Legacy Paddlesports has informed its dealer base that its Liquidlogic whitewater boat brand will shift to a direct-to-consumer model starting Oct. 1, 2014.


 

The Fletcher, NC based maker of rotomolded kayaks announced the change in a newsletter emailed to dealers Aug. 15.

 

 

“While this has not been an easy decision, we, along with our investment partners feel that having a direct message to the end consumer will allow for future growth not only for us but for the sport of whitewater kayaking.

 

 

The newsletter goes on to note that Legacy Paddlesports has seen the number of whitewater kayak dealers decline in the United States over the last five years “along with a massive growth of manufacturers all battling for floor space, marketing dollars and sales.”

 

 

 

Whitewater dealers and manufacturers have long complained that the whitewater market is a highly fragmented, niche market where dozens of boutique brands are constantly releasing new kayaks.


 

 

“It is a short 3 or 4 month cycle of sales for your product until the next new kayak hits,” explained one rep in a commonly heard refrain. “No one is making money in whitewater.”

 

 

Legacy explained that it hopes that a direct-to-consumer distribution plan we will “invigorate the sport and provide the kayaking community with a vast array of kayak designs to fit their particular interest.”


 

“The hard part of this transition is the move away from you, our retailers, who have been at the core of the business from the beginning, and with whom we have formed many strong relationships,” the company wrote in its dealer newsletter.

 

 

“Changing the way we sell kayaks at Liquidlogic has been the hardest decision I have been part of since joining the industry,” said Legacy Paddlesports Partner and Co-Founder Shane Benedict. “Our dealer partners have been a huge part of our success as we developed Liquidlogic, but this move is what we feel is right for the company as a part of the sport of whitewater kayaking, and as a responsible employer”.


 

Legacy Paddlesports said it will continue providing Native Watercraft's premium line of fishing kayaks through current channels of distribution and has no intention of changing that sales model.

 

 

“Kayak fishing is a rapidly growing sport with an established yet expanding dealer base,” the company told dealers. “We will continue developing the brand to provide functional, profitable and innovative boats that excite your customers. We will be mailing out Preseason Programs next week and posting them on the Dealer Website soon!”


Subscribers to our executive newsletter, The B.O.S.S. Report, can read more in-depth reporting on this breaking news story in tomorrow's edition, which can be viewed online.