Re: [Paddlewise] My Reaction to the Zegul Baidarka

Dear Nick and all, Probably the most important lesson I've learned in life is
to give credit and acknowledgement where due--- and even a little where it
isn't.  I can't think of much worse than having one's intellectual property
lifted and presented as another's original design.  It speaks to such a low
ethic and desperate insecurity. Permission is the easiest thing in the world
to ask for, and it very often gets a favorable response-- Permission is the
sincerest form of flattery, not copying.  It would appear that Tahe/Zegul owes
you a formal apology, ideally in SK mag. Best, Harvey

--- On Thu, 6/30/11, Nick Schade <nick_at_guillemot-kayaks.com> wrote:

From: Nick Schade <nick_at_guillemot-kayaks.com>
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] My Reaction to the Zegul Baidarka
To: "Craig Jungers" <crjungers_at_gmail.com>
Cc: "Paddlewise Paddlewise" <PaddleWise_at_paddlewise.net>
Date: Thursday, June 30, 2011, 9:26 AM

What precipitated my response was reading my own words in the Tahe/Zegul
marketing literature. It is used in their ad on the inside back cover of Sea
Kayaker and in the design statement prefacing the review as well as
everywhere
else the kayak is described.  In the ad 7 out of the 10 sentences are copied
from my website. They have been edited, but only slightly and they added some
new sentences.

One interesting thing is the sentence "The advantage of this shape is at the
waterline the lower jaw can be narrow and sharp, giving a fine entry into to
the water for good efficiency, while higher up the upper jaw can be full and
wide for high buoyancy to lift the bow over waves." does not even apply to
their design. There is no bifurcation, and the upper half is not "full and
wide". I was discussing the original boats in the context where I wrote these
words. In my design I did try to maintain those characteristics but they
didn't carry over into the Zegul boat.

Personally, I don't think my boat looks like a baidarka and I am very careful
not to call it one. I say it was inspired by baidarkas and I point out in the
first line of the description of my boat what boat I used as an inspiration.
I
also give away plans for that baidarka for free to anyone who wants to
actually build a baidarka: http://bit.ly/jMT0TV As an unapologetic borrower
of
design ideas, I won't complain when others find inspiration in my work.

To call a boat that is so clearly based on my non-baidarka a "baidarka" is a
big stretch. There is very little "baidarka-ness" left. The bow horn is a bit
baidarka-like as is the slight hollow running down the side of the bow, but
otherwise it is just a nice reinterpretation of my design. It even sounds
like
they read some of my own critiques of my design and may have made some
improvements.

All that said, it is a fine looking boat in its own right. It is unusual and
striking. Not as unusual as they would lead you to believe, but still quite
nice in its own way. I am pleased that someone has found inspiration in my
design and would appreciate some acknowledgment, and importantly, I think it
appropriate for them to stop using my words to describe their boat.
Nick


On Jun 30, 2011, at 11:23 AM, Craig Jungers wrote:

> My first reaction to the Tahe Baidarka was that it didn't look much like a
baidarka to me. But I'm certainly no expert. My first reaction to Nick's post
was, "Damn! Someone copied someone else's design!"; as if this had never
happened before. I've certainly listened to enough stories by kayak designers
to understand that this is not at all uncommon. It's even common to have the
company that contracted to build a design subsequently copy it and market an
almost-identical (looking) kayak with a different name. And I know there is a
certain amount of acrimony over this.
>
> But I read Nick's blog and then I read the wording he quotes; some of 
which
is, word-for-word, Nick's description of his design philosophy presented as
their design philosophy. It's hard for me to believe that this is
coincidence.
Mind you, not every word in their "designer's statement in Sea Kayaker is
identical, but it seems to me that something like, "As kayak designer Nick
Schade has said...." might have been appropriate.
>
> I'm convinced that the folks at Tahe have at least read Nick's blog about
his design. Whether or not their design is a take-off of his I'll leave to
the
folks who understand designs better than I do.
>
> Craig
>
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 6:01 AM, Nick Schade <nick_at_guillemot-kayaks.com>
wrote:
> I noticed a distinct similarity between the Zegul Baidarka reviewed in the
recent issue of Sea Kayaker Magazine and one of my designs. I've blogged my
reaction to that similarity:
http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/guillemot/blog/nick/how_should_i_react_zegult
ahe_baidarka
> I'd be interested in getting some feedback. Am I over or under reacting?
>

Nick Schade

Guillemot Kayaks
54 South Rd
Groton, CT 06340
USA
Ph/Fx: (860) 659-8847
http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/
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