Outdoor Insight

myriad of conditions but always paying homage to being as lightweight as possible, as durable as possible, as efficient possible and having great glide," says Keuper. Weight has universal appeal across all paddler segments. Lighter canoes are easier to lift to a car top and portage on trips. "When people want to paddle later in life, a lighter boat is worth the price," says Hadden. Pricing Over Time Canoe prices vary considerably. Mass merchants sell deeply discounted plastic boats, while paddlesports specialty retailers offer high-end pre- mium models. "I'm starting to see some polarization in the market. Consumers seem to be either racing for the bottom or demanding more performance and specialization than ever before. Educating consumers of the benefits of a more premium product can be a challenge, but, if done correctly, they will be paddlers for life," says Chris Pageau, director of product manage- ment for Adventure Technology. Although prices of premium canoes can exceed $2000, promoting long- term durability influences buyers. "When you buy a canoe, there's no initiation fee, no green fees, no oil changes, or new tires or maintenance costs. It's a finite purchase with no unexpected costs," says Keuper. O 26 • Outdoor Insight • August 2017 outdoorinsightmag.com Clockwise from top left: Wenonah Spirit II, MSRP from $2,099; Talic's Canoe Roost, MSRP $179.95; Harmony's Kickback Life Jacket, MSRP $79.99; Sea Eagle's inflatable PackFish can be carried in a backpack, MSRP $399; Pelican International Catch 100, MSRP $649.99. IN 2016, Outdoor Industry Association announced a significant shift the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market show dates. Paddlesports brands, troubled by the change, have launched Paddlesports Retailer, scheduled for August 29 – September 1, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. "The paddle industry mobilized quickly and bought together the leading manufacturers, both large and small, across the paddlesports industry," says Sutton Bacon, CEO, Nantahala Outdoor Center and co-founder of Paddlesports Retailer. Darren Bush, owner of Rutabaga Paddlesports, is also a co-founder of the trade show. Bill Kueper, vice president of Wenonah Canoe, Inc. working with Sue Rechner, former CEO of Confluence Outdoor, David Blue, chief marketing officer NRS, and Jeff Turner, marketing director, Kokatat formed the Paddlesports Trade Coalition. The group began an eight-week long research project to gauge interest in a separate trade show. Consensus came quickly. Eighty percent of the paddlesports companies contacted were interested in attending the new Paddlesports Retailer trade show. "Everyone has gravitated to the concept of a show that celebrates all things paddling that's not lost within the context of a larger show," says Bacon. Paddlesports Retailer is modeled after the Paddle EXPO trade show in Germany. "There's a lot of similarities in terms of intent, scope, vision, breadth being brought to Madison. That format has been extremely successful for us as an industry. Paddlesports Retailer will be tightly focused on what paddle brands want to see and talk about," says Keuper. Sutton says, "We want the retailers to walk away saying Paddlesports Retailer was cost effective, productive and sustainable." A Trade Show By Paddlers, For Paddlers

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