The 12-foot Bay ST was Oru’s first folding kayak, dreamed up after the company founder moved into a shoebox flat in San Francisco and found he had nowhere to put his boat. Initially funded through a phenomenally successful Kickstarter campaign, it’s been refined over the years into their most classic and versatile model. Its closed cockpit and sporty performance mean the Bay ST can handle coastal surf as well as calmer waters, and it’s roomy enough for all but the tallest paddlers. What’s more, with 90 litres of on-board storage and half-deck rigging, it can haul enough gear to make it a viable overnighter. All of this from something that folds down into a 12-kilo satchel the size of a sofa cushion.
Lightweight and extraordinarily strong, Oru Kayak boats are created from 5mm double-layered, custom-extruded polypropylene with a 10-year UV treatment. Which makes them puncture and abrasion resistant, and built to last. With proper care, they can withstand sliding over rocks, bumping into obstacles, and folding up tens of thousands of times.
The trouble with boating is the effort it takes to get on and off the water, with all the hassle of roof racks, trailers, garages, lifting, pumping and rigging. Oru’s extraordinary folding kayaks strip away all of that. Wildly popular with city-slickers, van-lifers and everyone in-between, they pack down to the size of a small suitcase and with some models you can be on the water in less than five minutes.
-Midori K., Verified Buyer
