Interview - Kayotics Skimboards

Kayotics is a flatland skimboard manufacturer based out of Vancouver, Canada. Kayotics has been very instrumental in progressing the flatland skim movement. Company founder John Minns tells us more in Inland Skimboarding’s interview with him.
Inland Skimboarding: Tell us a little about your company.
Kayotics Skimboards: Kayotics skimboards is my child. It was started in 2001 and has grown up to destroy the beaches all over North America. I began making skimboards as a side venture when i noticed the lack of good boards and also industry. Since then, everyone and their dog has been attempting to jump into the skimboard scene.
Inland Skimboarding: How did the name of your company originate? Is there any interesting story behind the name?
Kayotics Skimboards: I used to write Kayotics across desks in classes in high school .. I guess you could say it was a tag or graffiti and then i was trying to think of a name for my boards and I thought that it was perfect.
Inland Skimboarding: Where is Kayotics Skimboards located?
Kayotics Skimboards: Kayotics is home grown on the beaches of Boundary Bay in Vancouver Canada. I do Manufacturing out of Richmond/Vancouver but the address hasn't changed. Mail the same number same hood its all good.
Inland Skimboarding: How have you seen the skimboard market change over the years you have been in business?
Kayotics Skimboards: I think raising the bar for skimboarding is what has created the growth. People didn't think you could do anything on a skimboard before we started making power moves to show the world what is possible. We in Vancouver and the brothers in Sac have definitely started to turn heads. The only way you can make people pumped on your sport is when you can shock them with tricks or obstacles to really show them how far they can take it. If skimboarding only had 2 tricks to learn, people would treat it like skip rope or something lame that can't expand very far. I think it's really important for kids to see the potential because ultimately they are the ones trying to follow suit.
Inland Skimboarding: How long have you been making skimboards?
Kayotics Skimboards: I've been building for I guess, 7 or 8 years.
Inland Skimboarding: What is the difference between skimboards used for wave riding and skimboards for inland use?
Kayotics Skimboards: For the longest time it was just a difference between foam core and wood. Flatland skimming is still predominantly wood core, however some brands are starting to dabble with foam core boards. A foam/wave board is generally thicker and longer and is basically the look of a mini surf board. A more buoyant board is needed in order to get over the deeper water and make it out to the waves. A wood board needs more weight to it. Often times flatland riders throw their boards and chase it to get on, therefore it is imperative to have a board that carries well. I also believe that flatland skimboarding should resemble skateboarding more than surfing. In turn, I believe that the pricing should also mimic that market.
Inland Skimboarding: A lot of inland skimboarders start off on boards that they have made themselves. What are the advantages of moving to a professionally manufactured board?
Kayotics Skimboards: I highly encourage people to build there own weekend warrior boards. It gets people into the sport that may not ever get the addictive feeling of skimboarding because they don't want to spend 150-200 bucks on a pro board.
Inland Skimboarding: What makes a good inland skimboard?
Kayotics Skimboards: I personally look for and cater my boards to key in on the Rocker, shape, perfect amount of flex and slick bases for riding rails. Also weight is a big factor. Many people think that lighter is better and therefore foam is the answer. I disagree with that and feel that making a board that carries further with more weight to it is preferable.
Inland Skimboarding: Tell us about your inland skimboards.
Kayotics Skimboards: First off, inland skimboarding is the same as flatland. In my opinion flatland skimboarding covers all flatland riding, where as inland only defines the actual inland skim scenes. Therefore, to answer your question, we make flatland skimboards that taylor to all the needs of every scene; weather you're riding, inland or on the coast.
Kayotics skimboards manufactures high performance skimboards for the flatland/inland world. We make 4 shapes that take care of all weights and rider sizes.
Inland Skimboarding: Why should I buy a Kayotics skimboard?
Kayotics Skimboards: We are the most legit and core flatland brand in the game son..haha. We have been down since day one. Some companies run both wave and flatland boards, we only do flatland. This is what we know best and focus on. If you want to put the money in the hands of the creators and innovators, go with us. We also run with our slogan "skimboards and lifestyles" which started off meaning that we offered "skimboards and apparel" but it has grown way past that. It is now recognized that there is a lifestyle that goes with our skimboarding for every one of our team riders and our customers to follow. Skimboarding is fun because of all the trips, parties, girls, jokes, and all round adventure behind the whole sport. What Kayotics is basically saying is, while we can kill it on our boards, we also have attitude and style to go with it. Therefore, to answer your question, you're not buying into a lame brand, you're buying the best boards and the culture that Kayotics knows best. Spend a week with us up north and it will change your life, on and off the beach.
Inland Skimboarding: What makes your inland skimboards unique?
Kayotics Skimboards: Our boards are handcrafted by Canadian skimboarders. Our lemon shape is definitely a signature for us as having a distinct nose and tail makes for level popping but also for directional throwing.
