HYPAR – Discover The All New Foldable Kayak [Review]

It’s time to review a new and absolutely awesome product here at Bit Rebels. What we take on this time is well within the realm of awesome and geeky at the same. In this article, we will take a closer look at the all new HYPAR foldable kayak.

The HYPAR kayak is the latest entry into the foldable and portable kayak market. The International design team HYPARART has presented this revolutionary Smart Boat concept, that sets itself apart with its unique hull shape, at the Dusseldorf boat show in January 2017.

HYPAR is a modular Smart Boat that can be rapidly transformed from a kayak into a rowing, sailing boat or dinghy and even to a solar powered boat and other concepts.
Its innovative hull shape ensures excellent speed and stability whilst the ground-breaking “folding” design enables instant transformation from boat to backpack in less than 3 minutes. Portability and storage have never been so simple!

When folded, HYPAR is designed to be carried as a backpack that weighs less than 18 lbs, and thanks to its modest dimensions (40 x 30 x 10-inch rectangle) HYPAR fits into most cars and storage locations, and is even suitable for airline luggage. The perfectly streamlined, sleek hull is bordered by hard “chine” running from the sharp wave-piercing bow to the wide stern. The HYPAR profile provides exceptional hydrodynamic properties culminating in ultra-low drag, perfect course holding and impressive form stability.

The HYPAR foldable kayak concept began with the unique shape of the hull which is designed around two counterpoised Hyperbolic-Paraboloids, hence the name HYPAR. This form resembles the water surface when pierced by a moving object. The angle and shape of the HYPAR foldable kayak match with water wake patterns thereby improving performance by reducing drag, optimizing stability and enhancing control.

[pullquote]HYPAR is well suited for several environments from the open sea to narrow streams and it can survive in gail wind and breaking wave conditions despite possessing an elegant and modern profile.[/pullquote] Outdoor sports enthusiasts can quickly and conveniently enjoy urban water environments during short breaks in an overloaded schedule – such is the compact design of the product.

The HYPAR concept is also approved by champions. Jochen Lettmann Olympic world kayak champion tested the HYPAR kayak at the Dusseldorf boat show 2017. HYPAR’s design team collaborated with Lettmann GmbH in order to produce the best results that might be demanded of such a product by sporting enthusiasts. Furthermore, Australian fluid dynamics engineer and PhD Dr. Louis Mittoni assisted with tuning the HYPAR foldable kayak design for improved efficiency via slight modifications to the geometry in order to ameliorate boundary layer drag and through reduction of other drag and fluid dynamic separation effects.

The HYPAR design team has also been working in very close collaboration with DS Smith plastics France, a leading European plastics manufacturer, to develop the most suitable material for the hull which is both lightweight and sufficiently robust. During this collaboration, DS Smith introduced a new “custom” Akyboard™ advanced honeycomb polypropylene material specifically adapted for marine conditions and the unique design aspects of the HYPAR kayak. The factory estimation shows that the Akyboard plastic can withstand more than 20k repetitive folds what exceeds 20 years of daily usage.

DS Smith has also become extensively involved in the manufacturing process of HYPAR, including help to establish a revolutionary recycling policy. HYPAR hull is expected to be supported by life-long protection due to material failure. Damaged hulls with material failures shall be replaced, with only a small fee charged to cover transportation and recycling.

The HYPAR team aims to reinvent personal boating in modern society with the help and support of watersports enthusiast and innovation connoisseurs.

Now, when the design has been made, the company is preparing for crowd-funding to launch production. The campaign for HYPAR Kayak is planned to start on Indiegogo on April 11, 2017.