Creating Ability

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Chatfield, MN
Creating Ability

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We design and manufacture paddling gear that gives all people the ability to get out on the water.

Creating Ability is focused on removing barriers to paddlesports; it exists to bring joy, peace, and healing to persons with disabilities of all kinds. Our goal is to enable each person to independently participate in outdoor activities, and to be able to share that experience with those around them. From adaptive seating and amputee sockets to outriggers and transfer units, we design and manufacture adaptations that stabilize the paddler, stabilize the watercraft and maximize power in the paddlestroke. All to enable everyone to experience the peace and
freedom that being on the water can bring. When you order a product from us, you're getting the BEST - from people who care about each other and about your satisfaction.

10/31/2026

Clam Chowder in a bread bowl with a view of the Olympic Mountains and a gorgeous blonde in a rocking chair. Nice layover!

10/16/2026

So what's the big deal? Why is the new Board Safe/Creating Ability Transfer Bench a giant leap forward? Here are a few reasons:

1 - Smooth edges all around making skin protection a top priority. Gone are any abrupt edges or pointed corners.

2 - Thumb grooves molded into the top surface to provide a solid, stable plant surface for hands during movement.

3 - Beveled front edges on each step to ease the transition from one level to the next, again with no more abrupt edges. This also reduces the tendency for legs to catch on the step corner during upward transfers.

4 - High-density Polyethylene construction with a textured surface to provide a sliding surface without being a slipping surface. Molded in a sun-friendly color to reduce surface temperature in the sun and give a nice flexibility to the transfer surface.

5 - Recessed base design to improve toe/foot plate access and reduce transfer gaps to their absolute minimum.

So what do you think?

10/15/2026

Two Companies. One Shared Goal.
Removing barriers between people and the water. It’s a collaboration that makes sense.

This photo says it all for me. I first met Scott Tihansky when I was teaching an APW in eastern PA with Team River Runner. He was also there working with the TRR group on designing a new adaptive kayak launch. What he was doing was listening, and that impressed me. Listening doesn't happen much - not nearly as much as it should. This photo shows a group of people whose opinions and ideas deeply mattered, and needed to be heard when creating a new design. Not many companies take the time to do that. Board Safe did, and DOES. That's one of the things I value about our relationship. What we had been doing for paddlers in their kayaks, Board Safe was doing between the parking lot and the water. With Creating Ability's focus on transfers of all types and Board Safe's expertise in dock structure, the combination is a natural. In the next few days we'll detail the significance of the changes the new SideStep Launch Bench brings.

By the way, adding the SideStep upgrade was just the first step - there is more to come...

10/13/2026

What an exciting couple of weeks this has been! After 2700 miles on the road, I’m exhausted and glad to be home – but there is SO much to share. We started at the National Parks and Recreation Association conference in Philadelphia, where, along with Board Safe docks, we introduced our joint effort to improve transfers on their best-in-the-world adaptive kayak launches (incorporating our SideStep). From there it was off to Ontario to teach a two day course with the Ontario Recreational Canoe and Kayak Association at a YMCA camp. It was a wonderful couple of days with my Canadian friends in a gorgeous setting. More on all of this in the days to come…

10/06/2026

Ahhhhhh… Home.

10/06/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by the Booth – and especially to for including us, not only in the show, but also in the greater journey. We’ll be sharing more in the coming weeks about just how significant these improvements are. Stay tuned!

10/04/2026

Just found the perfect souvenir!

10/03/2026

A gorgeous walk in the woods between teaching sessions. So grateful to ORCKA for inviting me here. YMCA Camp Pine Crest is amazing.

10/02/2026

Time for a weekend of learning, teaching and sharing with my friends at ORCKA

Address

107 1st Street SW
Chatfield, MN
55923

Telephone

+15072022428

Website

http://www.creatingability.com/

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