Where are kayaks made??

Eddyline, Made in Oregon.

Actually Burlington, WA but it close enough

Meant "up north"

cool video...fun job I bet

   Like the video, loved the music - who was that anyway?

Every Native Watercraft/LiquidLogic kayak is made in North Carolina under Legacy Paddlesports.  Some components and raw materials may come from outside of the country

Legacy has committed to paying a living wage.

http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2014/04/05/hour-new-local-minimum-wage/7361109/

Legacy committed in 2012 to establishing a minimum pay of $12 an hour, a rate that Wardlaw says wasn't the sole reason for her move but certainly factored into it.

It would be nice to see some of the other manufacturers say the same thing - I'm sure most of them do but it would be nice seeing them say it or pledge to it.

Unfortunately Liquid Logic is going to manufacture direct internet only sales starting Oct 1, which means no more demos unless you're able to attend a ww paddle fest where LL is attending. I'd love to sit in a free ride but I reckon that will only happen if I by one from them. I wonder what there return policy is going to be.

Unfortunately Liquid Logic is going to manufacture direct internet only sales starting Oct 1, which means no more demos unless you're able to attend a ww paddle fest where LL is attending. I'd love to sit in a free ride but I reckon that will only happen if I by one from them. I wonder what there return policy is going to be.

That is true, they are going direct only for LL.  However, they plan to have regional staffers who will provide access to boats in the future.   I also don't know if there will be a "return" policy, but I believe the regional service center type folks will help on RMA/Warranty issues.
I'm not too familiar with the LL side of the business, but the guys are pretty quick to respond if you ask them on Facebook.  One plus is they do plan to sell kayaks at a slightly cheaper price than you could have got it through a dealer before.

This does not apply to Native Watercraft and they are not anticipating it to apply anytime soon to Native.

From Hobie's website:  http://www.hobiecat.com/articles/boat-serial-number-location,15/

~~~~

Sailboat/Kayak Serial Number Location

Serial numbers are hand-engraved using a vibration tool. To find your boat’s serial number:

On kayaks, serial numbers are located near the rear of the boat, on the underside on most models.
On sailboats, serial numbers are located near the rudder attachment point.
Newer boats have a rectangular, raised ridge around the serial number to make it easier to find. Rubbing a small amount of graphite or soil into the serial number engraving may make it easier to read. Each serial number follows one of the following patterns:

CCMB1234A708
US-CCMB1234A708
Broken into its component parts (US- | CCM | B1234 | A | 7 | 08) , a boat serial number conveys the following information:

US- or FR- or CN-: Country of origin of the boat (Hobie boats are made in the United States, France, and China). The country of origin may not appear on older boats.

CCM or HCC or HCE: Indicates the manufacturing company. CCM and HCC indicate boats manufactured by Hobie Cat Company (USA). HCE indicates boats manufactured by Hobie Cat Europe.

B1234: Indicates the model and sequential serial number. In most cases, the model is indicated with a single letter, but sometimes two letters are used.

A: Month of manufacture – A (January) through L (December).
7: Last digit of the year of manufacture.
08: Last two digits of the model year.

From Hobie's website:  http://www.hobiecat.com/articles/boat-serial-number-location,15/

~~~~

Sailboat/Kayak Serial Number Location

Serial numbers are hand-engraved using a vibration tool. To find your boat’s serial number:

On kayaks, serial numbers are located near the rear of the boat, on the underside on most models.
On sailboats, serial numbers are located near the rudder attachment point.
Newer boats have a rectangular, raised ridge around the serial number to make it easier to find. Rubbing a small amount of graphite or soil into the serial number engraving may make it easier to read. Each serial number follows one of the following patterns:

CCMB1234A708
US-CCMB1234A708
Broken into its component parts (US- | CCM | B1234 | A | 7 | 08) , a boat serial number conveys the following information:

US- or FR- or CN-: Country of origin of the boat (Hobie boats are made in the United States, France, and China). The country of origin may not appear on older boats.

CCM or HCC or HCE: Indicates the manufacturing company. CCM and HCC indicate boats manufactured by Hobie Cat Company (USA). HCE indicates boats manufactured by Hobie Cat Europe.

B1234: Indicates the model and sequential serial number. In most cases, the model is indicated with a single letter, but sometimes two letters are used.

A: Month of manufacture – A (January) through L (December).
7: Last digit of the year of manufacture.
08: Last two digits of the model year.

Nice find. So not all Hobies are made in USA.

You are not likely to see truthful "Made In USA" advertising claims on any fully assembled kayaks.  The Made In USA standard applied by the FTC is very stringent, must satisfy the "all or virtually all" criteria.  And in California, its even more tougher - see the Leatherman case. 

http://www.business.ftc.gov/documents/bus03-complying-made-usa-standard

While some manufacturers are likely to have some assembly in the USA (and yes, there is an "Assembled in USA" standard as well) I haven't seen any of them advertise using the unqualified "Made In USA" label, for legal reasons.  Not many manufacturers do.

