The Game-Changer (GC) is a hybrid hardshell-inflatable whitewater kayak that reversibly reconfigures into a backpack. Hard-boat performance on the water. True portability off it. Engineered from first principles in New Zealand.
Get in touch →Monthly updates on the GC development, Mk VI prototype run, and ordering notifications.
A composite shell forms a rigid exo-skeleton that drives modern hard-boat performance. A premium inflatable inner sits protected inside. The two come apart, pack down, and reconfigure into a backpack.
Composite hard-shell covering the hull, sidewalls and ends delivers the responsiveness of a modern whitewater boat, and provides protection and rigidity to a high-spec TPU inflatable inner built to premium packraft-grade standards.
Any river that can be hiked into is now in range.
Two compartments, front and rear, turn gear into ballast. Place it low for a planted feel, lateral for roll inertia, central for quick edging, forward for balanced trim, rear for easy boofing and quick turns. Dial it in before you put on.
TIZIP closures and an elastic packing system. Easy to pack, easy to access. Take the kitchen sink on your local overnighter, or specialist equipment for first descents or multi-disciplinary adventures. Dry storage and backpack are built in — no separate hiking pack to carry, no extra dry bags to buy. Anything you carry in, you can carry out.
The cockpit feels like the one you know. A hard composite coaming runs your standard whitewater spray deck: no implosion, no deck explosions. Knee/thigh braces plus lateral knee armour are built in. Aggressive control. Real protection when things get rowdy.
A demonstration on the water, and a deep-dive walk-through of the boat's design, features, specifications, materials, and upcoming upgrades for the Mk VI prototype run, straight from the builder.
The first true high-performance, hard-shell inflatable, backpack-convertible whitewater kayak.
Capitalises on the characteristics of inflatable structures and a composite shell to deliver the benefits of each.
Patent-pending interlocking shell joint mechanisms turn modular composite sections into a single, rigid kayak with hard-shell performance.
Built for the rugged terrain and demanding rivers that define NZ paddling.
A limited Mk VI prototype batch is the next step. Pending Mk VI success, V1 GC release and distribution will be 2027.
Composite stiffness holds the hull's designed shape under load, far better than flexible plastic, so the designed geometry doesn't deform. What was designed is what gets executed on the water, not an approximation of it. The boat feels more lively, more responsive, sharper, slicker. Better tracking, momentum, and a confidence-inspiring feel for smashing moves and hitting your lines.
Each material contributes something the others can't. Together they give the shell stiffness, strength, impact absorption, and abrasion resistance: a balanced composite with superior properties across the board.
External layer. Fibres spun from volcanic rock. Natural impact and abrasion resistance.
Modern polypropylene fibre. The suspension built into the composite, for impact absorption a stiff layup wouldn't otherwise have.
Structural glass. Tougher and more impact-tolerant than carbon. The skeleton of the layup.
Stiff and light, but brittle on impact. Used selectively.
Under the seat. For the day a rock decides to come visit somewhere it shouldn't.
Stiffness multiplier, strategically placed where it's needed, and out of frequent impact zones.
The Mk VI prototype run is next - Q4 2026 is the targeted release and distribution period. The survey is now closed. Pending Mk VI success, V1 GC release and distribution will be 2027. If you'd like to express interest in an upcoming model, please do so via the contact page.