Stop the presses!

December 26, 2005

I broke my cardinal rule this past month, by accident,
but still, I broke it. You can’t do anything the wrong way and have
it turn our right. I ordered my slalom boats for me to paddle and test
the layups on a while back. Somehow, an order for Japan got put in front
of my personal boat. What happens next? The bugs that I needed to work
out weren’t, so the boats that went to Japan (three of them) were
not up to snuff. Now, today, I leave for Africa and won’t be back
until February 1st. What does this mean? You will have to wait until I
return to make sure that our boats are being laid up correctly. Issues
with Japan boats include, insufficient seam material in the stern, and
other minor things that add up to major things when you are trying to
paddle the boat hard.

I am sorry that I was unable to finish the boat before
I left. I will work on it immediately upon returning from Africa and get
it ready for you. Meanwhile- I will try to get someone who is qualified
to help out while I am gone, like Billy Hearn, John Jaycox, or someone
like that.

EJ’s Cardinal Rule: I have got to put each piece
of our equipment to the test before offering it to the public, because
nothing is perfect the first time and everything can be improved with
a little extra effort.

Penalty for breaking the cardinal rule: Three people
in Japan think that a Jackson Kayak slalom boat is below standard in construction.
They will tell at least 10 people each, and if I can’t replace them
fast enough, all of Japan will think we will be making a poor boat and
we will be dead in the water there. Additional cost: replacing three slalom
boats!

Finally: now you reading this may question our ability
to make a top notch composite boat. Well, how about you just save that
judgement until I return, get a good boat for me and then, we will be
making an awesome boat. The hull and deck and ability to seam are as good
as it gets.

Thanks for understanding.

🙂 EJ