You are not likely to see truthful "Made In USA" advertising claims on any fully assembled kayaks.  The Made In USA standard applied by the FTC is very stringent, must satisfy the "all or virtually all" criteria.  And in California, its even more tougher - see the Leatherman case. 

http://www.business.ftc.gov/documents/bus03-complying-made-usa-standard

While some manufacturers are likely to have some assembly in the USA (and yes, there is an "Assembled in USA" standard as well) I haven't seen any of them advertise using the unqualified "Made In USA" label, for legal reasons.  Not many manufacturers do.

I don't know nothing about all that legal stuff Martin, and I didn't start this thread to say "hey look Jackson Kayaks are made in USA and some other kayaks aren't", I honestly was trying to figure out where a lot of the kayak brands we see are made, and wasn't able to easily find that info on my own...

But...I also found this post by Eric Jackson online that I thought was pretty cool, and expresses some sentiments that I feel a lot of us can get behind:

http://jacksonkayak.com/blog/2014/07/04/happy-birthday-america-from-everyone-at-jackson-kayak/

Jackson Kayak was founded as a USA Brand to be made in the USA.    I have been a fanatic about making everything we can in the USA.    We have been doing everything we can to make everything in our factory in Sparta, TN.    I am fond of saying- “We still have to import some components to our kayaks… from NC and KY.”   Meaning I hope that one day we don’t have to go across state lines, or out of our factory for anything.    Why is this important?  Because we live in TN, and that is our home where we employ our friends and family first.   That should be obvious to anyone  that thinks about it.    Why hire a stranger, when a family member needs a job and can do the best job?   Why hire somebody from another state, when your neighbor needs a job and can do the best job?     Why hire somebody from another country, when a fellow countryman needs a job and can do the best job?    The big one is, “Why fire your friends and family, close down a factory, and move your business to a country just because they don’t pay their employees a fair wage and you can lower your costs?"

I am not against foreign products- love them- I love locally made products from Germany, Spain, Japan, China, etc… from people who designed and manufactured them in their home location.   I am against products that could be made locally in the USA, for example, but the American making them, went overseas to lower costs instead of finding a way to make their product work as a Made in the USA product.

Anyway...maybe I shouldn't have opened this can of worms...but hopefully we can all gain some good information about the different companies out there?

And if not...well....my bad. 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Jim,

Seems threads have a way of wandering sometimes into unexpected territory,

Anyway, just watched the vid, I enjoyed it, even tho it musta been "produced" to make Jaskson look as good as possible it was still impressive and a great nod to the company.  Thanks for putting it up here.

Several years ago Kiwi Kayaks (at least some models) were made in Concord CA,  I stumbled on their shop by accident one day and got a quick personal tour.  Their Molds were hoisted up onto a rotisserie setup and the heat was supplied by natural gas burners, all out in the open warehouse, looked like a giant BBQ.

no criticism of you, Jim.  If that's true about Jackson, totally wonderful, awesome.  Isn't it sad how good intentions (ie trying to source 100% domestically, and advertise as such) will draw a sniper scope of scrutiny faster than Art coming up with excuses not to go yakfishing?

I'm totally for domestic sourcing.  But I am personally and professionally aware that Made In USA claims in the CPG sector are a regulatory minefield that will nutpunch the unwary.  By kudos to Jackson for even trying!  all things being equal, they get my dollars were I in the market.

So if Jackson is able to source raw goods and component parts at competitive FOB costs, what's up with other manufacturers?  IME, 100% domestic sourcing imparts a significant premium that is passed onto consumers.  Seriously, now you got me curious as hell! 

will draw a sniper scope of scrutiny faster than Art coming up with excuses not to go yakfishing?

Jeez......how'd I get drug into this......THANKS ALOT JIM! 





 



PS....   hey....uhhhh,   - ,  bout another month till the persimmons are ready! 

I haven't seen any of them advertise using the unqualified "Made In USA" label, for legal reasons.  Not many manufacturers do.

I've now looked.  Appears some mfr's actually DO utilize unqualified MADE IN USA advertising, including Native and Jackson.

http://www.rei.com/item/832988/native-watercraft-mariner-10-propel-sit-on-top-kayak

Good for them for the initiative.  Hope its true - gotta avoid these legal washrocks during low tide, know what I mean

I think this type of information is important for people to make decisions, so I think its great that you opened the can of worms Jim.  Some people want to know about the business practices of the companies whose products they support.  Others may not care as much.  I happen to care that the business is socially responsible and want to know more to make sure my dollars support the right people.