And win one for yourself if you’re lucky
Issue 6 : May/Jun 1999
There are two kinds of entrepreneurs. First are those who decide to start a business, research the market to determine what sort of business that should be, put together a business plan, talk to bankers, and take a calculated risk. These folks buy McDonald’s franchises. Members of the second group see a need, get an idea, become obsessed by it, and fall into business with few plans laid. They have unbridled enthusiasm for the product and an inherent understanding of the market, since they were just a part of that group. These dreamers start Good Old Boat-type magazines and Weekend’R Products.
Meet Ken Kloeber, the founder of Weekend’R Products. An engineer by trade, a passionate sailor throughout his life, and more recently a designer of the neatest duffel bags yet created. These are not duffel bags in the old sense of a big sack, but rather duffels with oodles of nifty pockets. These bags were created for sailors by one who wanted a bag perfect for his own sailing adventures. Ken first developed a smaller version that can be used as carry-on luggage on airplanes, and a whole new market (airplane travelers) is on the verge of discovering this product. But that’s another story, one that is still being written.
In the beginning Ken wanted a bag that worked for him (the engineer in him cried out for organization and durability), and his brother wanted a pair of hats with his boat name stitched on them with a matching font and logo. Neither of these products was to be found. Thus Ken’s back room became a graphics and design center. His brother got his hats, and the rest of us can get embroidered, customized bags. But not just any bags. We’ve used ours for a season and can’t say enough good things about their durability and neat features. Features like a detachable end compartment for carrying toiletries to the marina showers, key holders, wallet pockets, a chart-sized pocket, sturdy zipper pulls, padded shoulder straps and handles, and so on.
We were hooked enough to ask Ken to offer two of these to winners of the Good Old Boat subscriber drawing in June. The second-place winner wins the larger Weekend’R Deluxe bag, and the third-place winner wins the airline-size G’tAway Deluxe bag, both personalized for them. (The first-place winner will receive a hand crafted model of his boat created by Tom Thomas, featured in the March issue.)
Customizing these heavy-duty Dupont Codura fabric bags is something else. Pick your combination of colors, choose where you’d like your boat name to appear, add your own name or an artist’s rendering of your boat or both. You get the idea. Work it out with Ken, and it will happen to your specifications.
Once Ken had the sewing machine, scanner, sources for Codura cloth, and a growing business, he discovered (or rather invented, since he’s an engineer) a few more things he’d like to have aboard his boat: a first-rate Spinnaker Guy, sail ties extraordinaire, tote bags, a turtle for spinnaker storage. And now he’s developing a prototype for a spreader halyard that won’t allow the courtesy or club ensign to wrap around the halyard or shroud. This I’ve got to see.
And what has he learned since becoming a businessman in 1996? “So far,” he says, “I’ve learned that people like being dealt with fairly. The Good Old Way, I guess. I have gear bags that are all over the country and traveled across the globe, and it all boils down to boaters being people with a common bond. If I can meet their needs, then the products will ‘work.’ If not, then I’m not listening closely enough.”
If you’re not a paid subscriber with Good Old Boat, now’s the time to get in on our drawing. One of Ken’s bags could be yours.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
