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There are many rivers waiting to be run in a Bellyak. Do you have one åÊin your backyard? So far, the rivers run in a bellyak are the French Broad, Pigeon, Ocoee, Chattooga, Saluda, Nolichucky, Upper Green, Cache la Poudre, and the HenTag section of the Weber River. It’s just a matter of time before the list grows to 100 rivers and beyond. We need drivers for the bellyak; people to explore the potential of bodyboating on their local runs.

We’re headed to Gauley Fest this weekend to paddle the New River Gorge, the Lower Gauley, and if we’re feeling it, the Upper Gauley. If you’re there, stop by our booth and check out the boats.

We are pleased to be the featured story this week in SGB Weekly.åÊSGB UPDATEåÊ& Weekly are the only continuously updated source for news for the Sporting Goods, Athletic Footwear, and Athletic Apparel markets. Check out this article and other press hits at our PRESS CENTER

If you don’t like to read check the video link at the bottom of the post!

The Nantahala river in Western NC is considered a “beginners” river. Most kayakers in the southeast remember their first time down Nantahala Falls as an early milestone in their paddling career. Nantahala Falls is an easy Class III rapid that can flip the unwary…and offer a smooth ride if you choose the right line. I haven’t paddled the Nantahala since I was a kid learning to kayak. My older brother Nathan took me through the falls when I was around 12 years old, and after that I moved on to the Chattooga and the Ocoee…only passing by the Nantahala on the way to other rivers. Fast forward two decades, and the Nantahala is fun for me again. Bodyboating, or riding a kayak in the prone position, has been my consuming passion for the past few years. Figuring out how to make a boat that can be ridden laying down and paddled with your hands has occupied all of my time the past two years.

April 20-22 2012 was an exciting time at the Nantahala. Not only was it the Freestyle Shootout (where the Jacksons dominated!) it was also the first real test of our newest boat, The Play. Anna and I had the roof racks loaded with the new boats, and were on our way to the frigid waters of the Nanty in a pouring rainstorm. We arrived Thursday at dusk, and checked out the new NOC wave/hole. It was stacked with competitors getting ready for the competition. Our new boats caught a lot of eyes, as there is nothing else like it out there. Looks are one thing…but how does it paddle?

Friday morning I suited up with two wetsuits (Nantahala water temp is a balmy 50 degrees) and jumped in right above the falls. The boat was surprisingly fast compared to our fiberglass prototypes. I caught eddies with ease and was able to accelerate much more quickly than I would have anticipated. That’s a definite plus, as speed reduces the amount of energy needed to get the boat down the river. I was floating lower in the water than expected…with the reduced volume due to shrinkage/warpage of the prototypes in rotomolding, the boats target weight range is approx 125 pounds…at 165 pounds I was at the upper end of it’s weight range. åÊI freaked out a little bit as all designers do when they realize they have a lot more work ahead of them…but I realized I’d just designed the small version of the Play. No big deal! A few modifications to the plug, and it’ll be ready to have a mold made. Back to the drawing board to add more volume and beef up the next plug, and I”ll have the Big version of the Play! The little Play is 35 gallons, and the Big Play will be 50 gallons. Had a great run through the falls, and proceeded to go to the new wave/hole and do some spectacular windowshades to swim right in front of all the top freestyle competitors. I”ll figure it out, but having to wait 45 minutes between rides while sitting in the cold water didn’t let me dial in what I needed to do. It’s OK though, as we all enjoy the river in our own way. It’s the common ground regardless of craft.

Anna and I suited up for a run down the river. Now, one of the funnest things (yes, I said funnest) about designing boats is sharing them with other people and seeing their reactions. Anna is not a water person like me, and doesn’t have the life long experience of paddling and rivers that I do, so our river “dates” to this point were fewer and further between. She felt confident and stable on the Play right off the bat, which was a big relief to me. She had good lines down the Nantahala, and despite our faces turning blue from the cold water, we had a great time together. Now, if she had of been in a kayak, it would have been a nervous swim fest for her, and I would have been bored in a kayak, and we probably would have fought. She’d be scared, I’d be bored, and we’d probably get a divorce as soon as we got off the river. Instead, I had a blast zipping in and out of eddies filming her, she was all smiles in the new boat (swam once, but hopped right back on!), and we had a great time the rest of the day watching the freestyle competition, and hanging with my friends from the band the Blood Gypsies, who were playing that night at the Pourover Pub (the most awesome riverside pub in the southeast that I know of). To me, bodyboating the Nantahala is almost always more fun than kayaking!

The next day was the Nantahala Open, which consisted of running through Nantahala Falls and getting filmed. Carnage was the name of the game, as the audience that night watching the footage cheered the loudest for the worst swims…you know, we’re all between swims, so why cheer someones bad ride? Oh well, we got there late and didn’t get as much beer as the rest of the crowd…or else they all just learned to roll and feel superior to all the folks who ran the falls fearlessly with no ability to roll whatsoever. To each his own…

You see, I just go ahead and swim the rapid intentionally. So much more fun. I do have a high performance swimming aid, the Bellyak, beneath me, but if I swim, and I often do while trying to do enders, etc., then I just hop back on the boat and keep going.

I ran the falls about 20 times, taking every line available, and running it backwards a few times for good measure. Just to see what would happen. We had several folks try it out, some did great, some swam the entire rapid after flipping over at the top. Note to self…Nantahala falls isn’t the best intro to Bellyak out there. Cold, fast water and an overcast day doesn’t always equal fun. We had a blast, got to åÊrepresent the Bellyak and show what it could do, and had a lot of folks interested. It’s not meant to replace kayaking, as kayaks will always have their place. The Bellyak offers a new way to have huge fun on “beginner” rivers…allowing one to share the love of water and the river life with their spouses, friends, etc.

Bodyboating, almost always more fun!åÊ