Karryak, the carbon kayak you can take everywhere

He wanted to be able to take his kayak to the other side of the world. Steve Macfarlane, who runs a sea kayaking business on the west coast of Scotland, decided one day to design a sea kayak to suit his needs. He turned to composite materials to achieve the desired result.

Inspired by the manufacturing processes used in sailing, cycling and F1, Steve Macfarlane has launched Karryak, a modular sea kayak made up of five monocoque sections.

Made from autoclave-hardened carbon fibre prepregs, these segments are as rigid as a single-piece hull, making the most of the strength-to-weight ratio of composite materials.

Unlike traditional kayaks assembled from glued or bolted hulls and decks, each Karryak module is a complete monocoque piece, with no non-structural surfaces. The inside of the hull is reinforced with layers of aramid, providing puncture resistance and controlled flexibility, useful for warding off impacts against rocks.

The boat’s innovations are supported by three patents: for the modular joint between the sections, which absorbs mechanical stress; for the foot-operated rudder and skeg (fin); and for the profiled carbon hatches with invisible O-rings, which are watertight and float. The latter weigh just over 1 kg for a total of 6 panels. Some parts, such as the axles, footrest and rudder, are 3D printed in continuous-filament carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic.

The Karryak weighs 21 to 22.5 kg depending on the equipment, and no section exceeds 11 kg (cockpit), making it easy to carry and transport.

Photos/videos: Karryak