Confluence Outdoor facts for kids
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Formerly
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Confluence Watersports and Confluence Holdings Corp. |
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| Privately owned company | |
| Industry | Paddling sports |
| Founded | 1998 (as Confluence Watersports) |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Kayaks, canoes, and accessories |
| Owner | Pelican International |
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Number of employees
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> 425 (2014) |
Confluence Outdoor is an American company that makes kayaks, canoes, and gear for paddling sports. It used to be called Confluence Watersports. The company owns eight different brands. Each brand specializes in a certain type of boat or accessory for paddling.
Contents
History of Confluence Outdoor
Confluence Outdoor started in 1998. It was first known as Confluence Watersports. The company was formed when two other companies, Wilderness Systems and Mad River Canoe, joined together.
Over the years, Confluence Watersports grew by buying other brands. In 2005, they bought Watermark. This added the Dagger, Harmony Gear, Adventure Technology, and Perception brands to their family. Later, in 2010, they also bought Bomber Gear.
In 2014, a company called J.H. Whitney & Company bought Confluence Watersports. They changed the name to Confluence Outdoor. Their goal was to make it a bigger company for all kinds of outdoor fun.
Then, in 2019, Confluence Outdoor was bought by Pelican International. Pelican International is a Canadian company that also makes kayaks and other outdoor products.
Brands of Confluence Outdoor
Confluence Outdoor manages eight different brands. Each brand focuses on making specific boats or accessories for paddling sports.
Adventure Technology
This brand makes paddles for kayaks.
Boardworks Surf
Boardworks Surf sells stand-up paddleboards, surfboards, and accessories. These products are brought in from other countries.
Dagger Kayaks
Dagger Kayaks makes kayaks for different uses. These include kayaks for fun, for long trips, and for whitewater (fast-moving rivers). The company started in 1988. It became popular because of its great whitewater and touring kayak designs.
Harmony Gear
Harmony Gear makes accessories for canoes and kayaks. This includes clothing, fishing gear, life jackets, paddles, and spray skirts.
Mad River Canoe
Mad River Canoe makes canoes for recreation, sports, touring, and whitewater. The company was founded in 1971 in Vermont. Their first canoe model, the Malecite, was made in a woodshed. It is still a very famous model for the company today.
Perception Kayaks
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Perception Kayaks makes kayaks for fishing, fun, and touring. The company started in the early 1970s. They helped develop a way to make plastic kayaks. This made kayaks less expensive and easier to take care of.
Wave Sport Kayaks
Wave Sport Kayaks makes kayaks for fun and for whitewater. The company started in 1986. They first brought popular kayaks from the United Kingdom. By 1988, they started making these kayaks themselves. In the 1990s, they began creating their own kayak designs. Today, Wave Sport is a licensed brand based in the United Kingdom. Confluence Outdoor does not actually make these kayaks anymore.
Wilderness Systems
Wilderness Systems makes kayaks for fishing, recreation, and touring. The company started in 1986 in North Carolina.
How Confluence Outdoor Works
The company operates from one large building in Greenville, South Carolina. This building is about 300,000 square feet. It opened in 2011. In 2014, more than 425 people worked there.
