Behind the brand: Andy McConkey of McConks

So, as Family McConks, we’re Andy, Jenny, Tony, Ollie and Marley. Marley, the latest addition to our family, is a rescue dog from Bulgaria who’s a fan of dry land.

Interview: Peter Tranter
Photos: Barry Davies, Dan James Media, SUP2SUMMIT, Central scotland adventures, SUP4, SUP Lass Paddle Adventures, C2C & Argyll Holidays

Before we start, let our readers know a little about yourself, your family, your background, etc.
So, as Family McConks, we’re Andy, Jenny, Tony, Ollie and Marley. Marley, the latest addition to our family, is a rescue dog from Bulgaria who’s a fan of dry land and not a fan of swimming or paddleboarding. Sometimes, we think he’d be happier back on the streets in Bulgaria rather than being part of our watery life! Toby and Ollie are our two long-suffering children who think we are too ‘Victorian’ regarding mobile phones and screen time. Jenny and Andy, said Victorian parents and owners of McConks, are both marine and environmental scientists by degree but who both failed miserably to spend the rest of their lives working on boats in the tropics. So we are making up for that now, vicariously living through McConks customers’ adventures and explorations on rivers, lakes and the sea!

We’re very much an outdoor family. Jen spends her working week working for a care farm with vulnerable students, and most weekends are spent with the family doing something outdoors – whether paddling, wild swimming, or just exploring with a Kelly kettle. Where many families might celebrate a significant birthday (shh, but Andy was 50 last February) with a week in a far-flung tropical hotspot like the Maldives, we chose to spend it in the Cairgnorms, walking, sledging and swimming, with evening campfires with the obligatory smores and hot chocolate. Of course, a hot tub, campfire, and bubbly made it feel like a birthday celebration.

How did the McConks SUP board company begin?
We set up McConks in the winter of 2015 with more hope and optimism than money or skill! With a whole board full of nerves and trepidation, we set sail on the entrepreneurial seas with a simple idea: to create premium, top-end, top-performance quality paddleboarding gear that wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg—or a fin and a paddle in this case. We were determined to challenge the elitist nature of water sports, making it accessible to everyone, from the seasoned pro to the adventurous newbie. With a commitment to sustainability and a five-year guarantee, we quickly became the go-to brand for paddlers and businesses who wanted to hit the water without sinking their budget.

By selling directly to customers and cutting out the middleman, much like a skilled surfer bypassing a gnarly wave, we saved a lot of money for coaches, instructors, and outdoor centres! 
We can see that family mean so much to you. How do you balance family and running a successful SUP business?

We’re not sure we’ve cracked the code on balancing the waves of family life with the tides of a bustling stand-up paddleboarding business. It’s no small feat to juggle the paddles of parenting alongside the challenges of entrepreneurship! We hope we’ve created a business model as buoyant as our paddleboards, ensuring that family values stay afloat amidst the turbulent seas of corporate responsibilities. With a shared passion for water sports and a commitment to sustainability, our vision has always been to positively contribute to the choppy waters of business by ensuring that McConks isn’t just another drop in the ocean of marketing-led low-quality brands. Instead, we’ve kept things simple, ethical, and, most importantly, family-oriented, and in doing so, we hope that we’ve charted our own course that’s different from the rest.

We’d rather invest in innovation and quality rather than advertising – giving our hard-earned profit to our professional partners rather than Google or Amazon! By involving our extended family of professional partners (we’d love to call you all out, but we’re worried we’ll forget someone and offend them now that there are so many of you!), we’ve created a strong current of support that helps us keep the business afloat while still having time to enjoy the sunset from the shore with family. It’s a constant balancing act more impressive than standing on a SUP board dropping over a drop on a grade 3 rapid! 

Are you personally involved in the design process of the SUP board?
100%. In many ways, this is our USP. Andy is a hydraulic engineer/modeller, so he knows how water and materials interact and how that affects performance. And our board range benefits from that modelling expertise to get the best performance. Social media chat often says things like ‘all inflatable boards are the same’ or ‘it’s just an inflatable’. That’s how we can tell paddlers from those who’ve paddled a McConks board from those who haven’t!

