Do they include swamp land in that agreement? That is a terrible consumer model!
I am aware of at least one early buyer who reserved a Trak 2.0 and then decided he did not want to wait and sold his place in the production line to another person for a couple hundred less than his deposit. I was offered the option to buy it myself but had already spent too much on other boats at that point.
I have ordered a Trak 2.0 kayak in the beginning of January 2019 and the estimated time of delivery to Europe at that time was July 2019. Recently I got an update on the delivery date that says that it probably will ship in spring 2020.
When I had a look at their website today the estimated delivery date for newly made pre-orders is may 2020 (https://www.trakkayaks.com/products/blackblue-2-0-ultimate-touring-kayak). That ETA happens to be also spring 2020, which is strange for me because it seems that new customers would receive their kayaks at the same time as the customers who were waiting over a year for theirs. It looks like if the company tried to collect money from potential customers with promises they know they cannot fulfill (based on their past experience).
Right now i wish i had not pre-ordered and payed the trak 2.0 but just bought one at a shop when available.
@OnraAros said:
I have ordered a Trak 2.0 kayak in the beginning of January 2019 and the estimated time of delivery to Europe at that time was July 2019. Recently I got an update on the delivery date that says that it probably will ship in spring 2020.
When I had a look at their website today the estimated delivery date for newly made pre-orders is may 2020 (https://www.trakkayaks.com/products/blackblue-2-0-ultimate-touring-kayak). That ETA happens to be also spring 2020, which is strange for me because it seems that new customers would receive their kayaks at the same time as the customers who were waiting over a year for theirs. It looks like if the company tried to collect money from potential customers with promises they know they cannot fulfill (based on their past experience).
Right now i wish i had not pre-ordered and payed the trak 2.0 but just bought one at a shop when available.
Well I doubt that the new orders are actually going to cut in front of you. My guess is that they just keep giving everyone the same āitās comingā line. and canāt meet their production needs.
That long of a delay to get an expensive kayak. Sounds like they may not be a very strong company or they probably would be figuring out how to make production keep up with demand. Pretty key in success for a manufacturing company.
@SharpsRifle said:
Well I doubt that the new orders are actually going to cut in front of you. My guess is that they just keep giving everyone the same āitās comingā line. and canāt meet their production needs.
I fully agree with that ^
Iām frustrated and feeling helpless with Trak Kayaks.
Following the email exchange below, Iāve received absolutely NO COMMUNICATION WHATSOEVER from Trak. I was clearly promised an email update, and I even checked Facebook from time to time despite my intense dislike and distaste for the service.
The thing is, I donāt care as much about the delay as I do the lack of transparency and proactive communication. My boatās going to be delayed my another 6 months? FINE. Just F*ing tell me that!
If you were in my position, having paid in full up front and still really wanting one of these boats, what would you do?
============================================================================
Update ETA?
(Sparky961)
Aug 9, 2019, 9:32 AM
to Jason
Hi Jason,
Are we still on ātrakā for September delivery? Can you narrow it down any?
Thanks
(Sparky961)
Aug 14, 2019, 10:09 AM
to nolin, Jason
Iām sure you have lots to do right now, but please donāt ignore me. Iāve been part of some recent online discussion about how your communication is great before the sale but then you leave people hanging waiting for delivery.
I hope you can prove them wrong.
Jason Guindon jason@trakkayaks.com
Aug 14, 2019, 2:20 PM
to me
Hey (Sparky961),
Youāre right, we are super busy lads ā bad communication is bad communication, though, so you have my apologies on behalf of our team on that front. I indeed try to keep up with all of the inquiries and requests for info that come in to us, but I do miss things at times. Nolin tries to send out updates as regularly as possible, as well, but those sometimes come out slower than weād like. Thanks for being a good sport about everything, (Sparky961) ā we really appreciate your attitude.
Nolin is actually putting together some updates for the community right now, and plans to send them out before the end of the week here. I will say upfront that September will unfortunately be missed, but Nolin plans to make it up for people who are affected by the delay. Please hold tight a few more days for him to send his updates, and then we can follow up next week.
By the way ā the best way to guarantee a response + personal service from me is actually book into my calendar for a call: https://calendly.com/trak/15min?month=2019-08 please book a call if you want to share your viewpoint after reading Nolinās update this week.
