In 1993 a legendary paddling event occurred at the Salsbury Point launch, near the Hood River Canal Bridge in southern Washington State.  After walking a half mile to retrieve his car, paddler Roan Eastman realized his kayak and paddle had been stolen.  His PFD was the only thing that remained. 

“I looked across the water and I saw nothing.  The kayak has just vanished” he said.  He’d never recover his orange Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro or his paddle. 

This is where things get more than a little weird.  A Coast Guard helicopter out on a search and rescue mission mentioned over the radio they were seeing a “huge hairy beast” paddling a “small blue kayak” near the bridge. 

Was this the famed upright-walking, ape-like creature known locally as the sasquatch?  Was this Roan’s kayak?  Noone has the answers to these questions.  No Coast Guard vessel attempted an intervention with the kayak that we know of.  The kayak was never seen again. 

The Sasquatch, of course, has been seen many times since, including by members of the Swell Watercraft staff.  At first we thought we’d get a tattoo, then we decided we needed to tattoo all the Scupper kayaks.  So we did it.  In the tankwell. 

Suffice to say that when Sasquatch decided to paddle, he took a Scupper kayak.  We’re more than happy not honor the legacy of that fateful day.  And if that beast should ever want a new Scupper, he just needs to drop us a line and we’ll hook him up with a good deal. 

Hairy beasts.  Killer kayaks.  The Sasquatch Guarantee of Satisfaction.  We all win here.  Everyone that is, except Roan Eastman. 

Swell Watercraft has made significant changes to it’s signature kayak- the Scupper 14.  The changes are in material construction, part placement, and artwork are evidence of Swell’s dedication to the continuing development of the product. 

1. New Plastic!!! Swell Watercraft now has the lightest and stiffest roto molded plastic in the USA.  Their PE² plastic uses foaming agents to create a double layer combining the durability of PE with the stiffness and weight saving of foam.  This process helped the Scupper 14 lose 8 lbs.  At 64lbs the Scupper is much easier to roof rack.  Being stiffer makes it move through the water more efficiently, which means it’s faster and you use less energy. 

To accomplish this, Swell moved to the Vagabond Kayak factory in South Africa where famed designer Celliers Kruger has his base.  Kruger perfected this PE² process while producing Epic V7 Surfskis prior to the company moving to it’s own rotomolding facility in China.     

2. New Footpegs.  They moved the footpegs to the outside of the kayak.  This delivers better leverage in combination with the seated position.  They added a new footpeg system that adjusts on the go faster and fits feet better.  Lastly, the new position works much better for rudder kayaks, giving the cables less exposure and a better flow. 

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3. New Colors.  Swell is moving forward with just two colors for 2020:  Safety Orange and the new Blue Steel.  Zoolander would be proud of this stylish move towards fresh, fun and explosive colors.    

4. New Logo.  Swell added this Sasquatch logo to the tankwell in order to celebrate an old story about a “huge hairy beast” stealing a Scupper kayak and paddling it across Puget Sound.  It’s also a tribute to the area Swell lives and paddles in.  “I’ve seen the Sasquatch, and so have some of my friends.  So it’s no joke to us” said Swell Watercraft owner Jim Marsh. 

The 2020 Scuppers arrive in the USA July 15.  There will be a 10% off pre-sale at sitontopkayak.com (The Sit-On-Top Pros) during the month of June.  

Tim Niemier was a teenager in Malibu, CA with a problem.  He loved to dive out past the surf break, but he needed a craft that didn’t hold water and would fit on top of his 1959 VW Beetle.  He ended up introducing the sit-on-top kayak to the world.  This is the progression of his story. 

1970-Modified Surfboard

Niemier’s first vessel was an old double surf board that he carved a seat onto and added a hatch for storage.  It was rudimentary, off balance, but it actually worked.  Tim was finally able to get past the surf break safely and had a dive platform with dry storage waiting for him on the surface. 

1971-First Kayak

Niemier took a sculpture class at the local community college and made this his final project.  He got an ‘A.’  Just like that, Niemier, still a teenager, was a bonafide kayak designer.  One day while walking the craft back to his VW he was approached to sell it.  He asked for 3 times the materials cost.  Without trying he had found his first customer and he was in business. 

