From the Front

Since Tony and I bought Folbot last fall we have been running at breakneck speed. Two new kayaks have been introduced, new marketing and advertising material has been created, a total overhaul of the website was completed, appearances have been made at shows, a monthly newsletter is being produced, and a whole lot more. Phew… and we have even managed to go for a few great paddles.

This month, without any major announcement to make, I thought I would share some random things going on here. So, in no particular order…

• What did you all think of the Citibōt video? With almost 3000 views, it is turning us into a YouTube star. (I know the counter says it has been viewed less than that, but we had to take down the original video and put up a new one – and the original had about 800 views.) If you haven’t seen it, check it out here.

• Thank you for all the feedback about the new website. We appreciate your attention to detail and your patience with some of the bumps in it getting up and running.

• Check out the “News & Events” section on the website. There has been some great press and reviews. There are nice spreads in this month’s Canoe & Kayak and Sea Kayaker, and there is a lot of stuff in the works for the Citibōt and other models. Keep an eye on that page – we’ll put up the pieces as they appear.

• The East Coast Canoe & Kayak Festival was a fantastic event. We brought 17 boats and, as Silver Paddle level sponsors of the event, had a significant presence. We talked ourselves hoarse, got a lot of sun and helped piles of people go on test paddles. We even sold quite a few kayaks. Check out some of the photos in the galleries at Paddler Experiences on the website or here. There is also a nifty collection of shots of the famous Dubside rolling the new Citibōt at the Festival. Who would have thought you could do that?!

• We have been asked to be more visible where people can learn about Folbot in person. So guess where Folbot is this month? Costco!! The local Charleston Costco selected us as their “Business of the Month.” We have a great display (we are not selling there, just displaying) and are very excited about the response – after only one week. And the management staff of Costco is so excited about Folbot, there is even talk about taking the show on the road. So, who knows, we may soon be coming to a Costco near you!

• We are so busy we needed to make some room in the factory and showroom, so check out the Demo Boats sale. Do your part in the clean-up – buy a boat!

• We have hired two new employees. Please welcome Lymus and Virgina to the Fold. Lymus is helping turn some of our raw materials into useable parts, and Virginia is busy sewing seats. We’re growing!

Finally, to help make Folbot even more transparent and closer to the Folbot community, we are trying to make it even easier for you to ask questions or give us feedback. A new “conversation” is up on the Forum where you can ask questions directly to me for the entire world to see and join in on, and there is a new link under “About Us” on the website if you want to have a private communication. If I don’t know the answer, you can be certain I will find out.

So that’s the latest news at Folbot HQ. We want to hear all about your great paddles this summer (and remember, send photos to photos@folbot.com)!

A sure sign of spring for Folboters in the colder climes is that bears emerge from their caves. In sunny Charleston, hibernation is not a big issue, but at Folbot we did have a pretty similar experience recently – Phil finally came out of the research lab! What did he come out with? A new Folbot! This light (24 lbs. – heck, my wife’s purse weighs more), portable, quick to assemble (10 minutes) kayak is an engineering marvel. Its name? The Citibōt (check it out here, and click here to watch the Citibōt on video).

The thinking behind the Citibōt is twofold: first, the urban kayaking market is booming – launch sites are springing up all over cities and there are very limited storage areas (boat houses are full, and apartments or condos are small); and second, haven’t you had the experience of driving by an beautiful body of water and just wished you had a kayak with you? Well, the Citibōt addresses both of these issues. The Citibōt is truly urban friendly (hide it in a closet, toss it over your shoulder and hop on the subway to your favorite launch site), or it can leave in the trunk of your car to give you quick and easy access to those unexpected enticing bodies of water you just happen upon. We have had a blast paddling it. It tracks amazingly well for a boat its size and is extremely comfortable.