It takes more than playing with designs in a computer modelling package to make a reliable board that stands the test of time. We rely heavily on our trusted expert partners to input into the prototype design stage, road-test the prototypes, and refine them before we hit full production, which is precisely how our 2024 range was designed. We define the need by asking our partners what they think their customers are looking for. Then comes computer modelling to come up with the best combination of shape, rocker, thickness, width, weight and stiffness. We test the prototype with our partners before finally producing the finished product.

Which areas of the design process are important, and how do your SUP boards reflect that?
We’ve always been about function rather than form. And we’ve often been criticised for that – from being told our colours are too boring, or that our boards are a little ‘industrial’ in design. But that’s quite deliberate. We focus on performance, sustainability and longevity. There is always a reason why our boards look the way they do. Whether cost management, sustainability (some colours last longer than others), or anti-fashion (fashionable colours encourage consumerism and a throwaway culture), you can rest assured that the rocker, shape, planform, and materials used are always the absolute best for that board’s needs.

How do you design your boards?
It all starts with a sketch, a doodle that could be mistaken for a coffee-stained napkin masterpiece but is the genesis of our next innovation. These sketches are the sacred scrolls from which the next new board’s destiny is unfurled. We take these humble beginnings to our suppliers, who have already passed the McConks’ gauntlet of quality assurance, environmental stewardship, and worker welfare before they can join the party.

Then comes the computer wizardry, where 3D designs are spun from the threads of imagination and tested virtually, ensuring that each board will glide over water like a swan on a mission. We ponder over every component, from the fin’s flex to the strength of the handles to the nose cone shape. We leave no stone unturned, no potential improvement unexamined. 

The design process is a marathon, not a sprint, taking anywhere from four to eight months, akin to a slow-cooked stew that’s worth every savoury bite. And when the prototypes arrive, it’s like Christmas morning, but instead of unwrapping presents, we’re unwrapping potential. Testing is rigorous, and we dive in first because who wouldn’t want to test-drive their creation? If the design holds up with our partners and us, it’s just a few tweaks here and there, like adjusting a bow tie before the big dance. But if it’s back to the drawing board, we embrace it with the zeal of a mad scientist on the brink of discovery.

This relentless pursuit of perfection means that when you finally stand atop a McConks SUP board, you’re not just paddling; you’re riding a wave of passion, precision, and a little bit of that initial coffee-stained sketch. So, when you think about what’s important to McConks in the design process, it’s the laughter in the brainstorming room, the eureka moments in the testing phase, and the satisfaction of a product that doesn’t just float; it practically dances on the water.

What motivated you to combine manufacture with sustainability?
Simply, we had a deep-seated belief that the best way to enjoy nature is to protect it. With a background in environmental campaigning and consultancy, we wanted to steer our SUP business towards a greener horizon. We didn’t just want to make waves; we wanted to make a difference. So, we crafted boards that are not only industry-leading in performance but also built on principles of sustainability. 

There’s so much BS out there, and as environmental scientists, we can see how easy it is to be hoodwinked by shady marketing. In simple terms, it matters less about what the board is made of; it matters how long it lasts. Even if there was a wonder plastic made of zero carbon seaweed that could create a paddleboard that lasted 12 months before reaching the end of life, that would almost certainly be less environmentally efficient than the materials we currently use – which will last the five year warranty. As environmental scientists, this is important to us. We are constantly trying to find ways to make iSUP more sustainable, and there are some really exciting opportunities. But, ultimately, longevity is the best guide to sustainability right now.

Our boards are more sustainable because they’re built with a conscience that is as sturdy as their construction. We’ve taken a stand against the throwaway culture, polluting our oceans and cluttering our coasts.

We’ve infused every board with the spirit of conservation, ensuring that each paddle stroke is a step towards a cleaner planet. By focusing on what people truly need rather than convincing them they need more, we keep our corporate carbon footprint as light as the foam on a sea wave. 
We’ve also set up the GoInspire Foundation, which isn’t just about giving back; it’s about propelling forward. This foundation isn’t just floating ideas; it’s launching initiatives that bring the joy and benefits of paddleboarding to those who might not otherwise have the chance to dip their toes into the water. It’s about making sure that the ripples of those efforts reach far and wide, touching the lives of disadvantaged young adults and differently-abled individuals and giving them a board to ride the waves of opportunity. 

