Always Something Going On Here

“You really do have a BIG building” remarked a visiting rod builder recently. And he’s right – it is a big place, too big for just publishing a magazine or building fishing rods. But a lot more goes on around here in these 8,000 square feet than most imagine.

For instance, one of the companies I consult for is Legacy Paddlesports. They were among the first to embrace the up and coming stand-up paddling board concept (SUP). Their VersaBoard may have been the first attempt to move the sport into the realm of a new type of fishing vehicle. The first time I saw one of these I knew it could revolutionize the current kayak fishing market. With some modifications, I firmly believe that it will be the biggest thing to hit the kayak fishing market in the past decade.

For the past several months, I’ve reworked and modified a VersaBoard to make it even – you guessed it… more versatile! Particularly where fishing is concerned.  My prototype multi-position seating and rod holders, via a cooler-seat type arrangement, has already been adopted and an adapter is now being marketed by Legacy for the VersaBoard.

To make stand up fishing easier, I developed a removable-foldable leaning post which was extensively tested this past weekend. I expect to see it incorporated into the product over the next few months. The next step involves a total rework of the rear deck and hatch. The final incarnations of these devices will be a little slicker and smoother of course – the current unit is just a testing platform.

In another bay on the opposite side of the same building, a new GryoCopter project is preparing to get underway. Several military vehicles sit quietly to one side, awaiting their own transformation. In a back corner (1,000 square feet) is a fully equipped shop loaded with the machines and tools to do just about anything that comes to mind. Something is always going on here, aside from just the magazine, forum or Expo.

Just as in rod building, the opportunity to be creative is very often the most fun part of the endeavor. Having a nice facility to build and assemble one’s creative ideas in is icing on the cake. I never take it for granted.

Tom Kirkman

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