My dog Bamboo just had to get up to the Eddyline factory to check out how the 08 crew was doing. Despite storms and snow all over the west, the gang at Eddyline is staying busy. Today a load of boats was being loaded for England. I grabbed a couple of nice new boats that were headed to their new home at Popeye's Marine and Kayak Center (Everett WA).
The cleanliness of the Eddyline Factory really is something spectacular. Years ago when Eddyline made glass and kevlar boats I had to leave Bamboo in the truck because resin and composite scraps just always seemed to find their way to his mouth or coat. Since switching over to thermal forming, the factory is so much cleaner in the air and on the ground. All leftover scrap material is gathered and sent back to our material supplier for a refund.
Here are the molds that heated Carbonlite is formed over. Suction vacuum plumbing is run all through the underside of these molds that pull the heated Carbonlite sheet into all the especially tight areas (skeg handles, deckties, cockpit, etc).
For some reason these molds remind me of the Carbon Frozen Han Solo from Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi.
Pictured below is the "Heart of Thermal Forming. Notice the cooling fans that quickly cool the sheet after it is formed on a mold. The Oven (not pictured but to the right) feeds the heated sheet to the holding tray where it is formed over the mold. Sorry about the lack of detail but this is as close as I can show you in case you are a kayak industry spy...
The extruded seam is installed on the hull as Bamboo inspects the easily stored parts behind that allow for Eddyline's Industry Applauded "Just in Time" manufacturing.
Another Eddyline being proudly built in the USA! Master Builder Rick always has kayaks on the mind.
Now to me, this is Willa Wonka's Candy Factory...Look at all those tasty treats!
The "just in time" box that allows Eddyline to ship one boat quickly and safely all over the world. We are not worried too much about showing the competition this system because they have repeatedly chosen to not invest in the packaging of their product. Eddyline has worked hard to guarantee safe arrival of their kayaks for their customers. Not everyone can win "Gear Trends Top 10 Outdoor Manufacturer/Supplier" award.
Bamboo is happy to be part of the crew!
