OUR STORY
Origin of the Paddle Platform
Hey, Hey to all of you fellow paddlers…
I am Rick Brown, a teacher in West Michigan and inventor of the Paddle Platform. I teach science, coach ski racing, golf and tennis and spend some of my free time kayaking and paddleboarding. I have developed this device I am calling the Paddle Platform.
So… my family and I live on Podunk Lake. Yes, go ahead and chuckle but that really is the name of our lake. And along with kayaking, paddleboarding, swimming and other lake activities, we all golf in the summer. We bought floating golf balls and use the lake as a driving range. And we use a kayak and a net to retrieve the balls.
But… You have to take your shoes off at the shore, or take your chances using the dock. (Just search kayak fails…)
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I scoured the internet and there were no good solutions to storing a kayak that made it easy to get in and out of the water except a very expensive, traditional boat lift. I was mulling it over for a period of weeks and one day while staring at my dock and contemplating… the idea hit me and the Paddle Platform was born. I made my first prototype out of a lounge chair in 2018. (Too narrow the kayak fell off.) And I made a second out of an old army tent. (The kind with the poles on the outside.) I have since refined the idea through several iterations and have a more professionally constructed device.The Paddle Platform. Please see our Product page for details. The Paddle Platform is patent pending.
We are currently at the beginning of a Kickstarter Campaign. I am raising the funds to go into production with a U.S. manufacturer and parts supplier. I am planning on providing jobs in the near future.
Making the Paddle Platform real could use your help. If you would like to pre-order a Paddle Platform or donate for some gifts follow this link to the Kickstarter page.
If you like this idea, please like our pages or follow us on social media.
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Thank you for supporting innovative ideas produced locally.
Rick Brown
Why the Paddle Platform?
The Paddle Platform is a simple and easy to use device that can allow a person to get into and out of water on their paddleboard or kayak and then get on or off the water and nearly eliminate the likelihood of tipping over.
We all know kayaks and paddleboards are sometimes unstable. They are tough to get in tough to get going sometimes and tough to get out of.
The Paddle Platform makes it easy to store the paddleboard or kayak and then lower into the water it provides a stable platform for user to step down into the kayak or on the paddleboard.
Once you’re in or on you just shift your weight to the side, slide off the Paddle Platform and away you go.
To get back out of the water you just paddle back onto the Paddle Platform, pull your device in tight and the stable platform is there to assist you back on the dock or out of the water. Just raise it up for storage.
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There are other paddleboard and kayak holders out there but none like the Paddle Platform!
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Others sit in the lake, they are big, they are expensive or they are just racks that hold a paddleboard or kayak and don’t help the user get on the water easy.
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Just the idea that the Paddle Platform helps a person get in and out of the water alone makes it a great product. But it stores your equipment too! A product that can help thousands of people kayak and paddleboard easier and later into life.
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I am happy and proud to bring the Paddle Platform to market.