16 July 2013

SMART PEOPLE - The portable canoe that can be folded to the size of a SUITCASE and fits neatly into a car boot


















The portable canoe that can be folded to the size of a SUITCASE and fits neatly into a car boot


  • -  The collapsible boat is called a Stakanoo and costs £465
  • -  Its 3 sections slot together and can be folded to make it portable
  • -  The vessel is 7.6ft long when fully opened and weighs 19kg



The awkward job of transporting a canoe could soon be a thing of the past after an inventor has designed one that collapses down to the size of a suitcase.  

Called a Stakanoo, the boat is made of three sections that slot together in less than a minute to create the 7.6ft vessel. 

These sections can then be separated and packed inside each other to make the 19kg boat fully portable so that it fits in the boot of a car, on the backseats or stored in a cupboard at home. 


A budding canoeist and inventor from Somerset has designed a collapsible kayak.
A budding canoeist and inventor from Somerset has designed a collapsible kayak. The Stakanoo, pictured, is made of three sections that slot together and can be folded to fit into the back of a car or stored in a cupboard


When folded, the Stakanoo can fit comfortably into a regular-sized car boot, pictured and because the boat only weighs 19kg, it can also be carried and assembled by a single person, without any specialist tools
When folded, the Stakanoo can fit comfortably into a regular-sized car boot, pictured and because the boat only weighs 19kg, it can also be carried and assembled by a single person, without any specialist tools
When packed away, the Stakanoo can fit comfortably into a regular-sized car boot, pictured left, as well as sit across the backseat, right. The boat weighs 19kg which means it can be carried and assembled by a single person in around 60 seconds without the need for any specialist tools


THE £800 FOLDABLE ORIGAMI BOAT

Last year two design students from London created a foldable boat based on the ones created using origami. 
The full-size vessel is folded from a 8ft by 5ft piece of plastic and can be transformed from a flat sheet to a rowing boat by a single person in two minutes using only three components.
Another model of the £800 'Foldboat' can be folded up and carried in a backpack
The single sheet of plastic can be folded over and over again up to 6,000 times and comes in two designs - one that folds into an easy-to-carry parcel and one that unfolds completely flat. 
The Stakanoo is the brain child of budding canoeist and inventor Stuart Woodward from Bath, Somerset. 

Woodward designed the vessel as a solution to motorists stacking canoes and kayaks onto the roof of their cars.

He wanted to design a canoe that could be packed into the boot of a car to negate the need for a roof rack. 

This in turn boosts fuel efficiency because there is less drag created as the car drives on a motorway. 

The Stakanoo is made up of three slottable compartments - the tip of the bow connects to a section containing the seat and the midship, which then slots into the stern.

These sections have been designed in such a way so that they fit inside one another. 

Woodward claims it only takes 60 seconds to assemble the Stakanoo and less time to fold it down. 

    And because the sections slot together, this can be done single-handedly without any tools.

    When the three sections are fitted together the full length of the Stakanoo is 7.6ft long and 2.25ft wide. 


    This series of images shows how the three slottable sections of the Stakanoo fit together to form the 19kg portable boat, pictured top.
    This series of images shows how the three slottable sections of the Stakanoo fit together to form the 19kg portable boat, pictured top. These sections can then be unpacked and fitted together to form the 7.6ft vessel, pictured bottom, with the seat cushion added


    When it is packed away, the boat can be carried by one person and weighs 19kg.

    The 46-year-old inventor started on the design in September last year following his trip to the coast and completed his first canoe in May.

    He has now built two Stakanoos, which are on sale with Bristol Boats in Saltford.

    Woodword is then hoping to start selling them around the country by grabbing the attention of outdoor pursuits retailers.


    The Stakanoo is the brain child of Stuart Woodward, pictured in his invention, from Bath, Somerset.
    The Stakanoo is the brain child of 46-year-old Stuart Woodward, pictured in his invention, from Bath, Somerset. Woodward wanted to design a portable alternative to roof-mounted canoes


    Woodward's Stakanoo costs £465.
    Woodward's Stakanoo costs £465. Only two models are currently available in Bristol but the inventor plans to sell them across the country soon
    He said: 'I was in Cornwall last year and saw lots of canoes being transported on the roofs of cars, and thought there must be a better way of doing that.

    'I started designing a take-apart sectional canoe, that stacks inside itself, taking up no more room than a large suitcase to make transport easier.

    'It fits in the car, so the car has maximum fuel economy on motorways.

    'It's also much safer as it can't fall off the roof and it is easy to park in car parks as there is nothing overhanging.

    'It is easy to store when at home - you can place it under the stairs, in the garage or shed, in the loft.'

    'After two designs were not what I wanted, I found a way of making the sections slot together with no bolts, straps or tools.

    'I have taken it out on the river and it has been fine. 

    It is a fun hybrid between a kayak and a canoe and you can you can just pack it up, put into in your boot and away you go.'

    The Stakanoo costs £465.

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