All the fun of a boat without the 'hassles' - Napa Valley Register

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All the fun of a boat without the 'hassles' - Napa Valley Register Apr 1st 2012, 09:40 Boats can be a lot of fun, but they are also expensive, high-maintenance, and hard to tow and store. That's the reason Jason Woods invented a motor-powered body board called the Kymera Body Board. The body board is 6 feet long, weighs about 30 pounds and is propelled by a small engine and jet pump. "It's a cross between a boogie board and jet ski," Woods said. The name "Kymera" is inspired by the mythological creature and a type of deep-water shark, he said. Once a boat owner himself, Woods said after he bought his boat, he realized what's involved in boating — including buying a trailer, gas and a place to store it. "Pretty quickly, I found out that there was a lot more to it than just going up to the lake and having a good time," Woods said. Woods eventually sold his boat and traded his truck for a compact sport vehicle. On another trip to the lake, it dawned on Woods that there were a lot of people there in the same situation that he was.  They wanted to be on the water, but "They either couldn't afford or didn't want the hassle associated with owning a boat," he said. He saw an opportunity for a new kind of watercraft product. "I needed something that I can carry to the water and keep in my sport compact," said Woods, 28. "I wanted something that didn't need special storage space, and that would run all day on a little gas." Looking to bridge the gap, Woods started tinkering in his garage. "(I was) hacking on boards, trying to find something that would work. I started with a small two-stroke engine and a jet pump," he said. "Ideally, I wanted something that would cost under two grand, and run all day on a gallon of gas." Woods came up with a prototype of his motor-powered body board. "The first one was about two and a half horsepower," he said. "It put out about 50 pounds of thrust. With me on it, it would do about 10 (to) 15 mph. "Even though you're going 15 miles per hour, it feels like you're going 50 miles per hour, because you're so close to the water," he said. Word of his invention spread. Woods was featured on a Discovery Channel tech news show, "The Daily Planet." The Kymera was named among 2011's "Inventions of the Year" by Popular Science magazine. The inventor said he's spent about $40,000 on development costs. Woods found that, with a little tweaking, there were other uses for his board than just recreation. "Some of the first people who contacted me were search-and-rescue guys," involved in dangerous-condition water rescue, he said. Woods described a situation where rescuers were only able to save some of the victims because they didn't have the ability to get equipment to the scene, such as boats or personal watercraft. And if there isn't a launch ramp, rescuers have a hard time using such craft. The Kymera doesn't need a launch ramp, he noted. Woods also said there is some interest in a military version of his invention. "I've been working on this sort of 'Batman' version," he said. "It weighs about 35 pounds, has 20 horsepower. It has about 260 pounds of thrust and goes about 30 miles per hour." The Kymera isn't for sale just yet. "I've got investors lined up, but I am still working on a final prototype," Woods said. He estimates the body board could be mass-produced with a retail price of $1,000 for a base model. While he works at a day job for a sound, lighting and video production company in Napa, he has investors champing at the bit. "They are pushing me to get it available as soon as this summer," Woods said. In the coming years, he said, "Hopefully you'll see them on the roofs of cars everywhere." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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