Today is an exciting day for us at Folbot. We are formally releasing the newest member of our fleet, the Gremlin!
The Gremlin is the newest addition to our Folbot fleet!
Inspired by the Citibot, the Gremlin is lightweight, ultra-portable and easy to assemble. At 12 feet long and 27 lbs, it can accommodate larger paddlers and payloads and its length enables it to track more like a touring kayak and get up to speed quickly. The Gremlin rounds out our offering in the Recreation category and its design incorporates everything we love about the Citibot with the added benefits of a larger kayak.
The Gremlin is beautifully designed to fit in a backpack for easy transport and storage and it assembles quickly so it’s the perfect boat to throw in a car or RV, on a boat or to take with you on a hike, bike or camping trip.
How did we come up with the name? Well, we wanted something that captured the performance of the boat on the water but also spoke to its manageability on dry land. It reminded us of some characters we once saw in a movie that were well behaved and fun loving…until they got wet!
To celebrate the release of our latest boat we are having a contest on Facebook. Please check it out for a chance to win a brand new Gremlin!
We know once you get a chance to learn more about the Gremlin, you’ll love it as much as we do. To check out the Gremlin on our website click here.
You can also view some new videos on YouTube of the Gremlin by clicking the links below:
I just received a note from Erik Baard in New York, which described a wonderful Folbot day… so I thought I would share it here.
Great Folbot adventure through a very choppy Hell Gate yesterday! Two Citibots, one Yukon, and one MetroBoat! Then a blissful solo cruise to an amazing home. I was offered food and lodging so I folded up the boat and stayed, knowing it was be easy to get home with the backpack in NYC. THANKS!!!”
One of the most common questions we get about Folbots is, “How long does it take to put that cool kayak together?”
A Cooper assembly in the Faro Islands
While we provide approximate assembly times, the actual time naturally varies with each individual. For example, while we may say the Greenland II takes 20 minutes to assemble, someone recently did it in front of us in just 6 minutes. There are others who would love to be able to do it in 20 minutes. It just depends on the person.
I recently received an email from Craig N, in Salisbury, NC, who put another spin on the process. In talking about his new Edisto, he said:
So far the boat has been perfect. My only issue is that it takes over an hour to get it into the water. That is about 15 minutes to put it together and most of an hour to answer questions of the people that gather around the boat– it is like a magnet.
OK, so we don’t take account the time it takes to talk to the folks who always show up to watch.
Then again, I don’t claim I can actually assemble the Citibot in about 20 seconds:
David A.
So far the boat has been perfect. My only issue is that it takes over an hour to get it into the water. That is about 15 minutes to put it together and most of an hour to answer questions of the people that gather around the boat—it is like a magnet.
This past Friday and Saturday, Folbot participated in EarthFair, as part of the Earth Day celebrations in New York City.
It was quite a couple of days! Along with some other very cool companies and non-profits, we were set up on East 43rd Street by Madison Avenue — with the spectacular Grand Central Station and Chrysler Building as a backdrop. About 50,000 people attended and we had a great time adding to the Folbot family.
Here’s the story in pictures.
Citibot getting ready to ride the train into Manhattan
Where is that train?
Citibot rides the rails in comfort
Last stop... Grand Central Station
We started putting the Folbot booth together
And it ended up looking pretty good
We had a great location on E. 43rd Street by Madison Avenue
With Grand Central Station behind us the other way
The Folbot banner challenged the Chrysler Building for skyline dominance
Day 1 was super busy with a mix of business people and tourists
People big and small loved us
So did a bobcat
As did a cow? A cat?
Even a baby T-rex ran up to check out the Citibot
As the first day ended the moon came out.
Day 2 was more casual but got just as busy
The Folbot crew met lots of people and worked hard
And then it was time to go home
Thanks to everyone who came by. It was great meeting you.
And a special thanks to Erik, Ellie, Livie, Brad, Sharon, Alice and Julian for all their help.
We are excited that Folbot is going to be part of the Earth Day celebrations in New York City this coming Friday and Saturday.
We’ll have a tent on Vanderbilt Avenue right next to Grand Central Station, as part of the EarthFair festivities. A Citibot will be on hand, and I’ll be there with some Folbot crew to spread the word about Folbot.
What better way to save the earth than to use one of our folding kayaks? Ride public transportation with your kayak. Save gas by not using a roof rack. How cool is that?
It looks like it should be a rockin’ good time!
We’ll be right by the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s exhibit (take your kayak on the train!), so please come stop by and say hi.
It makes perfect sense that large urban areas, like New York City, are ideal markets for a folding kayak. Space is at a premium — you either have to rent an expensive spot in a boathouse to store your kayak or live in a building that might be named after you — and transportation is a challenge. But, letting people know that the Folbot option exists is harder than you’d think.
The Citibot (pronounced “City Boat”) was designed with urban paddlers in mind (although any Folbot model can do the trick). It’s so light and small that you can store it in a closet, toss it over your shoulder and walk to the subway, or throw it in the trunk of a taxi. Need a kayak in the city? Problem solved.
Photo Courtesy DiNanno Photography
The catch, however, is making sure all those urban paddlers know that the solution to their paddling problems exists. So, along with Folbot getting in publications from Vanity Fair to Outside Magazine, and using social media (be our friend on Facebook or follow Folbot or me on Twitter) and the Internet, we’ve decided to take things up another notch. We’re coming to you. First stop… New York City.
Cooper in the Hudson River
As a start, we’ve donated a Citibot to the Long Island City Community Boathouse. If you want to see one in person, give them a call or let us know and we can help set it up. We’re also looking for other worthy boathouses — in NY or other major cities — so please pass on any good leads. Additionally, we’re sponsoring Erik Baard — a leader in the non-profit and kayak community in New York, who is spearheading the charge to make waterway use more accessible in New York. Erik will be paddling a bright orange Yukon on various missions in the New York waterways and writing about them for some New York based publications. He’s also happy to have anyone come visit the Yukon (let us know and we can help arrange it).
On April 23rd and 24th we’ll be at the EarthFair with a Citibot– out on Vanderbilt Avenue right by Grand Central Station. That should be a rockin’ event. Please come visit us and see the coolest little folding kayak on the planet.
Finally, we’re also planning some major activity in the big city for June. It’s going to be fun. So stay tuned!
National Geographic Adventure is a wonderful magazine and we are delighted that they selected the Citibot as one of the “Next Best Things” to use for a perfect summer.
Please check out the fantastic layout with the Citibot in the current issue:
(Please click the image to see a full sized PDF of the page)
If you read through The Front, you will see many examples of how well the Citibot performs in the city. The size and weight have really proven to work well in the urban setting.
One Citibot owner, Tim Fitton, has shared quite a few of his trips in the Citibot in the Melbourne, Australia area on the Folbot Forum. In his latest adventure, Tim did something with the Citibot that we had not heard about — he went overnight camping.
Checking Things Out in Melbourne
Tim is a pretty big guy at 6’3″ and he was still able to carry quite an impressive amount of gear in the Citibot.
Loading the Citibot
Pretty cool.
Ready to go!
You can read about the trip in Tim’s own words. It makes me want to go for a paddle.
THANKS!!!”
