O Six Hundred Kayak Kit

Created by Ben Cooper and Australian designer Andrew Simpson of The Balmain Boat Company, the O Six Hundred Kayak is truly unique in its make – and its confidence in the consumer: “If you’re strong enough to life it, you’re smart enough to build it.” As it’s name suggests, the Kayak is meant for those precious early morning moments spent exploring, and getting lost – “To challenge the day before it challenged us.” Just 30 pieces come together to create the same basic Inuit frame that’s been used since the Bronze Age. Cut using a CNC router, the seemingly delicate pieces of hoop pine plywood are deceptively strong and fit together with exact precision in combination with sturdy cedar spines. The use of a skeletal frame rather than a solid wood body makes the kayak weigh in at just 10 kgs. A translucent carbon fabric acts as a lightweight and incredibly aerodynamic skin on the “ready to assemble” frame so you can slide through the water with ease. But the designers remind you that despite a clever form, it’s not indestructible: “Treat the O Six Hundred with respect and it’ll love you forever. Drag it across broken bottles and oyster shells, you’ll get cold, wet feet.” Order your own here.