Phil was really clever in the Citbōt’s design. The seat frame actually acts as one of the cross frames, the cockpit coaming is so cool it will probably now be used in a couple of the other kayaks, and the seat itself – YES, the seat! – is really comfortable (air bladders allow you to raise and lower yourself, and adjust your lumbar support and your back angle). The Citbōt may be small and it may be inexpensive, but it is a quality Folbot – backed by our Lifetime Warranty and everything else that comes with being a Folbot.

Besides being the time for bear or Phil sightings, spring is also the season of birth or rebirth. Since you are reading this, you have probably already come across the newly redesigned Folbot website. Not only did we want a site that was cool, we wanted one which would be attractive and useful to both Folbot neophytes as well as our long time family members. The site is full of cutting edge technology and interactive areas. Check out the Paddler Experiences – see what your fellow Folboters have been up to or are saying, read The Front, go to the Forum. Colors on the kayaks now change when you click on them. Take the plant tour. Read the latest news about Folbot or reviews of our boats. Check out the anatomy page – this is my favorite part (make sure you move your mouse around). How cool is that?

One other thing – this week is the East Coast Canoe & Kayak Festival in Charleston. We will be there in force. Come paddle the whole fleet. Plus the demo boats there will be on sale. It should be a fun few days when the kayak world converges on our home town. Hey, the weather is great and we don’t expect to run into any bears.

As always, you can reach me by email and I would love to hear your comments.

February is known in the sports world as a month in the doldrums. The Super Bowl is over (way to go Giants!) and spring training hasn’t started yet (Go Mets!) Hmmm — my New York lineage is seeping through. In the spirit of full disclosure, this is causing some minor problems around here as Tony spent 20 years in Boston and is a big Patriots and Red Sox fan. Despite that, somehow we still get along and, more importantly, kayaks are still being made. But, since I’m the one writing this, I’ll repeat — “Go Mets!”.

In Folbot world, however, the doldrums is something that does not apply. So I thought I would share some random things going on here in the last month.

→ A high point in February was our exhibiting at the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition here in Charleston. We met hundreds of people and got to show off the fleet of kayaks. (Click here to see what the landlocked fleet looked like at SEWE.) No matter how hard we try to show them in print or on the web, it is hard to top the experience of seeing Folbots in person. The Expo was also the public unveiling of the Edisto and the Fish ‘n Photo package. With all the talking we did, it only took us about three or four days to get our voices back! (On a similar note, if you are going to be in or around Perry, Georgia on March 14 -17, check out Folbot at The Rally (www.therally.com) - one of the largest RV events in the world. All the boats won’t be there, but you will get a chance to see a few of them, see our latest material and speak with real live people!)

→ February was also a month of feedback and innovation. Because of the great reception to the Edisto Fish ‘n Photo package (which you can see here in action), and some encouragement from a few specific Folboters, we have created a similar package for the Greenland II. You and a friend can now go fishing together in your GII! Stand and cast, sit up high, capture those award winner photos - no problem with this most stable of kayaks and the F’nP package. Check out it out here.

→ We decided to postpone our 75th Anniversary celebration until the fall. We realized that trying to have it during the East Coast Canoe & Kayak Festival in April was biting off more than we can chew (but, hey - check out the Festival’s sponsors page here). Rather than trying to shoehorn the celebration into a bigger event, we though y’all might like to come to Charleston in the fall when things are a little less hectic and the weather is still fantastic. How about a paddle and a party?

→ The price adjustments I talked about a few months ago are going into effect on April 1st. Click here to see the changes.

→ The website development is humming along. We are really excited about what we are seeing, and hope you will be too. A reminder - if you would like to submit your favorite photos of you and your Folbot in action or in cool places, please send them to photos@folbot.com. We will be delighted to post them on the new site, and possibly show them in other places as well.

→ Finally, we added a new seamstress to our fabric crew (decks, hulls, bags, etc.). We are delighted to welcome Lillian to the Fold. It is amazing what the effect of adding one person does to production!

Doldrums? Not around here!

