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History
Once upon a time, centuries ago, nature inspired people to create the kayaks, providing also the necessary materials and skills. The need for a kayak on a hunt by now has transformed into a need to be closer to nature and to oneself. Today, the kayak-makers are inspired by the individual, the person holding the paddle. Each paddler has his own ambitions and skills. Each journey s new and unique. Therefore no kayak is all-purpose and work on its design is ongoing. We command the most recent technologies and materials. Our experienced masters use centuries-old values to create kayaks that allow the person holding the paddle to catch the wonder of nature.
One of the biggest kayak manufacturers in Northern Europe, Tahe Kayaks was established in 1989. Over time both the range and number of kayaks has increased. Product development and production takes place on the northern coast of Estonia, using the most advanced technology and best materials available. Tahe Kayak’s products are primarily marketed in Scandinavia but the market has grown with each year and now Estonian kayaks are known and appreciated in many other countries round the world. Tahe Kayaks is a strong and reliable company who does not compromise on a single detail. Many years of experience and operation means quality and loyal customers for whom we can create new innovative products with care and dedication.
Technology
All our products what we manufacture are based on GFC and CFC technologies. GFC (glass fibre composite) has been setting standards in the most various applications in the industry for decades – e.g. marine applications (kayaks, canoes, motorboats, yachts etc), windmill production (rotor blades, hub covers and nacelles), sanitary applications (bathtubes, washbasins, thermocapsules etc). CFC (carbon fibre composite) products have been invading the higher mechanical strength/ lower weight products demands also already quite a few years. The biggest driver of this technology field has ofcourse been aviation, but also at the same time we – Tahe Marine – have been using this technology in our kayaks for already more than 5 year
Advantages
The success of our GFC and CFC components is based on the special product characteristics of the materials:
- Freedom of design:
- Shapes can be realised with GFC and CFC that are not possible or very difficult with any other material
- Intergrated construction is possible
- No corrosion
- No rust as on e.g unprotected metals
- No rotting as with e.g wood
- Different colours
- Through gelcoats (fine layer) subsequent varnishing becomes unnecessary = finished surfaces already during demoulding
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The secret of the absolutely waterproof performance of the hatches lies in the unique double seal system, as well as the proprietary compound that has been developed by the Kajasport team for the hatch covers. The covers are tough, long-lived and designed with a tab to enable the hatch to be secured to the kayak. All hatch rims are made of hi-tech ABS plastic to ensure a flawless finish and watertightness. As Tahe Kayaks Team takes security very seriously - all hatch rims are bonded down with state of the art adhesives - MMA based. These adhesives give us: weight reduction, no corrosion, esthetics, no damage to the substrate, excellent load/stress ratios etc. As the adhesives are based both on elastomer and thermoplast, they give us a higher elasticity and increase the impact strength. |
- Mechanical properties can be adjusted direction-dependent through the direction of the fibres
- Structural materials instead of „planking”
- This allows the thickness of the walls to be reduced and an optimum application of loads
- Improvements through sandvich construction
- Recycling
- Along with the time tested waste-to-energy recycling method , there are new methods e.g particle recycling, fillers and other feasibility studies are pending
- Along with the time tested waste-to-energy recycling method , there are new methods e.g particle recycling, fillers and other feasibility studies are pending
NEW GENERATION ADHESIVES
Recently we at Tahe Marine have been
more and more using inside our
workshops new generation adhesives in
bonding different materials and products
to each other. We find that instead of using
screw, bolt and sealants, new generation adhesives
give us following advantages:
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Weight reduction
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Design freedom
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No corrosion
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Esthetics
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Noise reduction
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No damage of the substrates
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Distribution of the load / stress
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Use different chemical based materials
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Save time
As the adhesives are based both on elastomer and thermoplast, they give us a higher elasticity and increase the impact strength. Elastomers are fixed shape materials, but elastic so they can change form when loaded. When unloaded the material will return to its original shape. Elastomers are used at tyres, gaskets etc. Thermoplasts are plastics at a fixed shape. The shape can change in a certain temperature range. This process is reversible, but will not have its original shape. These adhesives can be used even to bond metal inside our kayaks.