Hey again folks,
can I just confirm that some people here have been waiting for their trak kayaks for two and a half years?
Also, has anyone else heard of coamings cracking, holes in the skin from expected normal use, the 2.0 frame pulling the skin so tight it cuts etc?
This deal is looking shitter and shadier by the day…
I can’t say about the years, I read that also and was NOT willing to wait. I bought my boat used, a seeker and then upgraded to the 2.0 frame/parts, also used. So my total wait once I decided on the boat was a few weeks to find it. I would never wait more than a few months to buy something new, but that is me.
Yes, I have heard of cracks in the coaming, mostly in the same place so it appears to be a weak point, its not many but I have seen it.
Yes, I have heard of damage to the skin with the 2.0 frame, its not that it pulls so tight its that the carbon fibre frames have no give when you slide on sharp things like rocks. The “maybe” solution is to wrap the carbon fibre frames with something soft to have a little give. HOWEVER its such a small minority, I really don’t think its a real problem by 99.99% of us, for example, I ocean paddle and get to/from the ocean from sandy beaches so I am not worried about it. I only have had my 2.0 frame a week though, so time will tell.
Thanks for the reply mikeyr. To be honest I don’t think most people were willing to wait that long either - it’s just that Trak never gave us the necessary facts when we ordered, even when communications existed prior to purchase. I know personally I’ve never experienced anything quite like this before with any other company, so I wasn’t even expecting a months/years long wait to be an issue.
When questions were asked post purchase, we were all reassured with the utmost confidence that Trak were getting on top of it, and getting it sorted. Beyond, their cleverly sown up terms mean that you can’t ask for your money back anyway…so it’s not so much that we’re willing to wait, more that we’re being dragged along whether we like it or not, lol.
Were we naïve? Well, maybe, but to be fair when you ask direct questions to a truly reputable company about purchasing, they don’t omit necessary information which they know you will need to make an informed decision.
I’ve come across about 5 or 6 people with cracked coamings obtained during normal use (as well as a case of pressure on the locking pin shearing a section of plate off) - it isn’t many, but as you say it seems to be an inherent weak point in the design, which needs addressing. No word on whether that’s actually happening…
Regards holes - not exactly like in the promotional video which shows them whacking the skin with a hammer eh? With this in mind wrapping the frame with something does seems like a good pre-emptive idea, but I’ve also heard complaints from people having issues getting the skin ‘zipped up’ due to its tightness, and also of the skin wearing through at the point where it comes together (even when using lubricant). I can’t really comment with any authority because I haven’t received my bloody boat yet 
but just to speculate, I’m not sure if wrapping the frame to cure one issue might just contribute to an existing one 
These things said, I’m really glad that you’re getting on with your boat, keep us informed with how it goes in the future :- 
I haven’t requested an update in a while, so thought I’d do so and post the result (since that’s about all I do here now)
The update shows information tagged November 2020, and seems about unchanged for my boat from what I last recall seeing (Spring/Summer 2021), which at least tells me it hasn’t been pushed further into the future - yet.
Mind boggling they don’t update those who’ve paid for their boats and still haven’t received them.
You have the patience of Job.
It’s sounding like they have a poor track record, and yes the pun is intended! This post has been running for 17 months now. I Hate this is happening to so many, and do hope the company manages to fill their orders and survive. However, it sounds more and more like another ONNO.I have a good paddling friend that went through the your paddle will ship soon responses. Talked at length over the phone several times, and gave him the benefit of the doubt. Never got his money back or the paddle. He bought two before he was burned on the third. I realize Trak is a company, and perhaps more resilient than an individual when the unexpected happens. Best of luck y’all.
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If anyone’s a pessimistic skeptic, it’s me.
But I’m on Trak’s side with this. They had a demand surge they couldn’t handle, plus some manufacturing issues to resolve, and … hmmm what was that other thing in 2020? Is that still a thing? It’ll come to me…
Faith and trust are not things I have in excess, and my reserves will be depleted if I end up getting screwed here, but from someone much closer to real information than the speculation many here employ, I believe it will come out ok - eventually.
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Sparky, I sincerely hope you are right. You indeed have had communication with the company, and I have not. If anyone is an optimist with perhaps too much faith and trust in folks it is me. I have followed and read every post over these last 17 months. I am also routing for Trak too succeed.
I think taking more orders than can be filled, and exceedingly long wait times does little to help future buyer confidence. Potential buyers a company needs to prosper. Their business practice so far does not incline me to deal with them. I am sorry to say that as I am a potential buyer. The very reason I have followed this topic for so long.
That other thing in 2020 you seem to have forgotten. I didn’t mention on purpose, but I seem to recall a record number of established businesses folding in 2020. What 2021 holds in store is any bodies guess. I have read several topics on here about the loss of sea kayak manufacturing over the years as well.
All that being said, I do hope they make it and fulfill all back orders, continue to improve on their folding kayaks, and become a profitable prosperous company. The loss of Feathercraft, and Folbot has left a gap I would like to see filled. I have owned a Folbot Super since 1984.