Q. What is strong and stable and comes in eight colors?
Q. Which Folbot makes the best fishing platform?
Q. What former favorite just got updated with Phil’s magic?
Q. What did many of you ask for in our customer survey last fall?

A. The Edisto! The Edisto! The Edisto is BACK. You asked for it, you got it.

A lot of the feedback we received in our customer survey last fall indicated a considerable interest in having a Folbot which would be a strong and stable fishing platform. When we kicked around ideas as to how to fill this need, the light bulb went off and we came up with the thought of updating the Edisto. What better platform to begin with than the open and stable architecture offered by the Edisto? So, the 3-in-1 kayak now has four variations. A whole fishing and photo package has been added to the open deck, mini deck and full deck options. (Click on the links to read more about the Fish ‘n Photo package and the Edisto). And, I should point out, we have a special introductory price for February (20% off!) - so now is a great time to buy this fantastic kayak.

Speaking of new things, we are working on a new version of the website. We are pretty excited about what we see so far. One of the new features will be a photo gallery of Folbots in action. We would be delighted and appreciative if you would send some of your favorite photos of you and your Folbots — out on the water, in a spectacular place or just having fun — so that we can post them for the world to see. Please submit photos to us via email at photos@folbot.com. (In addition to posting the photo on our site, please note that the submission of a photograph will be considered as granting us permission to use it in other ways as well — with credit, of course!) We are proud of our customers and love being able to show off what you do with your kayaks.

Also new is that we are going to start showing up more often in places where you can see and feel the boats in person. If you are going to be in Charleston for Valentine’s Day or the Southeastern Wildlife Expo (www.sewe.com), head out to Brittlebank Park on February 15-17 where we will be exhibiting the Edisto and other Folbots. In fact, we are offering a special SEWE Edition - complete with its own nifty SEWE patch. If you would like the SEWE edition Edisto (in a nice camouflaging olive), please just let us know when you order.

Please also add the East Coast Canoe & Kayak Festival to your schedule. It is being held on April 18-20 at the James Island County Park in Charleston (click here to go to their site). Folbot is going to have a big presence there this year - we have already signed up to be a Silver Paddle level sponsor. We will also be really celebrating our 75th year anniversary around the Festival. So, not only will you get a chance to paddle all our boats, you will get to have some fun with us.

Oh, before I forget… thank you to all of you who ordered during our January sale. It was a great start to the new year. We hope that you are enjoying your new kayaks and accessories and we really appreciate your business.

And, we have some more new stuff in the works. Stay tuned and hang on- it’s going to be a fun year!

As I have said before, the Folbot community feels very much like a family. And families usually share news — the good and the bad. For a company family, they call that sort of sharing ‘corporate transparency.’ While that doesn’t really sound warm and fuzzy, we do believe it’s important to be open and inclusive - and we hope that the more we are, the happier and closer we will grow together.

It has been said that it’s better to do the hard stuff first-. so, let’s get that out of the way. For the last couple of months our suppliers have been sending us notices of price increases. Naturally, the more materials cost, the more expensive it is to make your kayaks - and the more our margins erode. The more our margins erode, the less viable Folbot is as a company. Tony and I have spent a lot of time the last couple of months taking a long hard look at the cost of everything Folbot does, and the reality is that we are going to have to increase prices. If we don’t make money, we can’t make kayaks.

But, there is good news too. First, we promise to do our very best to control the costs and limit the price adjustments as much as we can. Our kayaks will still be priced way lower than our competitors and continue to be an outstanding value. We will not cut corners and you will still get the same high quality kayaks and excellent customer service that Folbot is known for.

And second, right now we are running a huge sale before prices go up (20% off everything you buy if one kayak is ordered, and 25% off of everything if two or more boats are ordered — until January 31st). This is likely the best pricing opportunity for buying boats going forward, because we also realize that we can’t continue to have such frequent big sales in the future. So buy now!

