Coolest Cooler.jpg

The Coolest Cooler's thousands of backers are still waiting for the music-playing, USB-enabled, accessory-holding cooler with an inboard blender as another boating season approaches.

(Coolest Cooler)

Despite raising a record $13 million and becoming the most successful Kickstarter campaign ever at the time, the Coolest Cooler is faltering.

The cooler's creator, Portlander Ryan Grepper, recently sent

to backers in which he admitted that the Kickstarter funds wouldn't cover the cost to fulfill the orders. What's more, he said the company was aware of the lack of sufficient funds last year but forged ahead anyway.

Now, thousands of the backers who helped Grepper break Kickstarter records are still waiting for the music-playing, USB-enabled, accessory-holding cooler with an inboard blender (promised to them last spring) as another boating season approaches.

But the company hasn't given up yet. In his email to backers, Grepper said the company is looking for an investor to help it grow. In the meantime, backers will have to accept that they won't be getting that cooler - the one they funded two years ago - any time soon.

-- Anna Marum

amarum@oregonian.com

503-294-5911

@annamarum