Mobile kayak club attracts members without a clubhouse

Mobil Kajak Klub Vestsjælland has gained 63 members since May last year by replacing a traditional clubhouse with a mobile setup, DR reports. The club’s concept comes as many kayak clubs in Denmark are losing members.

The club needs only a trailer loaded with kayaks and paddles, along with a car to tow it. It moves between different locations depending on where members want to paddle each week.

“We paddle on the open sea, in fjords, rivers and lakes. We paddle everywhere we can,” says Lars Rohrmann, the club’s chairman and founder.

The club primarily paddles along the coast between Korsør and Holbæk, as well as at Lake Tissø. It also visits locations such as Svallerup Beach south of Kalundborg.

Rohrmann previously belonged to several other kayak clubs, where he saw members leave after a period of time. He believes the mobile club offers something different by allowing people to explore new waters and meet new people.

“When you have paddled on Kalundborg Fjord for a year, you know every gull and every stone. Here, we get to see new places and meet new people,” he says.

The club holds group paddling sessions twice a week, beginner training once a week and day trips on selected weekends.

Christian Jacobsen, director of the Danish Canoe and Kayak Federation, says 100 of Denmark’s 212 kayak clubs have experienced a decline in membership over the past two years. The federation supported Mobil Kajak Klub Vestsjælland during its launch.

“I think it is a really exciting supplement, which I hope we will see more of,” Jacobsen says. He also hopes traditionally based clubs will adopt some of the mobile club’s methods.

The mobile clubhouse is a 5.5-by-2-metre trailer. Once the kayaks are removed, there is room for tables and chairs. The club has also bought sunshades, and plans to add heating and LED lighting next year.

The club is now ready to accept more members.