MYCANOE – A full size origami folding canoe that travels in a box. The idea to make the high quality folding canoe was born out of my love for being on the water and exploring new places in these vessels of freedom. However, transporting and storing canoes is nothing short of brain damage. It’s been a lifelong love-hate relationship and had to think about how I was going to fix it.

In 2013, I founded MyCanoe to find a better solution for canoeing on the road. After three years of sketches, prototypes, tests and improvements on several previous models, my team and I are proud to present the MyCanoe 2.5: an origami foldable canoe that sets up in LESS than ten minute!

We are a very small team with big dreams! Let the free-spirited around the world hit the water, stop where they want and enjoy paddling, without having to give up comfort or go through the difficulties I had.

MyCanoe weighs only 52 lbs and fits in most small sedans and can be stored in a closet. The main body is made with a marine-grade custom polypropylene that can withstand for 20,000 folds. We've tested the material over the past 3 years to ensure the longevity. MyCanoe Plus model comes with an oar lock kit with a pair of paddles so that you can effortlessly row during a solo long trip. Optional stabilizer kit is also available for those who want to adventure a little rough water or stand up for fishing.

MyCanoe is a great solution for those who love outdoor adventures, but limited with transportation and storage. RV users, city dwellers, campers are also a great fit.

MYCANOE is an award winning, patented, TUV certified, performance origami foldable canoe that fits in a small sedan and can be stored in your closet.
MyCanoe is a lightweight and high quality folding canoe that turns into a beautiful Canadian canoe in 10 minutes. Its full sized 14.5 ft with two seats are perfect for sharing with family and friends for a quick trip to water.

Convenience

· MyCanoe unfolds into a quality 14.5 ft canoe in only 10 minutes, and takes only 5 minutes to fold back up.

· At only 52 lbs, MyCanoe is easy to take with you wherever you go!

· The paddles are two-piece for easy carrying. If you ever drop one in the water, they float!

· The two-piece carrying covers are used as the floor of the canoe so you don't leave anything behind.

Durability

· The body of MyCanoe is made from a marine-grade custom polypropylene with a 15 year UV treatment that will withstand 20,000 folds!

· On the off-chance that your MyCanoe capsizes, there is no need to worry as your canoe will still floats.

Performance

· The award winning MyCanoe is TUV certified, comparing both better or similar to other canoes.

· With 8 different seat positions, the possible ways to enjoy your MyCanoe are limitless.

MyCanoe was specifically built to be a top performing canoe. Although it folds up small for easy transport, make no mistake, it is at home in the water and has now problem surging forward with the help of a paddle.

Accessories

MyCanoe also offers additional options, including stabilizers and oar lock kit for added enjoyment, such as fishing or other activities.

The stabilizer attachments take your canoe to the next level. Use them during regular nature wandering for extra steadiness or attach to your canoe for some relaxing standup fishing time.

The oar lock kit works brilliantly to keep paddles attached to the canoe so you can row effortlessly and easily without fear of the paddles floating away. Our innovative oar lock kit allows you to row your canoe in style. Slide gracefully through the water with speed.

The MyCanoe will be your go-to craft providing you with a solid packable boat that doesn't sacrifice performance in the water.

· MyCanoe can hold up to 440 lbs. With the stabilizers, it can hold up to 750 lbs.

· The award winning MyCanoe is TUV certified, comparing stringently both better and/or similarly to other canoes.

· On the off-chance that you have the misfortune of capsizing, there is no need to worry as MyCanoe still floats when capsized.

Background

The inspiration for MyCanoe struck when founders, KS Jin and Jay Lee, were on vacation with friends. They brought a canoe with them and after having to stop multiple times to retighten the straps that were holding the canoe to the car, they knew there must be a better way.

This is when they started experimenting with different folding canoes using origami. After settling on a design that they knew was a winner, Team MyCanoe then transformed that paper into the highly technical design you see now. However, despite being highly technical, it's easy enough for anyone to pull out and quickly assemble for a day on the water.

MyCanoe isn't just an idea, or a concept, or even a prototype for that matter. It's a full-fledged product ready to hit mainstream production. Our team of engineers and designers has worked very hard for three long years to get to this point. We wanted to make sure we had worked out every possible product bugs. We tested and retested different assembly protocols, materials, and manufacturing sequences.

Shown in the attached images are a few examples of our productive past 3 years. In one of the photos showing three canoes, to the right you will see the earliest version, say 0.5! It was a good start, but left us a list of things to improve. This led us to the version 1.0 which you see in the middle. More ribbing, sturdier design, but still lacking. Version 2.0 is seen on the left. Much better... rigid, sturdy, lightweight and fast to set up.

It's been a brutal process to improve (if not perfect) this boat over the last 3 years but it has been worth every single step. Our current version 2.5 with this application has only 4 ribs which makes MyCanoe lighter and faster assembly.

We are proud to submit our application to the 2017 Core77 Design Award.