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We're working hard to get our kayak models complete and available for you to purchase. In the meantime, feel free to e-mail or call us.
Mike Devlin
In 1996, I was sitting on the beach looking at the Gulf of Mexico in Naples, Florida, bored out of my mind. A twenty-something year-old male pulled up in his car, unloaded a 9-foot sit-on-top kayak, dropped it in the water and paddled off. I'm sure I had a dumber-than-usual look on my face and I remember thinking, "THAT'LL DO!" The next week I bought a sit-on-top kayak and all I wanted to do with my new kayak was relax: i.e., look at trees, birds and sunsets.
When I started playing Fastpitch Softball in 1971 as a teenager in a city league in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio for fun, my passion took over and I ended up in the A.S.A. Fastpitch Hall of Fame (Ohio) in 1994. The same thing happened with kayaking. My next kayak was a wooden kayak kit that I built in three months followed by yet another. Me building a kayak was a shock to anyone who knows me because I did not even own a drill. The next thing I know, I am on paddling trips throughout Florida and on trips as far away as South Dakota. I have never belonged to any club of any type, but in January 2006, I co-founded Paradise Coast Paddlers Club of Southwest Florida
.
Now I am co-founder with Don McCumber of 21st Century Kayaks. A passion for Skin-On-Frame kayaks has been a natural transition for me. I have also always been a history buff with a particular devotion to Lewis & Clark and to their incredible journey. I started studying historic skin-on-frame kayaks, in particular the incredible replicas built by Harvey Golden (Treat yourself to his pictures & videos by searching the web).
I finally realized that I was tired of pampering my really fancy boats and I wanted a kayak I could launch and land wherever I wanted. I also realized I did not want the small, skinny, traditional skin-on-frame. I wanted a kayak that is lightweight, versatile and comfortable. That is when I e-mailed my paddling buddy Don who has built traditional skin-on-frames and 21st Century Kayaks was born. Don is the woodworker/designer/paddler. I am the "No, that looks too hard to do" guy as well as the test paddler. Don always figures out the perfect solution using 21st Century standards and technology.
.
Being the president of Paradise Coast Paddlers has prepared me in helping with the design of our kayaks. Ninety percent of kayakers today are beginner to intermediate paddlers and we have gone to great lengths to provide performance, lightweight and stable kayaks that are more comfortable than the traditional skin-on-frames. Even the most experienced paddlers will absolutely love and appreciate the performance of 21st Century kayaks.
Imagine -- If you have a two week vacation, you can assemble a 21st Century Kayak the first week and paddle it the second week.
I am extremely proud of our unique designs, and we at 21st Century Kayaks can help you take a step forward into history! That's right, a step forward into history!