Inland Skimboarding: What kind of testing/quality control do your boards go through?
Kayotics Skimboards: I have tested all my boards since day one and they are also passed around through the hands of most of our riders. Different bases and slicknesses can make a difference. On the actual production side, I'm usually there or have my guys inspect every board during the finishing part of our process, making sure there is no warping or blemishes.
Inland Skimboarding: Rails have become an integral part of inland skimboarding. As a result, boards take a fair amount of abuse. Talk a little bit about the challenge that presents when designing and building inland skimboards.
Kayotics Skimboards: I think that depending on your set up you shouldn't have too many problems with durability on rails. Boards get more warn down on the biggest piece of sand paper in the world... the beach. If you're building your rails right and mounting the board properly, you shouldn't be gauging the front of your board. Gauges do happen, but i feel like the longjevity of a skimboard should be equivalent to that of skateboards. Advanced skateboarders will go through dozens of skateboards where as, a beginner may only need one for 2 years. Skimboarding should follow suit with that, as the price ranges follow as well.
Inland Skimboarding: When you get feedback from inland riders, what positive things do you hear most often?
Kayotics Skimboards: How sick our boards are or how they can order one.
Inland Skimboarding: Where do you see the sport of skimboarding 10 years from now?
Kayotics Skimboards: I would like to be traveling to a lot more locations internationally. I think as we build and forefront the industry it's important to look at all the scenes developing globally so we don't cut ourselves short on the locations we travel to. I get a bit tired of the same spots so the things that really stoke me are new locations with new scenery to shoot photos and video at. Indoor parks are also something I would like to get happening as I've been dreaming of this since I was a kid. However this will require some major investors and at this time I really don't think anyone in the skimboarding industry has the bank roll to make something like that happen, not to the extent of what I'm looking to do anyways.
Inland Skimboarding: Do you see anything new on the horizon technology wise that will improve the next generation of inland skimboards?
Kayotics Skimboards: Again following a similar business model to skateboarding, I feel that keeping boards simple and cheap is a better alternative to putting more and more money into them. Plus, selling boards for over $300 starts to really narrow down your market. The reality is that even if you build a higher priced board, we will still be able to do the same tricks on a cheaper board. For a company to come along and drop a board like this, they would have to draw customers in by demonstrating never- before- seen tricks with their riders, thus proving the worth of the new technology.
Currently, I think the ultimate goal is implementing minor adjustments to the boards, without drastically changing the wholesale price.
Inland Skimboarding: Inland skimboarders often get called names, talked down to, and shown little respect from some wave skimboarders. Inland skimboarders are often told what they are doing is not “real” skimboarding. What is your view of the inland skimboarding scene?
Kayotics Skimboards: As far as I'm concerned Flatland skimboarding is its own industry. I could personally care less about how the wave riders feel about flatland but I also think that people are always going to hate different industries. We are starting to see a few more cross over riders these days which is starting to bridge the gap a bit more. I just think flatland as a whole is trailing behind because we really didn't get started til much after the wave industry.
Inland Skimboarding: As a board manufacturer, is there anything you can do, or are doing, to increase the respect for inland skimboarding?
Kayotics Skimboards: I ride for my own company and represent flatland skimboarding to the fullest. To keep the industry wheels in motion I'm always coming up with new tricks, obstacles and new events creating the spectacle that skimboarding needs.
Inland Skimboarding: What inland skimboarding events have you been involved with? Tell us about your experiences at those events.
Kayotics Skimboards: I've competed in every major event in north America and have placed 1st in all the biggest ones. In all honestly, that was a major goal of mine when I was younger, but now the bigger contests don't hold as much importance as they once did. I still enjoy hooking up with the road brothers that I've made over the years, but I am much more stoked on the more mellow scenes. I went to Louisiana to visit Sam Collette and skimmed in Mississippi with a start up scene. It is becoming more and more enjoyable to witness the progression of the scenes from the ground up.
I personally have been putting on Jamfests since 2001 and its the longest running flatland even in Canada. We missed jamfest 7 this year because of some permit issues, but we are definitely going to make it happen next year. Bank Statements was another huge achievement for me to show the public what was possible on a skimboard and what they can expect for the future.
Inland Skimboarding: Do you have any sponsored inland skimboarders? What does it take for an inland skimboarder to get sponsored by Kayotics?
Kayotics Skimboards: Yes we have lots of riders. Some are considered team riders and some are considered flow riders. Team riders travel a bit more and compete in contests etc. Flow riders are often times younger and i just make sure they have a board under their feet. In order to get sponsored, you obviously have to be able to shred incredibly well. We also love some attitude and style. If you can show that you can be pushing the Kayotics "skimboards and lifestyles" we're probably going to like you.

Thanks John, for a great interview. Find out more about Kayotics Skimboards by visiting their website at http://www.kayotics.com/