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July 9, 2004
January 1, 2004 we had no molds, no outfitting,
no factory , no paid staff (David Knight was working for free along
with me, Lorraine, and Kristine). I had been unemployed for six
months and my entire family was about to fly to Australia, for three
weeks. The All-Star prototype rocked, but I wanted more time to
make it perfect, the Fun 1 was nuts, but they were made in fiberglass.
My competitors questioned my ability to make a production kayak,
because, they said, I had never done it before.
February, 2004 was planning, getting ready for
the mold arriving for the Fun 1, the kayak that would launch Jackson
Kayak. What kind of kayak company starts with a kayak designed for
40-80 pounders, crazy.
March 2004- I spent tons of time making the outfitting
light, strong, and comfortable, not perfect, but the best I have
seen. It has been called cheesy, simple, or substandard at times,
these people haven’t paddled the boat after getting properly
outfitted in it. Yes it is simple, light, and a minimalistic approach.
I can make it better eventually, but the most common comment after
getting into a Jackson Kayak is, “This is the most comfortable
boat I have ever sat in.”
April 2004- I hand deliver the first Fun 1’s
to Rock Creek and NOC in the Southeast USA. Many happy kids that
day, cool.
May 2004- I planned on producing 1000 boats,
had orders for them, but fell short on production by 600. Growing
pains, but a good experience.
June 2004- Record demand for the Fun series,
but our production still lagged behind.
July 2004- This will be our biggest shipping
month in 2004, very exciting.
This is a skeleton report of the first half of
the year. Nothing that isn’t in the report.
EJ
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