Confluence Watersports
Confluence Watersports is a manufacturer of canoes and accessories based in Trinity , North Carolina . Founded in 1998 through the merger of Wilderness Systems with Mad River Canoe , what was then the third largest kayak manufacturer in the world became by far the largest manufacturer of canoes and accessories with the acquisition of the canoeing division of WaterMark Paddlesports Inc. (the second largest US kayak manufacturer) in May 2005 worldwide. The CEO is Richard Feehan; the acquisition was financed by American Capital , which holds a total of 95% of the shares. The headquarters of the WaterMark division is in Easley , South Carolina .
Wilderness Systems
Founded in 1986 by Andy Zimmerman and John Sheppard in a North Carolina garage , they first began making whitewater kayaks . At the end of the 1980s, they expanded production to include touring kayaks. Since 1993 they have also been making polyethylene kayaks and have been able to increase sales as a result. They are the origin of Confluence and are the third largest US kayak manufacturer.
Mad River Canoe
Founded in 1971 by Jim and Kay Henry in Vermont . Despite being the older company, the canoe maker moved to North Carolina after the merger with Wilderness. He had acquired the company Voyageur nine years before the merger with Confluence and is the second largest US canoe manufacturer.
Voyageur
A dowry from the merger was Voyageur watersports accessories from Kansas , which was founded by Jack Scarrit, makes canoe accessories, and was bought by Mad River Canoe in 1989. At the time of its founding, Confluence consisted mainly of these three individual companies. The fourth company, WindRider, was later outsourced.
Wave sport
In 2001 the manufacturer Wave Sport was bought, which was founded by Chan Zwanzig in Steamboat Springs, Colorado , and which has made a name for itself especially in playboating . Jutta Kaiser won her world championship with Wave Sport kayaks.
This was Confluence's last major purchase before WaterMark, and that company also relocated to North Carolina after the purchase.
Perception
Founded by Bill Masters in the early 1970s, it was the third largest kayak manufacturer in the world when it formed WaterMark with Dagger in 1998. The general agency in Germany is Kober & Moll .
Dagger
Kayak manufacturer founded in 1988 by Joe Pulliam and three friends in Tennessee , later moved to South Carolina . The seat of the WaterMark department is there.
Dagger formed one of the founding companies of WaterMark with Perception.
The general distributor in Germany is Blue and White.
Other sole proprietorships
The other companies in the Watermark paddle sports division are:
- Harmony (manufacturer of canoe accessories).
- Mainstream (manufacturer of so-called “recreational kayaks”).
- AT Paddles (“Adventure Technology Paddles” makes paddles ).