Of course, this raises the question, ‘how can you run such a great sale if your costs are rising?’ The answer is- cash flow. Having bought Folbot in September, Tony has compared our timing to that of buying a ski slope in April. Well, we have been ‘fixing the chair lifts’ and the ‘patching the ruts in the slopes’ - but most people don’t buy lift tickets and ski in April. So, as a way to get some cash flowing inward, and to honor our customers before our ’season’ begins, we hope that the volume of orders now will offset the smaller margins we will make on the boats. So buy lots!

Plus, what a way to kick off 2008, our 75th anniversary year — which we are really looking forward to celebrating with you all in April!

For many of us, the end of the year is a time to sit back and take stock of things — whether from a business perspective, family point of view or about larger societal issues. We are even going to be conducting a physical inventory in the warehouse — now that’s really taking stock! At Folbot, 2007 was a year of major change. For the first time in 24 years there was a complete ownership transformation, Phil Cotton finally got the job he really wanted, and Tony and I have dived excitedly and deeply into the world of folding kayaks. But, this time of year is also a time to look forward — what do we want to accomplish at work and in our lives?

Well, you are best at handling your own lives and you probably don’t want to hear about mine - so I will stick to musing about Folbot. Now that Tony and I have been around for a few months, we have a better idea of what Folbot is - to our customers, our employees, the media and the world in general. Every company has a personality. Some are cute and cuddly; some are rock hard. Some pride themselves on inventiveness and being ‘cool;’ some want you to think of them as being just like grandma’s apple pie. People work for companies for certain reasons and people buy their products for certain reasons.

Folbot is a funny place. It is sort of like a golden retriever wearing an iPod (have you all met Max - Phil Cotton’s dog? Click here to see Max). Folbot is friendly and wants to please (excellent customer service is essential), faithful (lifetime warranty!), feels like it has been part of the family forever (75th anniversary coming up!), and has innovative technology which makes people say ‘wow’ when they see it. (What do you think? Is that a good analogy?) We’re excited to come to work every day because we believe in our products, we enjoy each other’s company and we treasure our customers. We try really hard so that you enjoy both doing business with us and paddling our kayaks.

But as with dogs and MP3 players, we still have to think about what comes next. 2008 is going to be a busy year for Folbot. Phil is working away in his undisclosed location, we are revamping the accessories (yes! offering a new seat), revising the website, introducing new ads and other marketing materials, showing up in person in places we have never been before, and making sure we celebrate the 75th anniversary in style. We hope you will like what you see and have some fun too.

That said, we’ll keep striving to be the same friendly and faithful company you have come to know, play with and feed every once in a while. We appreciate your business and we appreciate your friendship and loyalty.

Everyone here (and Max) wishes you a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year.

As always, please drop me an email any time (david@folbot.com).

Cheers,

David

In the last couple of months I have written about Tony and me coming aboard at Folbot and about the importance of the Folbot community. This month I wanted to share some thoughts about the folks who actually make the boats that we get to sell and you get to paddle. Without them, there would be no Folbot.

The first thing you notice about the staff at Folbot is how seriously they take their jobs. Whether it is Viet working on the frames or Cindy sewing the decks to the hulls or Herb finishing the keels, there is a sense of intensity and attention to detail that fills the room. These folks do not want to make a mistake and really want Folbot owners to be delighted with their boats. They are VERY proud of what they do.

To help achieve everyone’s goal of building a perfect folding kayak, we have put in place a weekly quality assurance meeting where everyone on the staff evaluates the same boat at the same time. The kayak is selected at random from orders waiting to ship and is gone over with a fine-toothed comb - with the entire staff present and participating. This is a very engaged process and, if something unsatisfactory is found, everyone is involved in creating solutions. A boat that is less than perfect is viewed as a challenge to be overcome - and it is also a bit of an affront to the staff. Quality is taken extremely seriously.