1972- Ocean Kayak

Tim ended up selling 30 of this model in just a 1-mile stretch of beach near his home.  That’s when he knew he was onto something. “There are a lot of beaches in the world,” he says.  Why is the rear of the sit-on-top called a “tankwell” you ask?  Because these models all had a well for Tim’s scuba tanks. 

1976-New Logo

In 1976 the Ocean Kayak logo was added to the kayak.  Tim is 5’6” tall, and he realized it was time to alter the cockpit for taller paddlers.  This version was the first that accommodated for all different body sizes.  Tim continued making kayaks for a few years, but was eventually side tracked by life for a while.  But that didn’t last forever.

1984: The Scupper

The world’s first roto molded sit on top kayak was the first with an official model name:  The Scupper. At 14‘ long and only 43 lbs, it was also the first with the little drainage holes commonly known as “scuppers.”

When errors rendered the mold too big to fit into the planned oven, he had to build his own kayak oven to accommodate it.  Eventually, the oven had issues with environmental codes, which lead him to move away from California. 

1989: Scupper Pro

By 1988 Niemier moved his company to Ferndale, WA.  The 15’9” saltwater ready Scupper Pro was built there to carry more gear and hit rougher waters.  This is definitely the most legendary sit-on-top kayak ever devised.

  In 1997, Niemier sold Ocean Kayak to Johnson Outdoors. They continued to produce them off and on until 2010, when it was finally discontinued to the dismay of many. 

2010: Wild Designs

After Ocean Kayak, Niemier was itching to get back in the kayak business so he started a brand called NuCanoe in 2006. After a few years launching this new brand,  he sold it.  After that he went right back to his passion project:  The Scupper.  This is a thermoformed prototype for his Wild Designs business.   It was never sold commercially. 

2018: Swell Watercraft

In 2016 Niemier began to build the Scupper 14 model with Swell Watercraft. Two years later the highly rated, ocean ready craft hit the market.  The final tweeks he included improved ergonomics with the feet area below the waterline.  Patented valves drain the cockpit if water accumulates.  The hatch is larger than ever.  And once again the tankwell fits a scuba tank. 

Things have truly run full circle after almost 50 years for designer Tim Niemier, the man who introduced the sit on top kayak to the world. 

(Bellingham, WA) After two years of prototyping, testing and inventing, Swell Watercraft is debuting it’s Scupper 14 kayak online, in stores and at the Paddlesports Retailer trade show in Oklahoma City.

The kayak originally conceived as a modern version of Ocean Kayak founder Tim Niemier’s Scupper models, went on sale at a select group of retailers this week. “We’ve had a lot of interest from the area in demos so I’m happy to finally have this product in hand”, said Lee Norris from Tallahassee, FL based Tally Yakkers.

Perfect timing for swellwatercraft.com to launch with it’s updated product information, FAQ’s and online store. “We wanted to not just showcase the product, but answer questions and give in depth access to the product and it’s capabilities on different ways to help tell our story,” mentioned GM Jim Marsh. Amongst other things, the site gives a complete list of Swell’s retailers.

Which left the Paddlesports Retailer trade show, taking place in Oklahoma City August 27-30. Paddlesports Retailer is the premiere North American paddling trade show and features on water testing from many of the top retail purchasers and media representatives. This will be the public’s first glimpse of the Scupper 14 kayak and interest is very high.

Marsh and his partner, long time kayak sales rep Ted Keyes, are feeling ambitious. “We took the extra time to prototype and think boldly in order to come up with something special. Very excited to deliver this to the world,” mentioned Keyes.

Swell Watercraft is a Bellingham, WA based company committed to American manufacturing of innovative small boats and accessories.   They place core kayakers’ needs over all other priorities.   It is 100% Paddler Owned & Operated by long time sales rep Ted Keyes and former Canoe & Kayak Magazine Publisher Jim Marsh. For more information go to swellwatercraft.com or follow them at Instagram or Facebook.