Best regards,
Jason Guindon
Operations & Pilot Program Leader
Direct: +1.403.723.0077 x9
North America Toll Free: 888.355-2925 x9
jason@trakkayaks.com
(Sparky961)
Aug 21, 2019, 2:09 PM
to Jason
Jason,
How will this update you speak of be delivered? Do you have an update on the update?
Thanks,
(Sparky961)
Aug 26, 2019, 4:27 PM
to nolin, Jason
You are quickly losing my confidence.
This should have been a simple answer pointing me in the direction of where I can monitor for updates.
Jason Guindon jason@trakkayaks.com
Aug 26, 2019, 4:40 PM
to me, Nolin
Hey (Sparky961),
Very sorry ā I am not trying to test your confidence. My assessment that an update was imminent at the time of your email on the 14th was obviously wrong.
Nolin is the source for all updates related to production and deliveries, and we expected a relevant update to come out by now. Nolin is out of our offices at this time and not connected to email, so he wonāt be able to provide the update until his return to the office.
We expect him back for early September, and I would say that his update will be distributed shortly upon his return.
(Sparky961)
Aug 26, 2019, 5:21 PM
to Jason, Nolin
Still missing the answer, Jason. Will the update be via email, Facebook, telegraph, horseback messenger, singing telegram? I donāt do Facebook and want to ensure that Iām not left in the dark.
I would really like to leave you alone so you can get back to your ārealā work, but also do not want to miss out on relevant information.
Jason Guindon jason@trakkayaks.com
Aug 26, 2019, 6:02 PM
to me, Nolin
Nolin plans to travel around dressed as a minstrel to sing paeans of kayak production and delivery
That, plus an email. A facebook announcement will also be made, but he always sends one by email as well.
I appreciate that you care about my time, but it doesnāt change that we owe you an update.
(Sparky961)
Aug 26, 2019, 6:07 PM
to Jason, Nolin
Thanks, Jason. Iām well aware that my emails wonāt make anything go faster (or at least not better). I will await the update, with admittedly less patience than previously.
Now get back to work and make some stuff happenā¦ 
@Sparky961 I am on the same situation, although I made only the downpayment. My messages have been totally ignored. I am not a Facebook user. I tried to call the company yesterday with no answer, I need to try again next week.
What makes me mad is that Trak is still selling boats with a 6 months delivery commitment while it is clear that they are way behind. When reading your email chain, I couldnāt stop to ask myself how hard it is to say āIām sorry, we are having this X problem and your delivery is now expected on Y dayā instead of buying time talking about a mysterious magical announcement who knows where and when.
"Nolin is out of our offices at this time and not connected to email, "ā¦ I hope Nolin is not sick or worse, however, isnāt anybody else able to run the show? This statement made me really worry.
At this moment I am struggling between taking action to get my money back or keeping the hope that one day I will get the kayak that I want so much. I have been thinking about filing a claim through the credit card company or even engaging in a lawsuit - the clauses on the contract are so ridiculously unfavourable to a customer that they would not hold in most courts, especially when the company is still scamming new customers with the same false promises on new sales.
Please keep posting any updates.
@techbeaver said:
At this moment I am struggling between taking action to get my money back or keeping the hope that one day I will get the kayak that I want so much. I have been thinking about filing a claim through the credit card company or even engaging in a lawsuit - the clauses on the contract are so ridiculously unfavourable to a customer that they would not hold in most courts, especially when the company is still scamming new customers with the same false promises on new sales.
Very disturbing indeed. Aside from the very appropriate ethical consideration you raised, and aside from the larger question of whether or not your boat will actually get built, the following questions are worth considering:
When you eventually need a repair (folders have lots of moving parts), are you confident that this company will still be around to service your boat? If the company folds, will the boat keep its resale value? And if the company lasts, will their warranty service be any better than their sales service?
If the answer to any of these questions is ānoā, then getting your money back seems like the wisest option to me. I used to own a Folbot. That company is gone. I know people with Feathercrafts. That company too is gone. These are real issues that affect folder-owners because you canāt fix a folder by simply slapping on a fiberglass patch.
