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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
PHOTO COURTESY CLEAR BLUE HAWAII LLC
Above, a kayaker tests out Clear Blue Hawaii's newest design, the Napali.
See-through urethane kayaks
are getting favorable national press
thanks to an aggressive PR campaignFor a company that doesn't advertise, Clear Blue Hawaii LLC has generated huge international buzz. It is a testament to an unusual product and strategic marketing by the company, formed in March of 2001.
Its third clear kayak model, the Napali, has been named among the coolest products of the year by Time magazine (November issue), Fortune magazine (current issue) and has been featured on national and local television shows as well as numerous publications.
Napali is a 26-pound, foldable kayak constructed from military-grade urethane and a carbon Kevlar frame.
The first Napali arrived in Hawaii in July for testing. It was unveiled at an outdoor retailer trade show on the mainland in August, according to partner Andres Segrera.
"Roughly about the same time, Wired magazine did an article on it and basically we got that snowball effect after Wired went live," he said.
The well-traveled kayak then navigated its way, not by water, but other means, to New York City for inspection and photography by the magazine and TV networks. It was then flown to the West Coast for coverage on several local news shows.
"We've done a lot of PR and we've been fairly successful," he said. Segrera used to work for his partner and co-founder Brian Woolford. Woolford is president of D&D Furniture, and Segrera worked in the marketing office.
PHOTO COURTESY CLEAR BLUE HAWAII LLC
The foldable kayak Napali is made of urethane with a carbon Kevlar frame.
PR for the new company has netted coverage in Spain, Sweden, Italy, Venezuela, the United Kingdom and Australia, to name a few. Some of the coverage is archived at www.clearbluehawaii.com.
The Napali will be exhibited at the January Super Show for outdoor lifestyle and recreation products in Orlando, Fla.
It is the same venue where Segrera and Woolford introduced Clear Blue's first kayak, the Molokini, just last year. Since then it introduced a second model, the Hanauma.
Molokini was picked up by high-end retailers Sharper Image, then Hammacher Schlemmer, which offer it in catalogs and online for $1,459.95. Costco also carried the kayak. The Hanauma, retails at about $599, while the Napali sells for $4,289.
Segrera attributes the interest "to the uniqueness of the product. It has the 'wow' factor and every time we go out to do a demo or something, people come up to us and ask 'where can I get one?'," he said.
"We also have a good marketing team. We run all our marketing here internally from Hawaii. This is our corporate headquarters."
Manufacturing operations are in Gilbert, Ariz.
The Molokini was designed here by local nautical engineer Brian Treinhale, and all Clear Blue products are tested here as well, Segrera said.
The Molokini is used by Friends of Heeia State Park as part of its educational program and would work in other calm waters.
Kayak renters in Kailua and Waikiki contacted by TheBuzz didn't have good success with the first model as water got into the sit-in kayak. There were concerns about customers getting swamped. Some of the businesses were still listed as rental locations on the Web site Friday afternoon, but Segrera said that would be corrected.
The Hanauma, Segrera said, "is suited for rental operations, that is what we specifically made it for.
"It has four buoyancy chambers to provide flotation ... it can handle chop. Now, Napali is geared for open ocean touring. This was also something Molokini could not do."
Local surf legend and entrepreneur Hans Hedemann had only tried out the Molokini, but would welcome a demonstration of the Hanauma and Napali.
"It's very unique, it's a great idea, to be kayaking and be able to see down at the ocean floor and it's especially great when the weather's clear," he said.
President of Hans Hedemann Surf Inc., his surfing schools operate at six hotels around Oahu.
Sales of Clear Blue kayaks have been "$300,000 a year plus- or-minus and we expect it to continue to grow next year. We're looking at 75 percent growth for next year."
Some of that growth may come from new backpacks being tested. Submersible backpacks are designed with watertight chambers to withstand pressure at a depth of 120 feet or more. One model was recently tested at China Walls at Portlock.
One potential clientele for the product is the military, but civilians could use the submersible packs to protect the myriad of electronic devices we carry around. Snorkelers could carry personal belongings with them rather than risk leaving their stuff on the beach. The high-end model might retail for $130, with another version just below $100.
And Randy Hill, a doctor on Maui, is working with Clear Blue on another backpack designed to be ergonomically correct to take a load off burdened students.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at: eengle@starbulletin.com
