RM Rapier? Who’d want it?
Seems like a curious suggestion. Speed freaks like composites!
A RM playboat like the Anas makes more sense, no?
Just out of curiosity
How long would the time frame be from deciding on making a plastic boat such as the Nordkapp or an Anas Acuta to actual production take?
Paul
OT
congrats on putting an RM surf kayak out. Looks like the same configuration as the rush. Have you named it yet?
Hope it sells for you. I think it will in the long term. I think one of the limiting factor for folks new or wanting to get into surf kayaking is the initial cost of a composite. Especially since they have no clue whether they would take to it.
Plastic is a good intro. Will hold up well and probably resell better to another newbie.
sing
Varies a lot
There are so many variables, many outside internal control, to give you an idea this is a rough run through the typical process:
-Set Design Brief
-Build oversize model of kayak (needs to be oversize to account for the shrinkage of both the castings used for the final mould and for the shrinkage of the plastic as it cools)
-Make pre-production mould in high temperature composite material
-Test and evaluate
-Make any changes to the model
-Repeat the above three steps if significant changes were required
-When happy with the design add final deck and outfitting detail and finish model to the required level of surface finish.
-Take casting patterns off this oversize male model
-Patterns go for casting
-Raw castings need polishing, mounting to frames and all joints (deck hull, cockpit) need the mating faces machined and doweled
-Run first trial shells
-Make cooling trays to ensure consistent shape
-Do patterns moulds and tools for any internal parts (some of this can be done parallel to the above but many require a finished shell to ensure good fit and finish)
-Finally we can go to production!!
As you can see there are more steps than most people realise, and of course there are plenty of opportunities for steps to need repeating or redoing. A good result is 10 weeks i.e everything right first time. A bad result or a more difficult project can be 6 months or more.
Hope this helps
There you have it Paul
in about 6 months we can try our polly (RM) Anas out…been thinking about the color…I’m sure all of us would be equally happy with white…that was an acceptable Greenlandic color too.
it would be sad
to see a “sunburst yellow” or other horrifying rotomolded color on either the Nordkapp or the Anas. White, brown, dark green, whatever, just no swirls and fades please!
The Anas could be the new plastic like Hurricane sports uses. Would look like fiberglass with the real smooth finish.
Dark green deck white hull
Paul
OT: RM surf kayaks and surf kayaks in
general tend to be for the little people. Any chance they will be made for grownups? Had to buy composite as the plastic ones were too small.
Dogmaticus
There is one…
close to Detroit.
Riverside Kayak Connection, http://www.riversidekayak.com/, just got one.
p.s. no affiliation 
New Storm
Our new Storm RM surf kayak is deliberately sized slightly larger than the composite boat it is developed from, making it slightly more user friendly for the larger paddler. I weigh 195lbs and although towards the top end of the weight envelope find it suits me fine
Orton?
Could you or anyone else give me the heigth of the back deck?
you want a bigger-guy surf boat
get a Mega UFO predator…love mine 215# 5’10"…sink the stern a bit (low volume) but fly on the green!