STEADY STICK® for Select Pedal Drive Systems
My name is Bill, inventor of Steady Stick®, and I am thrilled to introduce our innovative aftermarket standing balance assist product for select fishing kayaks. We've reimagined standing balance assist to be more streamlined and practical by precisely connecting it to select OEM kayak pedal drive systems. Our focus is providing kayak anglers of all skill levels a premium product to improve the standing experience.
The Origin Story
Back in 2020, I found kayak fishing as a recreational way to get outside more and was instantly hooked - like many others I’m sure.
While on the water that summer I found myself really enjoying fishing while standing. The waters I typically fish can become choppy and rough with boat traffic so I purchased a stability assist product made by a leading retail kayak accessory company to try out. While it is a well-made product, it just wasn’t for me. I found it to be too in the way and taking up valuable accessory track space.
That day on the water gave me an idea. I began thinking about how could balance assist while standing be improved upon and streamlined. I couldn’t shake the ideas I was coming up with and began sketching out several drawings.
I later found the confidence to call and meet with an intellectual property attorney, and hired a product development company to help bring my ideas to life. Over the last two plus years this became a passion and side project of mine that has since turned into an aspiring US small business.
Developing Steady Stick® for Select Pedal Drive Systems
The idea was simple, develop several components that when connected together would become one with the pedal drive. Early on we established several guiding principles that we wanted to adhere to with this product, and they were:
- Precision fitment
- Make it look OEM (original equipment manufacture)
- Use the best quality materials and production processes
As product development started it was critical to have the manufactures pedal drive 3D scanned because of its complex angles where we wanted to connect our product. Below are several images of the computer aided design (CAD) work that went into developing a precision fit for OldTown's PDL Drive System™.
Product Overview
Starting at the top, the balance assist pole has a comfortable handle integrated with a removable 1/4"-20 threaded insert for select retail accessorizing.
The balance assist pole is aluminum and anodized black for all-weather use. It is also height adjustable up to approximately 3ft. when fully extended.
At the midway point of the balance assist pole you'll find a one handed clamping system to lock at the desired height when standing. The clamp is integrated into a custom injection molded plastic outer bushing for clamping connection strength and durability.
In addition to a custom outer bushing we also added an injection molded plastic inner bushing atop the inner pole. The purpose of both bushings is so the outer and inner aluminum tubes extend or retract smoothly.
At the bottom of the inner balance assist pole is a welded in threaded insert that enables connection to the pedal drive components we'll review next. There are three primary pedal drive connection components.
- Top Housing
- Right Side Housing
- Left Side Housing
The Top Housing is made of injection molded plastic and is integrated with a bolt to enable fastening the balance assist pole on and off.
To ensure a rigid and precise connection we 3D scanned the pedal drive.
The Side Housing's are made out of injection molded plastic as well for durability and strength when connected to the pedal drive.
Each purchase comes with connection hardware and hex key for tightening.
The Steady Stick® Advantage
When deployed and the user is standing the balance assist pole provides an additional point-of-contact to hold. By doing this, the users Center-of-Gravity (CoG) moves forward from their waistline to the open area between their waistline and Steady Stick®.
With improved balance, users can better manage standing in a wider variety of water conditions. Check out the below video where we demonstrate ten usage examples of our innovative balance assist product.
Our Guarantee
Scan the below QR code to learn more about our limited lifetime warranty.
We stand behind all our products and are confident they will perform as designed. If you are not 100% satisfied with one of our balance assist products you may return it within one year of purchase for a refund.
After one year, we will consider any purchase for return that are defective due to material or craftsmanship.
Follow Us On Social Media
For more information and content with our innovative balance assist products for select pedal drive systems be sure to visit our social media pages:
- Instagram: @steady_stick
- Facebook & YouTube: Steady Stick
Best regards,
W. Rigler | Steady Stick® Inventor & Owner