But it is one thing to know what the boat should look like and how it is made; it is another to know what it is like to paddle one. So, about a week and a half ago we took all the boats and all the staff out to the Ashley River near the factory - and we paddled and paddled. (Yes, that is why you could not reach us on November 2nd.) The wind was blowing (Cliff Branham joined us and brought his Greenland II with the sail rig - now that was fun!), the sun eventually came out, and we had an award winning chicken and rib chef whip up the food. Ray can now tell you why the Yukon is his favorite boat, Wanda will sing the praises of the Kiawah, Mary will tell you all about sailing, Billie enjoyed paddling with Cindy in the GII but wants her own Yukon, and Kwame is still deciding between the Cooper and the Kiawah. We learned a lot and had a blast.

Click here to see the fleet getting ready to launch; here to see the fleet on the water; here for the crew getting ready to set sail; here for Cindy and Billie heading out; and here to see some grilling Charleston style.

Folbot is real people handcrafting your boats for you. All these folks want you to love your kayaks with as much passion as they have in making them: Dot (with Folbot 37 years), Wanda (7 years), Cindy (3 years), Billie (4 years), Herb (2 years) John (2 years), Kwame (2 years) Linda (11 years), Mary (20 years), Phong (2 years), Viet (24 years), Ray (1 year) and, of course, Phil (24 years).

As always, I’d love to hear from you — david@folbot.com.

David

Folboters have an amazing reputation as being an involved and passionate crowd. Just spend a few minutes on the Forum or talk to some owners and it is easy to see that the reputation is deserved. But, wow! It is incredible just how involved and passionate you all are!

I have proof of this on two fronts. First, from the mass of emails I received with your best wishes for our tenure at Folbot. Not only did you have very nice and supportive things to say, but you had lots of great suggestions on things we should work on. Thanks again to all of you for taking the time to write.

The responses to the survey we sent out also show what a remarkable bunch you are (if you did not get a survey, please do not feel left out - the names were randomly picked). The response rate to the survey was just under 50%, which is an almost unheard of level. Geez- did we get an earful of great feedback and ideas. Thanks so much to everyone who took part. When we have spent more time with the results, I look forward to sharing some of them with you.

And we are responding! Already small changes are being made (things like getting a color chart up on the website, putting the Folbot logo on the bags, mailing fabric swatches out so you can see the colors and feel the material- and more are on the way). Please keep those ideas coming. No one knows the products and your needs better than you. (Yes, we really have heard that you want more comfortable seats. We agree — butt comfort is VERY important!)

Speaking of which (no, no — not your butts), I hope you have seen the end of year offer on the home page. We came up with the idea of ‘Folbucks’ because we wanted to find a way to engage and reward our great customers. Who better than a happy customer to help us sell the boats? And we want you to get something, other than some new paddling buddies, for your efforts. Earn those Folbucks - we all win!

Finally, I wanted to flag for you that 2008 is the 75th anniversary of the founding of Folbot. We are going to have a doozy of a celebration. We want people to know how rich Folbot’s history is, that we are still here and are going to be for a long time. Let me know what you think we should do to celebrate (david@folbot.com). I feel a party coming on-

Thanks again.

David

P.S. We thought you might like to see Tony and me having our first board meeting. (Tony is in the hat.)

Hi. It’s David AvRutick. If you are saying, ‘who the heck is this guy??’ check out the ‘News Flash’ box on the homepage. There is some- um- news.

Now that we are all on the same page, I am really excited to be making my first contribution to the ‘Front.’ Phil has done such a great job communicating with all you Folboters, I have to admit to feeling some pressure here!

With all that is going on at Folbot, I can’t help but be reminded of the saying, ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same.’ Buying Folbot and taking on the role of President is certainly a big change for the company - we already have a new logo, are increasing the staff’s medical benefits and will be adding a couple of picnic tables for everyone to be able to eat outside under some of the beautiful live oak trees (right by the loading dock!). As we move ahead, there are certain to be more changes - new boats, different technology, new colors - hey, y’all tell me what we should do. I would love to hear from you (david@folbot.com).

