C-Forum

Vajda has launched a new website and a new C1 called the Supremo.
http://www.vajdagroup.com/canoes-kayaks

Yes. And I hear "Zedtech" has a new boat out too:

http://www.vajdagroup.com/canoes-kayaks ... by-zedtech

(You mean my "Lezard" isn't a real boat -- it's a copy? At least I still drive my trusty Toyosta.)

In the US this is a less of an issue....

In the past rightful designers have been known to chain-saw through copies of their boats.

Sad to see it happen though.

Yeah Piracy is a bad thing, that is debatable, that's kind of how our sport is. people see something they like, they take it, clone it... or in the case currently in the states. they add some volume to the area behind the cockpit, and try to present that to LL. unfortunately, Now in the US, it kind of is an Issue, I think it's a legitimate process. Because the boat is most certainly different, but there are parties not as psyched...

The new Supremo is good, it feels a ton like the lizard. There were rumors that the boat was a compromise between the lizard, and the most recent of Nico Peschier's CRC designs... not true. It has actually taken some hints from the Yin. The max width point has been moved back, the bow has ben narrowed a little, in effective places, along with slightly stronger edges in the front 40% of the hull, and the stern behind the cockpit has been made more convex. in an attempt to make the boat faster in a straight line, and also faster in the pivot. I have paddled Benus' but he has tiny legs, and today I am going to get into Slavkoskys, and try it out... There is another one here being paddled by the czech brother in law of the hochshorners, but his is an L... I weigh about 6 k more than slavko, and therefore would probably be in the XXL. But I was talking to him, and he said that he didn't really see any huge distinguishing features between this and the lizard 07. It was the only boat he brought here to Aus, and said he wouldn't really have noticed the difference had he not known there was supposed to be one. Cibak also has a prototype K1 here, likely a new Cox or something.
oh, and by the way. My CW jetta TDI is working perfectly. and it has ever since I bought it...
cheers
-isaac

Slight thread drift, but the best copy/redesign story I've heard involved a wildwater k-1 that was allegedly derived from the hot French design of the day, the "Obsession". The manufacturer called the modified version, which had an altered deck, the "Suspicion"....edg

That's funny. Here's something from a current boat designer himself, Eric Jackson, about copying boats in the early 1980s:

"Meanwhile, the club bought a Phoenix Savage fiberglass kayak, and my dad made a mold from it. Over the winter anybody who was a member of the club could come to my house and build a kayak for only $100 in materials and my dad and I would help. We built almost 100 kayaks, [sic] sorry Phoenix!"

http://www.jacksonkayak.com/archived-st ... reer-2.cfm

Alden

Another old piracy rumor that I've heard before was from sometime in the 80's when the US guys got to Europe with their new designs that were lower volume, newer profile, and just all around better. they went to have dinner one night and came out and the boats were gone. The next morning all the boats were back on the cars missing grab loops, cockpit rims, and outside seams.... and they all had a fresh coat of wax on them.

Another story that rings a bell to me is a couple of D.C. kids took a slalom design called the reflex quattro, filled in the lame design on the deck and released the reflex cinco... now how would've done something like that....

bahndo, how are things in DC? i heard i was f-ing cold...
and cathy told me a similar story to your first...
cheers
-isaac