Rowboat can be folded away

The Ar Vag by design student Thibault Penven is a DIY canoe that can be packed away after use.

We’ve already seen Ikea-style flatpack wooden boats courtesy of The Balmain Boat Company, enabling daytrippers to build a working vessel. Now we’ve come across the Ar Vag by design student Thibault Penven – a DIY canoe that can be packed away after using. Created as part of his degree at the Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne in Switzerland, Penven’s design is built out of lightweight waterproof material and rigid board panels. Users can simply unfold the boat and insert metal poles to give the vessel its shape, much like a tent. A wooden slat supports the sides and also acts as a seat. Once the boat is finished with, it can be packed away and fitted into the trunk of a small car. The video below shows the device in action: Although the boat was created as part of an educational program, it is easy to see how the design fills a niche in the outdoors market, requiring little investment and effort for daytrippers. Are there any other products that could be reimagined to make them more portable? Spotted by: Judy McRae