The Kymera Body Board by Jason Woods: an Invention Story

Jason Woods came up with the idea for the kymera body board when he was just 19.

Like many other inventors, he faced a frustration he couldn’t find the answer to, and so he came up with his own solution.

Having owned an old ski boat, Jason woods was familiar with the cost and hassle of transporting, housing and paying for a 5 meter motorised water craft. The need to have a truck to howl it, money to pay for the gasoline and a place to house it soon outstripped the fun of being able to take girls cruising on the lake.

He sold his boat, but kept coming over to the lake for fun. He soon realised that more people were out on the shore watching than actually in the water having fun.

You either had the group of people who could afford the motorised boats, and the trucks to tow them – or the rest, who just looked at all the fun, he recently said.

He decided to come up with an invention that will bridge the gap and answer a need: an affordable motorised watercraft that would be light enough to carry, reasonably economical to use and would fit in an average car.

He wanted to create a personal watercraft that allowed you to enjoy the water, without the cost and effort involved in owning a boat or a jet ski.

The result: The Kymera body board - a body board with a motor attached – light enough to carry yourself, more economical than any motorized water craft – it can run for a full day on around 10$ of gasoline, and small enough to fit into the trunk of an average car. Best of all, it is forecast to sell for the price of a high end scooter.

Kymera body board – how it works

Jason Woods invention is a carbon-fiber body board powered by a small engine that allows a rider to surf the water at a nice speed (15 to 25 mph).

At 35 pounds its light enough for one person to carry, fits in most car trunks but still allows fans to explore the waters without the need to own or rent a motorized boat.

Check out this video compilation of building and testing of old prototypes ofthe kymera body board invention. Take a look!

Jason Woods: Inventor story

Inventors are not born that way, but when an idea hits they often utilise whatever knowledge and experience they have, to create what they need.

Jason Woods studied at the New technology high school in Napa, California, where he used to learn to create his own small technology creations: from rockets to robots.

When he came up with his idea and set out to build it in his home garage, the main challenge was finding the appropriate parts.

In a world where most watercrafts weigh between 200 and 600 lbs it was almost impossible to find parts that won’t weigh the kymera body board down.

He researched online, until he found what he needed in websites catering for some boat enthusiasts that build mini yachts, with lightweight materials, he found what he was looking for.

It took 8 years, 4 prototypes (the first three sank...) a lot of tinkering and 40,000$ to come up with the current version.

And this was all done on the side - Jason wood works in corporate event production, as a video, light and sound engineer. Product design is been a passion and a hobby since high school.

Wood is currently working on a more eco solar powered version, that will cost nothing at all to run, and trying to gain market for the product as a tool for water emergency rescue personnel.

He seems to be on the track to success, already in comments to articles about his inventions, you can find people asking where they can pre-order and if they can resell his invention, abroad. Always a good sign, when your product has not yet hit the shelves.

July 2012 Update: Jason Woods have recently wrote to us with this most recent video on the Kymera development progress. Take a look:

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