GOLTZIANA / WAVYAK - ENGLISH VERSION

WAVYAK - HOW IT ALL STARTED...

It’s a two voices interview. Eduardo Traveira, president of GOLTZIANA KAYAKS and renown shaper, and João Paulo “Joparesi” Simões”, early member of our news team and Wavyak designer. The first kayaksurf adventure of Traveira was in the early 80’s, but 25 years later he founds a huge potential of growth in this sport. Since the 90’s, Joparesi was looking for the ideal surfkayak, and combining his design with Traveira’s expertise, both create an hybrid, half surfkayak, half waveski. The immediate goal is to sell the Wavyak abroad.

Goltziana was created in 1979. Is Wavyak your first surfkayak?
E. Traveira – This is not the first Goltziana kayaksurf adventure! In the early 80’s I’ve create a sit-in surfkayak and a sit-on-top for bigger waves, with some commercial success for the time! Then the enthusiasm went down. For the last years, we saw it growing easily, with the help of internet and other Medias. For Goltziana it’s time to resume that we start 25 years ago.

How started the Wavyak project?

E. Traveira – From a contact with JP Simões (Joparesi). At the time I had in mind building a sit-on-top surfkayak, but our main activity at Goltziana remains the sea kayaks, that we sell worldwide. So, no time for fun! The concept and the prototype that Joparesi brought to us was very interesting and we saw all the potential. But the most interesting, and that made us jump in the project, was the “noise” and the interest caused in local kayaksurf community and in internet abroad by Joparesi’s concept!

Joparesi – The Wavyak was born from the fact that, in then years, I haven’t found the surfkayak of my dreams, a user friendly surf kayak, light, fast, responsive, and, most important, sit-on-top. This is the way to bring new paddlers to surf, without the trauma of being trapped in a sit-in in the shore break, or going directly to the physicist with panes in the back caused by some sit-on-tops, or even spend six months to catch the first wave in a frenzy waveski! For me, surf is pleasure, not pain or sacrifice!
Then came my first design, the first Wavyak prototype, the contact with Goltziana, the surfing tests and this efficient joint-venture with E. Traveira (great shaper!), whose immediate result is this Wavyak.

And what next in Goltziana?

E. Traveira – I’m working in a longer version of this sit-on-top surf kayak, for bigger waves. This one is the Malibu and the Wavyak is the short board. A junior version will be also released this year. The aim is to call young blood to the kayaksurf/waveski. I think that the sit-on-tops surfkayaks are the easy way to a beginner and Goltziana will be there with good options!

Joparesi – We are full throttle in the dissemination of our new born in Portugal and in some interesting spots worldwide. The aim is to have Wavyaks surfing in a huge number of spots as possible. Besides the participation in the National Kayaksurf Circuit, Goltziana will be on the road in demo sessions, bringing the Wavyak and the kayaksurf/waveski to ordinary people on the beach.

You said waveski?!

Joparesi – Yes, waveski! Let me explain the Wavyak concept: the great innovation is the possibility of being fitted as a

user-friendly waveski, with foot straps and back strap, and also as a surfkayak, with knee belts, back rests and feet rests. Both ways with performance, responsiveness and speed!

What about the recent evolution of surfkayaks designs?

E. Traveira – The design and the manoeuvres evolution have walked side by side and, today, the shapes reflect the stage of kayaksurf as a sport, whit the rails and rocker as critical points! In my opinion, some HP class kayaks have too much rocker, compromising the speed in bigger waves. In Wavyak we have a medium rocker and sharp rails in the rear, also with a flat bottom with bodyboard inspired edges. The result is speed, control and responsiveness.
In the future, we are not expecting huge evolution in manoeuvres, and, by the way, in shapes.

Joparesi – Well, people tend to claim that there is nothing left to invent in surfkayak. The Wavyak denies this theory (Lough!) But I’m firmly sure that the real breakthroughs are over now. The future is in some good designs, rockers and rails combinations and in composite materials, colours evolution and building methods.

What do you think about the world kayksurf scene?

Joparesi – I believe that kayaksurf competitions have increased the prices. Today, someone who wants to begin must spend thousand euros or more. It’s not suitable for juniors or for people who just want to have fun surfing with a paddle in the summer. More democracy in kayaksurf, please! Young people are welcome, and there are some good examples of competition schools: Edu Etxebarria in Basque Country, Roberta Borsari in Brazil and Dessie McGlinchey in Northern Ireland. But we need more, and not only in competition. We must spread surfkayaks abroad like surfboards.
Talking about competition: more professionalism, more development and growth strategy, please! By the way, I don’t understand why the sit-on-tops are not aloud in World Championship and World Cup, since they are aloud in several national championships!
I’m sure that the future of kayak surfing lays in ordinary people who surf for fun in the nearby beach or in the summer holidays, much more than in championships with Formula One surfkayaks.

And how can we buy or test or know a little more about Wavyak and Goltziana Kayaks?

E. Traveira – In the next couple of months, Wavyak can be found in the Goltziana distributors’ network in Europe and

USA. But we are working to enlarge quickly the number of distributors. For prices and information: http://www.goltziana.com/ and http://wavyak.blogspot.com/

Thanks a lot!

SEE HERE ALL THE PHOTOS:

http://www.kayaksurf.net/Goltziana%20Wavyak.html

Text: Luis Pedro Abreu

Fotos: No Fraangos Productions

Published on kayaksurf.net on: 13.05.08