We’re no stranger to folding boats around here and are continually impressed with the way designers are able to innovate on them. The Quickboat, however, has to take the cake when it comes to making a remarkable impression, allowing a single person to get it ready to hit the water in under three minutes.
Not only can you assemble it on your own in 180 seconds (the company claims, even with a beer in hand), you can team up with a buddy and put it together in a single minute. That’s insanely fast, especially when you consider this is a functional water vessel rated to hold up to four people.
The Quickboat achieves the speedy assembly using click-together panels that you can simply snap in place. When collapsed, it flat packs into two separate bags that measure 11.8 x 2.3 x 0.4 feet and 4.9 x 3.9 x 0.3 feet, respectively, making them easy to load into your ride for transport; fully set up, it measures 5.6 x 12 feet (w x l). According to the company, it should be no more difficult than a few surfboards to set up on a vehicle’s roof rack. It’s not one lacking in features either — aside from the four-person moulded seats, it comes with under-seat storage, drink holders, a dry storage area, accessory racks, built-in rowlocks (if you plan to use a paddle), and a multi-use rail. It can be fitted with any outboard motor up to 10hp, provided it weighs less than 66 pounds.
Unlike most folding boats that are made from light and flexible parts, they used Kevlar, high-end glass, foam cores, and armor skins on the top sheet for the panels. This allowed the boat to be rigid, stable, dry and safe, while remaining highly buoyant.
Slated to ship out summer of 2014, you can get on the waiting list to reserve yourself one of the early Quickboats. Price is set at AUD$4,375.