Introducing the “Nordiboat”
A Nordic-ski-inspired human-powered watercraft.
Imagine cross-country skiing on a beautiful summer day on your favorite lake. The Nordiboat was conceptualized by an avid Nordic skier who sought to bring the fitness and the recreational value of Nordic skiing to the water. While on the deck of the Nordiboat, the “skier” engages in the usual cross-country skiing motion while paddles below the platform propel the watercraft through the water. The design is patented in the US and in Europe by Sunrunner Products, LLC.
Performance
The Nordiboat provides a stable platform for the skier to easily propel the boat using feet and hand motions that faithfully mimic recreational Nordic skiing.
The Working Prototype
The design of the working model of the watercraft follows the claims outlined in the US and European patents, US 10,124,869 B1 and 3403915 DE FI NO SE, respectively. The current hull and structural components are constructed of carbon fiber extrusions and panels, fiberglass, and aluminum, with stainless steel fasteners. Maintaining structural strength and precision of the moving parts while keeping development costs low resulted in a heavier-than-ideal prototype. Its weight of 320 lbs. (145 Kg.) is considerably heavier than the projected ideal weight of approximately 100 lbs. (45 Kg.), which should be attainable using modern manufacturing techniques. Furthermore, maneuverability would be enhanced by a lighter weight hull with hydrodynamically-designed hulls.
Components and Operation
The following videos show the various components and their operation:
Two hulls, deck, support struts, front and back panels, and hip-support pad form the main structure of the boat.
Foot rails and cars enable the skier to move their feet forward and backward. This movement operates the foot paddles underneath the deck via a series of dyneema cables and small blocks.
The foot paddles are designed to ride above the water on the forward stroke. They submerge completely for the rear-moving power stroke.
The outer paddles, controlled by ski poles, are also on rails. The skier moves the poles in an up-forward and down-back pattern. This brings the paddles above the water on the forward stroke. They are submerged on the rear stroke.
Both sets of paddles achieve neutral apparent weight through the use of elastomeric bands which contribute to ease of operation.
Our Mission
Our mission is to revolutionize the watersport industry by licensing the production of our patented human-powered watercraft which, we believe, will have widespread appeal to Nordic skiers and recreational boaters throughout the world.
Our Team
George Bailey – Owner / Technical Director
Laurie Sampson – business director
JAKARI/Toast Media – media provider
In 2013, George Bailey, an avid cross-country skier and father of four-time Olympian and world champion U.S. biathlete Lowell Bailey, conceived of a watercraft where he could enjoy the fitness benefits of Nordic skiing year-round. He then documented his idea and patented it. After spending close to ten years building and perfecting the working prototype, he is now looking for a licensee for the patent that will share his vision and manufacture the world’s first production Nordiboat.
Laurie Sampson has a background in accounting and office management and oversees the documentation of the Nordiboat development as well as manages the office for Sunrunner Products, LLC
The JAKARI/Toast Media team of James Sampson and Kari McCune produced the video content of the website.
The Market
Listed below are statistics related to Nordic skiing and boating in the US and Scandinavia. They are listed here for reference purposes and are not intended to be used for marketing research.
- There are more than five million Nordic skiers in the US (skiresorts.com)
- Twenty-two percent of the 25 million people in Scandinavia participate annually in Nordic skiing (Statista.com)
- 350,000 kayaks are sold annually in the US (grandviewresearch.com)
- The state of New York (US) alone has over 7,500 lakes suitable for canoeing (NY Dept of Environmental Conservation)
- Europe claimed 33% of the market share of canoes and kayaks sold in the world in 2023 (grandviewresearch.com)
- There are over 300,000 paddle-friendly lakes in Scandinavia (naturetravels.co.uk)
- There are 168,000 lakes in Finland. Most have lakefront properties suitable for launching canoes and kayaks (and perhaps a Nordiboat?)
For more information, email info@sunrunnerproducts.com.
Introducing the Nordiboat 