deck.
Rescue Tape
Don’t you hate it when you accidentally slice open your head and you can’t find your medical kit?
With a roll of Rescue Tape in your pocket, you’re saved.
The Rescue Tape — Harbor Products Inc. booth plans on selling its versatile self-fusing creation during the Everett Boat Show at its both.
The silicone tape can insulate against 8,000 volts of electricity per layer, withstand temperatures of 500 degrees and remain flexible at 85 degrees below zero, according to the company.
The substance also can be used to make a non-slip grip on tool handles, seal a leaking hose, fashion an emergency fan belt or waterproof electrical connections. And yes, according to the company, the tape can act as a tourniquet or emergency wrap for a bleeding wound.
A pack generally retails for $24.95, but at the show, will be discounted an undisclosed amount. A pack contains two rolls of Rescue Tape, each holding 12 feet of the 1-inch-wide miracle worker.
Reporter Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455 or e-mail arathbun@heraldnet.com.
Also at the show
Magruder’s Upholstery, based in Woodinville, plans to talk with customers about turning their boats into more of a floating home, thanks to coverings including microsuede, leather, silk or a new sun-resistant, stain-resistant line of acrylics from Tommy Bahama.
Along with good old-fashioned compasses from manufacturers such as Dirigo, Everett-based Island Marine Instrument plans to sell the Rose Point Navigation Systems Coastal Explorer software for personal computers.
Samson Sports, based in Camas, plans to promote its custom-built wakeboard towers, which the shop can fit out with mirrors, speaker systems, lights, and wakeboard holders and racks.
Seattle Water Sports, based in Kenmore, plans to offer a wide range of wakeboards, including models from Hyperlite, Liquid Force, Ronix and CWB.