What are the hidden extra details in a McConks board?
Whilst the board’s shape, weight and stiffness are all important, the little extras make all the difference. From the triple layer adhered handles, each rated for 75kg and positioned in just the right place, to the marine grade stainless steel d-rings, super strong so you can haul your board up from wherever it ends up. Or the high-density EVA deck pad that is guaranteed never to lift or get air bubbles for the five-year board warranty, or the quick clip removable super strong double bungee storage system, every board is designed to be within an inch of its life, with every single fixture and fitting being carefully thought out. And then there’s the bag. We’ve lost times when partners and customers have told us that our bag is the best on the market.

It’s not just about getting from point A to point B; it’s about the stories you’ll tell, the dragons you’ll slay (figuratively, of course), and the sunsets that will take your breath away, leaving you speechless and possibly a little sunburnt. So, next time you unroll your McConks board, remember, it’s more than just a board; it’s a companion for the high seas and the calm canals, a vessel for your dreams and your weekend jaunts.  

How do you maintain consistency and quality in your boards?
Specifying the best materials, processes, and procedures isn’t enough in Chinese manufacturing. China is capable of the absolute highest quality manufacturing and some of the worst. And with the wrong factory, it’s possible that important steps are skipped or materials are substituted, meaning that your perfectly designed and specified board is quite different from the one delivered to the customer. Many brands fell foul of that during lockdown, with some major recalls and some brands going out of business due to manufacturing substitutions and a rush to make boards as quickly as possible.

We have been working with the same factory in 2016. They were one of the best manufacturers when we started using them, and now we’re pretty sure they are the best. Over the last six or seven years, we’ve helped them improve their processes and procedures from very good to exceptional. They employ an external QA, and we employ another external QA, so all our boards go through multiple checks before being packaged up. Often, it’s the simple things that other factories get wrong. Some mass-produced boards are inflated to check for leaks before being rolled up and packed. Ours aren’t just inflated; they’re inflated to 18PSI and left for 72 hours before being pressure checked, before being rolled in brown paper and then packaged. 

We spot your boards used often in white water – how did that start?
Whitewater boards are for the bold, the brave, and the slightly bonkers who believe that a good day is spent navigating a river’s watery rollercoaster. 

We’ve been a bit of a hit in the whitewater world. Head to any whitewater spot, and you’ll likely see many McConks in the mix. Our boards are like the SUVs of the SUP world: rugged, reliable, and ready for adventure. Our original white water board, the Go Wild 9’8, strikes a balance between stability and manoeuvrability, making it a hit among beginner white water enthusiasts. And it’s so good it’s even won awards.

Then, the inimitable Matt Stephenson asked us to make a more playful white water board that wouldn’t just float on water but dance with the waves. So, we gathered feedback, crunched the numbers, and came up with a design described as having ‘unprecedented secondary stability yet amazingly playful’. We tried to put the ‘fun’ in ‘functionality,’ ensuring that you’ll have a good time doing it even if you’re more likely to be swimming than paddling.

And our Go Wild boards are truly designed with whitewater in mind, by whitewater paddlers, for whitewater paddlers: Handles? Our boards have plenty, strategically placed for easy recovery because, let’s face it, you’re going to need them – if you’re not swimming, you’re not trying hard enough. Our full-length deckpad is like a magic carpet, giving you a soft place to land when the river decides to toss you around. And the 2024 newly designed rocker profile?

It’s like the board has its built-in navigation system, responding to your every move with the grace of a ballroom dancer, even if the dance floor is a bit more turbulent.

Ultimately, our relationship with white water isn’t just about making boards; it’s about making memories. It’s about the stories you’ll tell when you’ve conquered the rapids or the rapids have conquered you. It’s about the laughter from taking on nature at its most playful and unpredictable. And it’s about the community built around a shared love for a sport that’s as much about the spills as it is about the thrills. So, here’s to the trailblazers of the whitewater world (you know who you are!), who remind us that sometimes, you have to go with the flow.

Do you visit the factory in China where the boards are manufactured?
We don’t. As a family and a business, we’re conscious of our carbon footprint. We’ve not flown for holidays since 2017 and do everything we can to avoid flying. There’s no criticism of people who choose to fly – each to their own. Instead, we rely on regular video calls with our suppliers and our on-the-ground QA. In the new ‘future of work’ world, it seems a little 1970s to use your business to justify a jolly to the other side of the world. 

