Thursday, February 24, 2011

The Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show Is This Weekend!


What's Up Paddling People?

In case you've been buried under snow for the last few months and unable to leave your house (which would suck), the Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show is this weekend! It's a great way to shovel yourself out of that winter funk and get excited for the upcoming paddling season. OAS is always a great show, and it's jam-packed with stuff for every type of outdoors person there is. From canoeing and kayaking, to hiking and camping, OAS is a great event for outdoor adventurers. And of course, Swift will be there in full regalia with awesome boats and great off-season deals. So if you're in the GTA (and even if you're not), don't sit around and pray to the weather gods for spring, come on out to OAS and get pumped up for the upcoming season!

Here are the details:


Get 2-for1- Admission!


Hope to see you there!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Sneak Preview Part VI- From Prototype to Production

The Prospector 17 Is Here


Hello again paddling enthusiasts,


In Parts I, IV, and V of the Sneak Preview Series, we showed you how a canoe goes from just an idea to a full-fledged prototype. We've brought you along so you can see how we build and test each new design. Well, now it's time to see the finished product. As we announced in January, Swift has designed two new additions to our Prospector series, the Prospector 15 and 17. These new designs are now complete with finished moulds, and the first boats have already gone through production. With that said, Swift is proud to show you the first Swift Prospector 17 ever built:

Moments after coming out of the mould. It still needs trim, interior wood, and decals, but it's beginning to take shape.


The boat was made in Kevlar Fusion, with our Carbon-Kevlar trim, in champagne white, with cherry wood interior. The Swift factory team finished the boat this week and it immediately headed out for it's maiden voyage.

We decided to take the boat down to our good friends at Bay Creek Paddling Center in Rochester, NY. The gang decided on Irondeqouit Creek, a tributary of the larger Irondequoit Bay that feeds into Lake Ontario. It was a cold, snowy day but Dave and Morgan from Bay Creek braved the weather and put the boat through its paces. We're going to make them honorary Canadians for being such good sports. According to them, the boat paddles exceptionally well and is very maneuverable for it's size. It's also got tonnes of cargo capacity and glides nicely through the water, even with a light load. Here they are in action:


They've even got their toques on. Yes, it's a toque. It's not a hat, or a cap, or a chapeau, it's a toque eh!

A nice day for a test paddle. Kinda.

Like a couple of seasoned voyageurs

The Prospector 17 will be making its debut this weekend at the Outdoor Adventure Show, going on at the International Center in Toronto. Stop by the Swift booth and check it out!

In cased you missed it:

The Sneak Preview Series



Saturday, February 19, 2011

How To Outfit A Whitewater Canoe


Do you like to whitewater canoe? Ever wanted to learn how to turn your regular old canoe into a whitewater paddling machine? Swift will teach you.



We've been slowly writing and contributing some of our paddling knowledge to a database we started just for paddlers. It's a cool collection of articles about paddling, boat design, engineering and construction, and other neat factoids. It's also full of great tips and advice like how to properly store your boat over the winter, or how understand weather patterns when you're on the water.

Check out our step-by-step guide to whitewater outfitting, or read up on some other other interesting stuff we've put up.

It's all right HERE

Friday, February 4, 2011

Paddlers Wanted: Swift is Hiring for the Upcoming 2011 Season!

The Swift Squad at Paddlefest!

Hello Paddlers and Paddling Enthusiasts,

Swift is gearing up for a big summer in 2011 and we're looking for some paddlers who want to join our team. Here are all the details:

Positions:

- season retail employees (from May to October at all Swift locations- Muskoka, Georgian Bay, Algonquin, and South River)

Description:

- educate customers about all aspects of paddling (boats, gear, trips, etc)

- help customers to find the right canoe or kayak to suit their needs

- work with the Swift team to run the retail outlet- opening and closing the store, organizing displays, helping customers, etc

What we're looking for:

- people with a passion for paddling

- people with paddling experience, especially in Swift canoes or kayaks (although not mandatory)

- excellent verbal and written communication skills

- loads of enthusiasm!

- ability to work flexible hours


If you live or summer in the Muskokas and love to paddle, we want to hear from you! If you'd like more information you can:

- call us toll free at 1-800-661-1429

- e-mail us at swift@swiftcanoe.com

- fax over your resume to 705-687-5587

- drop off a resume to either Swift Muskoka or Swift South River


Come work for Swift this summer!