Travelling light with a… canoe in a case
With Onak’s incredible canoe in a case, all you have to do is
It’s the time of year when being in or on the water looks attractive again. Long summer evenings, bank holidays and hazy sunsets conspire to draw me closer to the shore. A dip after work or a day at the beach are one thing but I’ve always fancied the independence and adventure of a boat, even a small one.
The founders of start-up company Onak wanted to use a canoe in the city. Transporting it was the challenge though, so they came up with the idea of a foldable, origami-style gadget that’s a canoe in a case. They successfully raised the money required on crowdfunding website Kickstarter and now ship these urban-use canoes around the world.
The Onak arrives in what looks like an elongated roller-suitcase. The case is about 4ft long but slim at only 10in deep. It has wheels and is easy to pull along behind you. In fact, it’s remarkably light and, at 37lbs, you can pick it up easily to carry up steps.
Once I was at the water’s edge, I clipped off the lid and took out the seats, straps and border bars. The entire case folds out flat on the ground and this is the hull of the canoe ready to be assembled – or rather shaped.
The two sets of aluminium borders slide easily together and I flipped the canoe on its side to attach them. After tapping them gently into place there are a few straps that tighten to secure the borders. Next I needed to attach the seat. As I tightened the straps, the hull squeezes up and the whole thing begins to look more like a boat.
Then I folded in the nose – perhaps the only fiddly part of the assembly process – and tightened a few more straps to enhance the robustness of the boat. After that, I was ready to go. It’s hard to believe that only half an hour before this boat was a case in the boot of my car. With a little trepidation, and with my lifejacket firmly on, I pushed off from the water’s edge. While not quite terrified, I waited for the worst to happen; it didn’t and I drifted into the stillness of the lake. The hull is made from a custom polypropylene honeycomb composite material, about 10 times stronger than regular polypropylene, and it has a coating that is scratch resistant and reduces drag in the water. This is a good-sized canoe with room for two adults and a child. It measures 183in long and 33in across, so there’s also room for gear or picnic essentials. The hanging seats are comfortable and the canoe feels strong thanks to the high-tech design and support ribs and straps. One niggle is that the paddles should perhaps be included, rather than sold as optional extras – especially this canoe is dearer than most entry level models. Overall though, it is remarkable fun. The idea of having a canoe in the boot would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Technology has made this possible and, whether it’s a gentle paddle down a canal or a day fishing with the kids, it’s true there is ‘nothing half so much worth doing as messing about in (origami) boats’. WITH ANDY O’DONOGHUE