Would you consider any design aspect of a McConks board your signature idea?
It’s the all round package that defines a McConks board, but if we were pushed to pick only one feature, it’s probably the multi fin box set up that sets us apart. Most touring boards only come with a central fin, which is fine in most circumstances, but the two (or four in the case of our whitewater and wind/surfboards) allow for a much wider range of depths and conditions, and which, combined with the rigidity and robustness, makes our boards such a hit with serious adventure makers.
You are also involved in disability paddling; what developments do you have in store?

We’re proud of what’s been achieved in accessible and adaptive paddleboarding. We’re only a small part of the solution, and other manufacturers are also playing their part – a big shout out to Whatsup Paddleboards, which offers a range of SUPs designed for users of all abilities.

Our new Go Everyone board will be available to the general public after testing with specialist providers later this year. This wide and stable board can be used with and without outriggers to give users of all abilities a sense of stability and confidence. Central Scotland Adventures has now been using this board with lots of different communities, including deaf, blind, chair users, and neurodivergent. Massive shout out to all of our partners who are working so hard to encourage users of all abilities onto the water safely!

So, hats off – or should we say, lifejackets on – to all of our partners for riding the crest of inclusivity and showing that the only thing that’s truly buoyant is the human spirit.

What valuable advice would you give to people starting in SUP?
Before you think about standing on a board, contact a professional – whether a coach, instructor, guide, etc. You can shortcut your development massively by getting some early instruction, and you won’t need to unlearn bad habits if you get it right from the word go. And even though SUP is pretty simple compared to many watersports, it is also remarkably easy to get the basics wrong. And if you’re with a qualified instructor, you’ll also learn how to keep yourself safe – something that is very easy to get wrong.

What’s lined up for 2024?
We’ve got a pretty exciting year lined up for 2024. We’re stoked with our new board range – designed to have something for everyone without losing the features that have made our boards so popular.

For example our Go Explore touring and expedition range, we’ve kept the same tried and tested lengths but now have different versions of each of the lengths – the Grande Tourer at 32” wide, The Tourer at 30” wide and the Sports Tourer at 28” wide. For our Go Wild boards we’ve kept the same length boards, but further refined the nose and tail rockers, and added 5” thick versions for lighter riders or heavier riders wanting more playful and responsive boards.

We’ve got a new range of eco-change robes about to launch and will be expanding our range of activewear, leisurewear and shades.

Does McConks sponsor paddlers, charities or expeditions?
We consider all on their merits. We reinvest our profits into our Go Inspire initiative, which allows us to support charities, individuals, and expeditions if their principles and vision match our Go Inspire principles.  

Earlier this year, we sponsored Antony Ing and Paul Norris with expedition boards as they paddled coast to coast from Liverpool to Grimsby without leaving their boards. We also supporting Caz Dawson (SUP Lass paddle adventures) and crew with a new expedition touring board built to deal with the challenges of a multi-day trip down the Amazon. We’re also supporting a number of accessible paddleboarding outfits in 2024 with our adaptive paddleboards.  

How do you measure the success of McConks?
We don’t try to do this formally. The joy of being a small business means that you don’t need to justify yourself to shareholders or private equity capitalists. So you can be flexible about how you measure success. Every 5-star review makes us do a little dance around the office. Every new ethical business that chooses to do business with us elicits a little cheer in the office. But ultimately, as long as we’re making products that people want and value, as long as the amazing SUP community keeps wanting ethical, sustainable products, as long as we keep seeing content of our boards being used to do amazing things, with amazing people, in amazing places, then that’s good enough for us.

Any final thoughts on SUP?
It’s been a rollercoaster few years – for McConks and paddleboarding in general. In 2024, it feels like paddleboarding has finally come of age. With British Canoeing, our national governing body, rebranding to Paddle UK, paddleboarding now has a home with a body with the reach and strength to help SUP grow and thrive, to ensure that it becomes safer, to keep advocating for free access to rivers, and to keep campaigning for clean waters. There have been a few false starts through the last few years, and Paddle UK, along with the other membership and training organisations, haven’t got everything right. But 2024 is a reboot, a restart. Let’s hope the reboot fixes more bugs than it creates!