The cork-core Melker Värmdö – a comfortable, playful, and lightweight kayak designed for touring and recreation. Credit: Melker of Sweden
Melker of Sweden’s Värmdö kayak which won the Paddling Magazine Industry Award 2024 for Best Sea/Touring Kayak, recently followed this up by winning Product of The Year 2025 in the most prestigious Sea Kayaking category awarded at the Paddle Sports Show 2025.
Using advanced engineering and special design techniques the Värmdö kayak (named after the largest island in the Stockholm archipelago) uses a cork agglomerate material* specifically designed for composite applications requiring strength, lightness, thermal insulation, and vibration control.
The closed-cell structure of this composite material* resists water absorption, while its mechanical behaviour supports structural integrity under demanding conditions like paddle strokes, hull flex, and impact.
* MNLO20 is a cork agglomerate material made by Amorim Cork Solutions, designed for advanced composite applications.
“Melker’s Värmdö is much more than one of the most beautiful kayaks ever built.”
Credit: Melker of Sweden
“It’s a very accessible, fast and playful touring kayak that glides through flatwater beautifully….It’s also a kayak that flatwater paddlers will love, and that hardcore kayakers will enjoy surfing and playing in rough water with.”
– Ken Whiting, author, professional Kayaker and 1997 World Freestyle Kayaking Champion, 5 times Canadian Freestyle Champion.
The use of cork contributes to the kayak’s smooth, quiet glide, while its low thermal conductivity enhances comfort in variable conditions.
The judges praised the Värmdö for its stable, responsive handling and intuitive performance across a range of environments: from calm inland waters to more technical coastal conditions. Its accessible design supports new paddlers, while still offering the control and agility experienced users demand.
Credit: Melker of Sweden
The kayak contains a modular cockpit, ergonomic seating system, and streamlined storage which complements the natural advantages of cork. The result is a kayak which weighs less than 20kg that combines innovation and sustainability with a distinct on-water feel that paddlers immediately appreciate.
By eliminating synthetic materials like plastic or foam cores from the kayak’s construction Melker have also created a product that is easier to recycle, more durable in the field, and better aligned with circular design practices.
Credit: Melker of Sweden
Technical specifications
| Low Volume (LV) | High Volume (HV) | |
| Length | 411 cm / 13.5″ | 442 cm / 14.5″ |
| Width | 59.5 cm / 23.5″ | 62 cm / 24.5″ |
| Weight | 19 kg / 42 lbs | 20 kg / 44 lbs |
| Cockpit size | 85 cm x 50 cm | 90.5 cm x 57.5 cm |
| Storage (litres) | 60 + 115 | 65 + 135 |
| Optimal paddler weight | 45-90 kg | 75-120 kg |
Product description: overall weight not more than 20kg in total
The Melker Värmdö is our next generation lightweight, high-performance Kayak targeted at both performance paddlers as well as recreational paddlers who want to feel like rockstars on the water while still being easy to toss onto your roof rack post paddling.
Sleek, forgiving, and stable for learners but with high performance characteristics and predictable handling, the kayak is fitted an all-new premium seat with exceptional comfort and easy sit-in adjustability. The seat is available in three different sizes ( S / M / L ) and can be mounted in three different positions, which makes it possible to tailor the cockpit experience for to suit every paddler.
Värmdö LV comes with the Medium seat installed as standard, and Värmdö HV comes with the Large seat installed as standard (seat compatibility scheme below).
The adjustable and rope operated skeg allows for true tracking in even the most challenging waters. The Värmdö is delivered rudder-ready (rudder kits are sold separately).
Melker Värmdö packs well for light overnight adventures and includes generous inside cockpit storage space with an easy access click-on cover. Recessed area on the foredeck, contains two hatches for holding water bottles etc.
More details: melkerofsweden.com
Further information on the MLN020 Cork material from Amorim Cork Solutions: https://bit.ly/419zTvW
And thanks to thepaddlesportshow.com and youtu.be/S5DB9VWRahA
#Sustainable #Kayaking #Innovation #AmorimCorkSolutions #Composites