But as we change there is going to be a lot that is the same. First and foremost, Phil is staying around. He is going back to his first love, which is designing boats for you to paddle. The truth be known, if he hadn’t agreed to do this, we wouldn’t have bought the company! He has moved into his development shop full time and is going to be working hard to make sure we have the best products that we can produce. And, so you will know what he is up to, we will see if we can get him to post some updates here every once in a while.

One other thing that is going to stay the same is Folbot’s customer service. We will continue to do whatever it takes to make you happy. And, we are going to work everyday to try to improve on how we did the day before. If we screw it up, LET ME KNOW!

Finally, I thought you might like to know a little about Tony Mark and me. We bring a lot of experience and energy to Folbot. Tony comes out of the world of technology, where he has taken two companies public (you may have heard of Avid Technologies - if you haven’t, you’d be surprised how Tony has affected your lives). I have a bit of an eclectic background - lawyer, book publishing executive, college president. But what ties us both together and to Folbot is our excitement for the product, a commitment to excellence and the desire to make Folbot grow and thrive into the future. Oh yeah - we think paddling kayaks is pretty cool too.

We are thrilled to be part of the Folbot family. Call home sometime- let us know how we are doing.

David

Dear Forum People,

I love you guys! Warm weather seems to have awakened you. At 5 am this morning it was clear that I was also awake for good and the paper hadn’t arrived so I read through the most recent entries with my MacBook propped on my stomach. (Laptops can be as cozy as a good dog in the winter, but tend to get a tad warm this time of year in Charleston.) Rather than intrude on your forum, I thought that I would answer some of the questions and comment a bit on the other fun stuff. If you haven’t already, you may want to read the forum to see what the questions were.

Replacement twist valves: Steve was correct. A toll-free call will get you a freebie replacement. Yes, the tube can be reused by clipping off the tired valve and installing the new. We use HH-66 PVC adhesive which is a solvent and makes a permanent joint. We can supply that, too, but will have to nick you for about $4 for the adhesive. We have our limits!

Yes, Hypalon will shrink a very slight amount, especially when provoked, such as by storing wet or allowing to dry off the boat frame. The up side is that it will only do this once, so shortening the frame of the boat to accomodate the 1% tighter skin is a lifelong fix. The Cooper and Kiawah frames compensate for this by being adjustable. And jaygee, I think Dickc was being tongue-in-cheek when he replied to your question. I only wish that we built flawless boats without exception! We try to do the next best thing by fixing our mistakes.

If you know John, our forum manager, you wouldn’t be surprised that he is helping to clean up Hump Island this weekend. Way to go, John, and I hope others in your area show up to help.

Yikes. I didn’t expect to be quoted when I wrote to steve b about the sailing rudder. We tested by sailing with each during the same hour, same wind and water conditions, with no apparent difference. I purposefully started with the bigger rudder for the sail rig when it first came out, hoping to better coax the boats through a tack. We learned how best to tack, but it wasn’t the rudder. The current rudder size is an attempt to keep folks from having to have two different size blades, but as you can see from my email to Steve, we’ll provide the larger one if you insist!

Bill’s experiment with the fiddle and Gobe’s response left me laughing well into breakfast. I love Bill’s new slogan and Ann’s suggestion for a photo is brilliant. So Bill…a high-res image could make you famous, not to mention the credits you would rack up at Folbot for countless accessories.

One last thing. What exactly was going on Tue, Jun 26 @ 4:23 am? Was there a forum party and I just wasn’t invited? A concerted action? Those of you who pay attention to the bottom of the Forum home page know what I’m taking about.

Many thanks to the folks who have been on the Forum for years and continue to respond with great answers and advice. If I wasn’t afraid of missing someone, I’d list you all here, but everyone knows who you are. You each remind me of my grandfather…never too busy to help.

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