Who we are and where we came from.
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Who we are and where we came from. |
Shaggy designs is a small company based in Ontario, Canada. We design and build customised decked canoes (C1), and our first kayak design, the Saint. Our boats are designed to perform freestyle moves on standing waves both on rivers, and on the sea.
Shaggy Designs is owned and run by Martin Du Toit and Gwyn Ashcroft. Martin and Gwyn met and set up the company while studying at Durham University, and paddling with Durham University Canoe Club. Martin has worked as a video boater around the world, including Greenland, Peru, and many seasons on the Ottawa River, Canada. He now lives and works near Toronto. Gwyn works as a raft guide in Canada and New Zealand as well as building boats. He has also fitted in slalom racing for Wales, having won the Welsh C1 slalom championships for a number of years. We are both to be found working or just chilling out at River Run rafting centre on the banks of the Ottawa in the summer!
Gwyn Ashcroft and Martin Du Toit
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Initially we started producing boats because there was nothing that we wanted to buy on the market. After having a great time cutting down and paddling a few old C1 slalom boats, we began experimenting with building a boat from scratch. After a lot of experimenting we came up with the Jedi in 1998, with a flat planing surface, enough length to get around on the river, and wider (and more stable) than any converted kayak. This was a great success, winning the UK student rodeo and on river trips to Canada, California and the European alps. This was followed by our next boat, the Sith which features a symmetrical design and a large wide planing surface on the hull for the best performance on a wave.
One of the advantages of being a small company is that we are very flexible. In addition to canoes and kayaks, we have designed and built many other composite components, such as carbon fibre panels for vehicle interiors, and ultralightweight mudguards. If you have a requirement for strong, stiff and lightweight composite parts, contact us for friendly advice and help.
For more information; contact us.
We both paddle C1 - distinct from kayaking in that the paddler kneels in his or her boat and propels it through the water with a single bladed paddle. Why? - because it is great fun! Kneeling results in a higher centre of gravity, reducing stability but allowing much more effective control of the boat by body weight throw.