I follow a FaceBook site which was setup by the canoeists in Australia called Australian Canoe Racing https://www.facebook.com/groups/AustrlianCanoeRacing/. It is fascinating to see all the similar sort of things we do in the UK, being done on the other side of the world.
I did noticed some familiar looking boats and I realised that a guy called Frank Harrison developed a similar sort of boat design to The Darkness C1, but many years earlier. In fact it took a few posts to convince the Ausies that I didn’t pinch his ideas!
There are some differences as there are some national canoe design standards for Australian touring canoe racing, but the concepts are the same.
To cut a long story short, an Ausie digger has ordered one of my boats and I’m now in the process of shipping it to Brisbane.
So, what on earth do I know about exporting canoes to Australia? Well not much, but I’m learning fast.
I’ve found a shipping agent who is prepared to transport the boat, but first it has to be crated. No problem I thought, pop down to B&Q, buy a few sheets of plywood and knock a big box together. Not so fast! The timber has to be heat treated and certified for import to Australia. If you ever watch those fly-on-the-wall documentaries about Australian customs, you’ll know they are pretty strict about these sort of things.
So the shipping agent recommended a packing supplier in Eastleigh and I started a dialogue.
I estimated that the boat would easily fit in a crate measuring 5.5 metres long, 65 cms wide and 45 cms high and I was quoted £170 (inc VAT) for the timber. Blimey, one hundred and seventy quid for a plywood box! It wasn’t until I collected the timber that I realised why, I had a complete construction kit for a fork-lift ready, palletised crate.
Flat-pack crate.
The suppliers had given me some vague verbal instructions, plus I managed to take a few pictures of other crates in the warehouse. So I called my mate John in order that we could figure it out together.
The timber was cut to precise dimensions which should fit together in a specific way.
So, first off we constructed the base. (The picture shows the underside)
Underside of the base
After that, we worked through the ends, sides and lid. It was only when we attempted to put the components together that we realised we’d made a few mistakes. Luckily we’d use screws so it was fairly easy to rectify it.
A BIG box.
It was certainly a big box, but was it big enough? Only one way to find out.
The Darkness C1 fits with room to spare.
Yep, plenty of room in there for loads of packing, should be nice and safe for the passage to Australia.
Darkside Canoes 