Hmmmā¦ is anyone up to start an aftermarket service with 3D printed parts? 
@Sparky961 said:
If you were in my position, having paid in full up front and still really wanting one of these boats, what would you do?
Since you really want the boat, I think your only option is to wait. If youāre still waiting on October 12, 2020, and change your mind about the kayak, then you should consider contacting the attorney general of the province in which you live and request an investigation into the company. Consumer fraud is not nice.
I re-read this thread and the updated comments by those who invested in the kickstart campaign (including āFU,ā the guy who has been waiting for two years), as well as this angry guy: https://manuelbruges.com/TRAK/?fbclid=IwAR1isk6kZcNkYH-Is2ifWBmVxZu2kNZh2kYmhJFYSoVp4yzQif8VijhsntU.
When any company demands full payment for merchandise (or a healthy deposit), fails to deliver the merchandise within a reasonable time, and refuses to communicate with the people whose money that company is using, the red flags start flying. If there are material sourcing or production problems, why not be upfront and honest about them? Why not answer emails and phone calls? Why not provide updates? What are they hiding?
As to Nolin Veillard, apparently he is traveling. https://www.bworldonline.com/canada-based-firm-trak-outdoors-lauds-filipino-workmanship-pushes-for-paddlesports-growth/ Hopefully his travels arenāt being paid for by you, Sparky.
Interesting that heās taken in over a million dollars, including payments in bitcoin. I sure hope all those who have paid for these boats, either fully or with a deposit, get them sooner than later.
Trak 2.0 kayak review
There, hopefully the bots will pick this up. Potential buyers should know the contents of this thread.
Correct the spelling (āTrakā not āTrackā) or the bots wonāt find it.
1 Like
Need smarter botsā¦
Clearly some very unhappy customers here, who feel ignored in their requests for information on the timing of their orders. This is an unfortunate situation, as the Trak kayak looks impressive based on the videos Iāve seen.
I will give a shout out to the manufacturer of my folding kayak, the Pakboat Quest 150. It does not look exactly like a hard shell (as the Trak 2.0 appears to pull off), but it paddles very close to a traditional sea kayak, and was promptly delivered. When I had questions, the owner of Pakboats (Alv) personally emailed me. The difference in paddling one of my sea kayaks vs. my Quest 150 is that the hull of the Quest absorbs some of the force of the wave, so the ride feels ādampened.ā Not bad, but different.
I will echo the praise above for Pakboat. They have always been promptly responsive when I have contacted them ā small operation and personal service. They even welcome feedback. Very nice folding kayaks (I have owned 4 of their models) and canoes and the most affordable US based suppliers of traditional skin on frame folding boats. They recently suffered a tragic setback when a fire destroyed a large number of their boats in stock but they have been very upfront with keeping their customers informed as to what is going on.
So I called Trak again this week and Jason answered. Not surprisingly, he confirmed that deliveries supposed to happen this month will now happen āon the first batch of 2020āā¦ It seems that they are facing some logistic issues, not production.
For what it is worth, you can request at anytime an update on your order using the link below. I did get an instant reply with a bunch of details about what is going on. It could be just random numbers generated to calm down customers, but I will give Nolin the benefit of doubt on this one. At least, the email doesnāt hide that some of the original Kickstarter backers are expected to receive their boats only this month (maybe Trak should mention this detail on their sales pageā¦).
Jason did mention that I could reach out to a Trak Pilot and request a loaner if I have a trip or some special event coming before I receive my boat. It might be just marketing BS, but it was kind of nice.
Be sure to check out the reviews for the TRAK 2.0 here too:
@brian There are abundant reviews praising the Trak 2.0. Unfortunately, most of the reviews online seem to be biased, if not sponsored by Trak. The paddling.com reviews tend to be shallow, most boats get 4+ stars easily. When I started this thread, I was trying to uncover the issues of using the Trak 2.0 kayak on a regular basis because it is not a cheap kayak that you can easily trade afterwards. Unfortunately, the discussions quickly turned to the delivery issues that Trak is facing. By the way, @brian I tried to post a review linking to this thread to make new buyers aware of the situation and it seems that I was censoredā¦
Thanks for the feedback.
The reviews are all inspected before they go live.
Be sure to post a full review if you end up getting the kayak.