Purchased: MKII Stretch Quattro, BSD Schooner rig

[kdwalmsley]

An overdue post.....

My wife and I went out to Long Haul Kayaks to pick up our kayak and the experience exceeded our expectations in every way. For us, that is a very strong statement but one well earned by Mark Eckhart, the owner.

The entire purchasing process from research to pickup was outstanding. I spent a significant amount of time reviewing opinions of Long Haul business practices, build quality, and after purchase customer support. All were excellent. Mr. Eckhart's office manager was instrumental in making the purchase by answering numerous questions both quickly and informatively. If she did not have an immediate answer for any of my questions, she quickly found the accurate answer and let me know. Because of my lengthy purchase research, my decision to buy came just after a price increase. I was offered the pre-increase price. A very generous offer considering prices haven't been raised for three years.

Mr. Eckhart generously opened his shop to us on the holiday which helped my trip scheduling. A sincere thank you to Mrs. Eckhart for her husband's time. The spouses and families of small businessmen are rarely appreciated for their sacrifices. My wife and I arrived early, but Mr. Eckhart was ready for us with our boat set up and fully rigged for inspection. After going over the sails and rigging, I inspected nearly every seam of the hull. All excellent. Quite a few stainless steel rivets are used in the frame so I inspected them. None that I saw were over or under compressed. The rivet heads and ends all appeared properly formed. Mr. Eckhart patiently waited while I did this and answered any questions I had. He also took time to insure that my wife was well informed and patiently answered her questions as well. It was a pleasure to deal with a prompt and professional businessman.

We were given an outstanding block of instruction on assembly, disassembly, and packing of the kayak. We will be flying with the kayak so we spoke at length about various techniques which were very helpful. There are also helpful videos online which you are given on a CD. My wife has developed a knee problem so we discussed how to manage that and found the "Stand Up Strap" to be very helpful. We were offered a tour of the workshop which can be a good way to learn about the craftsmen and craftsmanship involved in a handmade product. See pics. We purchased a "Kayak Field Repair Kit" and instead of just handing it to us, Mr. Eckhart spent time going through it and explain how the different items are used. There is quite a bit in that kit, making for a very comprehensive setup. Long Haul kayaks are also used by the U.S. Special Forces and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, both of which can purchase any kayak they want, but choose the Long Haul.

Mr. Eckhart's shop is located in the very rural and very beautiful area of Cedaredge, Colorado. Plenty of stunning views, winding roads, roadside fruit and produce stands , and local diners made the road trip a pleasure. We also found a wide variety of lodging options.

"Concierge Service" and "Bespoke" are two very over used terms in today's business, but they assuredly apply to Mark Eckhart and Long Haul Kayaks. Long Haul Kayaks are a fully customizable, handmade product made by craftsmen that support their community. They are not inexpensive, but are worth every dollar. You get what you pay for.

Pics to follow....

[kdwalmsley]

Obligatory, immodest, self congratulatory pics

[kdwalmsley]

Long Haul Shop Pic 1

[kdwalmsley]

Long Haul Shop Pics 2

[john allsop]

What a wonderful recommendation for Long haul with excellent photographs, and look at that boat, what a beauty to behold. If I were only younger that would be the craft I would purchase.

[JohnSand]

Thanks for sharing your story and pictures.

[mje]

Great story and great photos. Thanks for sharing them with us.

[GrnMtns]

Congrats & Great Photos! If you get to the east coast there are several gatherings of BSD sailors that are open to all. We host one next week in Northwestern Maine in the Rangeley Lakes region July 29 - August 7 .

[kdwalmsley]

Thanks Jon! The Maine Island Trail is on my bucket list so I will have to add the BSD meet.