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waiting a unknown amount of time from some startup company is why I would not buy a new Trak. You can see up in this thread, I tried to buy one online from Costco, they ended up not having it as expected. I finally purchased a used Trak and then upgraded to the 2.0 frame and parts. Have more money in the boat than if I had purchased from Trak, but I have the boat for quite a while now. I would NEVER have purchased new just based on their reputation. And yeah, they have been around a long time so maybe “startup” is wrong, but I wanted a boat while I was still alive, not for my heirs. Bought a used one and very happy.
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I regret posting an update and starting up this crap again.
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The issue here is NOT just long lead times and unanticipated delays: it’s that they took FULL payment up front and made buyers agree that they would never receive a refund even if they never got a boat. I don’t even see where that is legal. And it is a very poor way to do business. My career was in construction and engineering – we would have been hauled to court, lost licenses and possibly gone to jail for taking people’s money and then failing to show up and complete the contract within a reasonable time. In fact in most cases contractors are not permitted by law to require full payment in advance.
Once any company has all your money they have little incentive to perform. It becomes like a pyramid scheme and they are more likely to sell any product they manage to generate to new buyers to add to current cash flow rather than to satisfy those from whom they can no longer collect any income.
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Fact check: They did not require full payment up front.
There’s a couple Traks on eBay right now if anybody’s looking. One 2.0 & one Seeker.
At present this is what Trak is offering according to their website.
All their kayaks are $4,000 base price. Free shipping for USA and Canada. They advertise a 12 month delivery time and require a $1,650 deposit that is refundable if a request is submitted in writing within 90 days. Their kayaks are offered as a package including:
- TRAK 2.0 Kayak (Includes: Rolling Travel Bag, Aquatherm Spray Skirt, Sea Sock, 2x Gear Floatation Bags, MX5 Kayak Lubricant)
- FULL LEVEL SIX DRYSUIT (US$900+ VALUE)
- TRAK x Nimbus QUADRA 4 Pc PADDLE (US$310 VALUE)
- BASIC MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR KIT
- FREE ACCESS TO TRAK SKILLS PROGRAMS
- 5 YEAR TIP-TO-TIP WARRANTY
There is no published option to decline the drysuit and paddle. They offer an unspecified discount on any other gear that they sell if ordered at the same time.
I have no connection to the company or opinion of their kayaks. All knowledge of their prior sales practices are from what has been reported in this thread.
What use is a 90 day refund policy on something with a one year delivery date?? Caveat emptor. And the whole “you can only buy the full package” is complete bullshit.
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no recommendation, don’t know anything about them, but, since this topic has been so ‘busy’, thought I’d mention this popping up on the classified:
Trak 2.0, red, used, in Kansas City
$2500
hey @Sparky961 I think it is a good thing to post updates, and thank you for them. It gives people an idea of the waiting times they need to expect currently. Your posts are likely the best source online at the moment about the true delays people can expect. I hope you have your kayak soon and get many years of good use out of it!
I’m curious – did Trak ever deliver boats it promised to customers? I see there’s a whole bunch of new versions of the 2.0 up on the website…
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Last I’ve heard and read from another site, and talking to a person that ordered one, waits now seem to be over 12+ months, and may be more like 18 - 24 months.
It appears production is being done in Asia, and I can’t recall for sure if that was in the Philippines, Singapore, or another nearby island country. No doubt, supply interruptions due to the pandemic and peoples’ ability to work has probably impacted delivery, as well as shipping from overseas, though that shouldn’t add a year to that.
There are and have been a number of concerns mentioned regarding the older Traks - not sure if they still apply to the 2.0 ones or not, but jack failures were a major concern. They do and WILL fail, so you need to be aware of that, at least in the older models. Customer service, or lack thereof in returning e-mail messages and calls, and inability to get parts - jacks, in a timely manner were of concern too.
I was interested in these, so did a bit of reading and research. They look nice, and other than my dislike of their white lower hulls (I’d much prefer black, for appearance), it appeared they might be a good replacement for the out of production Feathercraft and Folbot models.
After reading their sale policies though, I was totally turned off, since I’m not willing to fully pay in advance for something that expensive, with a 1 - 2+ year delivery time, and with no assurance that I would ever receive the product, and no recourse if/when they don’t deliver that far down the road. Also, for 90% - 95% of the time, I have no need for a drysuit. Could be useful for Lake Tahoe in the Winter I suppose, but otherwise it would be overkill, and just sit in the closet.
I hope they can get things sorted out, since clearly there is demand, but they need to revisit their sale and customer service policies and improve on those. Perhaps a 10% - 15% deposit might be doable, but again that’s still a hefty chunk of change for someone like me, if I never receive anything in the future, so I’d prefer to only have to provide that for a few months in advance, so I can get a refund if non-delivery occurs.
I get their business model may be great for them, but is very poor for most consumers.
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Frankly is an awesome kayak. But ! I was very disappointed with the quality issues I faced when I 1st assembled the kayak and to-date, no one can truly replied to my concerned wrt the numerous quality issues I faced after a few emails to them. I only get to hear from Jason that he will get back to me but nothing concrete since I raised them in 31 July 2021 via email… the reply seems like lots of empty promises !!!
And lately, I encounter more quality issues like cracked plastic parts which seems impossible to break (the keder plastic cap) !
Very frustrated !