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  Austin Canoe & Kayak - Newsletter September/October 2006 Issue 5, Vol 1
In This Issue
Benefit Auction
If you have not already visited our Auction please do. It ends Monday October 10th.
 
As of press time the bidding was up to $920.
 
From The Editor
Some of you may or may not have noticed that there was no September issue. It was planned that way as we had a mailing going out for our Demo Weekend and did not want to send two emails that close together. We do care about SPAM. Of course, there is the slim chance that no one noticed at all, that would be tragic of course.
 
Hopefully everyone was able to make it to one of our two demo weekend, at least everyone that lives in the Austin area. It was a huge success with close to 400 attending the Austin weekend event and another 60 last weekend at our San Antonio day. These demos help to drive awareness of the kayaks and the differences. Allowing our customers to test paddle all of our kayaks is our goal. An informed customer is a happy customer.
Sit In-side versus Sit On–Top
Which one is better? Which one is for me? What is the difference? Which one sells better? Which one do you like?
 
These are the typical questions we receive. The problem is there is no one right answer for any one of them. You see, each type of kayak has its own purpose and function. Here is a quick comparison of the differences:
Sit In–Side
Sit On–Top
Stay relatively dry Exposed to splash and drip
Protected from the elements (sun, cold, etc) Exposed to the elements
Can be difficult to get in and out (especially on the water) Relatively easy to get in and out (including on the water)
May require a skirt in rough water Self bailing, handles rough water
Stability is usually very good Stability is usually greater than sit-inside
Smaller cockpits Cockpits are open since they are not defined
Deck storage using bungee Deck storage in tank wells
Minimal access to deck storage Deck storage very accessible
Fishing is possible but a bit more difficult Fishing is easier due to the open cockpit and deck storage
 
As you can tell, there are pro's and con's for each style – not to mention that one's personal opinions affect even our pro's and con's. The bottom line is that no single kayak suits every need and rarely does one suit everyone's needs. Many customers find that over the years they wind up with one sit–inside and one sit–on–top.
 
New Kayaks Coming Soon (or already here)
Hobie Revolution – The Hobie Quest meets the Mirage Adventure. Hobie has taken the popular Mirage Adventure and bred it with the Hobie Quest to create the new Revolution. Those who wanted a shorter Adventure are delighted...this one has speed and stability. The Mirage line–up is now complete with the Sport, Outback, Revolution and Adventure. more info...
 
Wilderness Systems Ride – The Ride has been completely re–designed. Keeping true to its predecessor it retains the pontoon–style hull but now has a Tarpon like deck. New features include items such as fishing rod rests a tackle box holder behind the seatback and a gigantic tank well. more info...
 
Perception Search – The Search is a completely new design. It replaces the Caster and should appease the Perception fans out there. They have designed this kayak with almost everything in mind; from side pockets, Fishing rod rests a tackle box holder and a large tank well. The hull tracks great and has good speed. The Search is available in 13 and 15 feet versions. more info...
 
Mad River Synergy –That's right, Mad River Canoe is coming out with a Kayak...well, call it a Canoe–Yak. This is a true blend of a kayak and canoe. Their design is innovative, taking a Kayak like hull and mating it with a canoe like cockpit – very open and completely dry – no scupper holes. more info coming soon...
 
 
Thanks again and we look forward to sharing more information through our montly newsletters next month.
 
Sincerely,
Austin Canoe & Kayak,
www.austinkayak.com
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