About us

SeaBird Designs was founded in 2006 in Norway and are one of the fastest-growing kayak manufacturers in Europe. We started out in Norway and today we have 80 dealers in over 30 different countries around the world. SeaBird Designs has been the top-selling kayak brand in Norway for the past ten years. The Estonian kayak factory SeaBird Designs is a family-owned company run by Len Ystmark and Aljona Ystmark.

The founder of SeaBird Designs is Norwegian Len Ystmark who has been in the kayak business for twenty years. What once was just a hobby has quickly become a respected and fast-growing business. Len has a passion for nature and sports which goes back as long as he can remember, a legacy of hiking and camping trips with his father on the Norwegian fjords. SeaBird Designs started with the production of composite and polyethylene kayaks in 2006 with own factory in China, Guangzhou. In 2019 SeaBird Designs factory has been moved to Estonia, Tallinn. Currently, we offer twenty-five composite kayak models in the following styles: Touring, Greenland, British, Fitness, and Surfski; fourteen different models of polyethylene kayaks, from sea kayaks to recreational models, and special kayaks for fishing.  We are using a new Blow Moulding Technology which guarantees the best quality for the best price. Blowmolded HDPE is strikingly more break-proof than other boat-materials. Our goal is to offer top-quality kayaks at an affordable price, backed by our already renowned customer support.

The three key tenets of our business are:

1. INNOVATION
   To provide our customers with innovative technologies, new models and new designs on a regular basis.
2. QUALITY
   We are dedicated to continuous improvement in the quality of every kayak we make and in every activity we perform.
3. VALUE FOR MONEY
   Our business philosophy is to offer our customers real value for money. We are constantly looking for ways to minimize the costs and maximize the product’s quality.

Björn has been messing around with boats all his life: designing, building, using – from a childhood punt, built from the top of an ancient blacksmith’s bellows and barely floating, to a 36 ft. ketch. The last twenty years it has been mostly about kayaks. Whether it is paddling in all seasons along the coasts of Scandinavia, clocking up around 1500 km annually; or writing about paddling, kayaks and design for printed and online magazines; or talking and teaching classes at symposia, meetings and conferences. Björn is steeped in the world of kayaks and everything about them. His main occupation is craft design. Most of his plans are shipped to amateur builders and become woodstrip kayaks, canoes or small boats, but he also has a number of commercial assignments, notably in kayaks and surfskis. Björn shares his thoughts: “When designing, I want to make things that are both necessary and useful – but also I want to make them beautiful. Technology and art often come together to create the most innovative forms, blending topnotch functionality with simple, uncluttered design. My inspiration comes from traditions (very little is really new, just improved upon) and from nature – after all, nature had a head start on problem solving by some 3.8 billion years!”

Ingvar Ankervik, owner of VKV (Vitudden’s Kayak Works), is the fourth generation boat builder and designer in his family. His sons Kim and Kåre are also employed in the business, carrying the tradition into a new generation. As early as the 19th century the family had already reached the absolute elite in Swedish shipbuilding. Then, as it is now, the objective was to strive for perfection. For example, the VKV-100 has been involved in approximately 300 Gold medal performances in the Swedish Championships – arguably the pinnacle of achievement for any competing craft. Fifty years since the prototype first appeared, it is still to be found on the international racing circuit. The company’s touring and expedition kayaks have also met with great success. For example, National Geographic expeditions to Alaska, Japan and Korea have used VKV kayaks. Almost all of the kayaks built by VKV are still in use. Available power and sea conditions are timeless – so can be the kayak if it is built correctly.

Rob is the father of INUK. Rob has been paddling, surfing and sailing since he was six years old and started designing and building kayaks and small boats of various types while he was at school. From there he moved on to building record breaking racing yachts, but never lost his interest and passion for designing kayaks. Rob has been involved with many remarkable projects during his impressive design career – along with the world-famous ‘Inuk’ he has designed many other kayaks and some more specialist boats. To name but a few, he designed and helped to build the kayak Peter Bray used to cross the North Atlantic in 2001. He also designed the ‘Double Ocean Kayak’ for Justin Jones and James Castrission for their crossing from Australia to New Zealand in 2007, and also Sean Morley’s ‘Solo Around Britain’ kayak. Aside from kayaks he has also designed the ‘Power Cat’ range of small power catamarans and coastal rowing boats for Eurodiffusion. Rob has also worked with leading companies such as Nelo, Kirton Kayaks and Kayak Pro, designing many kayak models for them.