What’s Working in Specialty Paddlesports Retail? Retailers Tell It Like It Is
Four specialty retailers share what they’re seeing in stores, where they’re finding opportunity and what they need from industry partners.
Recorded August 19, 2026
There is no single story about paddlesports retail in 2026.
Water levels, regional economies, changing customer preferences, inventory costs and local demographics are creating very different realities from one market to another. But when four specialty paddlesports retailers from across North America sat down for the Paddlesports Trade Coalition’s August Retailer Roundtable, some remarkably consistent themes emerged.
Retailers are experimenting. They are watching costs closely. They are looking beyond traditional product categories to bring new customers through the door. And they continue to see knowledgeable specialty retail as an important part of the paddlesports customer experience.
The August 19 PTC webinar brought together Jason Yarrington of Trailhead Paddle Shack in Ottawa, Simon Coward of AQ Outdoors/Aquabatics with locations in Calgary and Edmonton, Brad Stephens of Sunjammers in Panama City Beach, Florida, and Jon Kahn of Confluence Kayaks& Ski in Denver. The geographic diversity was intentional, giving the panel a chance to compare what is happening in very different paddlesports markets.
Getting People Through the Door
The first challenge sounds simple: get customers into the store.
Jon Kahn described using events with local clubs and experimenting with adjacent products that attract customers who might not initially be shopping for paddlesports gear. Jason Yarrington similarly talked about carrying products for other outdoor activities that keep customers returning to the store year-round.
Brad Stephens is taking another approach. His store is experimenting with trendy apparel and brands that appeal to younger customers, even when those shoppers are not yet buying kayaks. The strategy is a long game: introduce a younger demographic to the store today and create an opportunity to turn them into paddlesports customers later.
The larger lesson? A specialty paddlesports store does not have to wait for someone who already wants to buy a boat.
Creating reasons for people to visit, return and build a relationship with the business may be just as important.
Put the “Specialty” Back in Specialty Retail
Product knowledge remains one of the clearest advantages specialty retailers have over mass-market and online competitors.
Coward described an annual product-knowledge event that brings together staff, manufacturers and other retailers for hands-on, on-water and dry-land education. That training has become increasingly important as retailers hire employees who may be enthusiastic outdoor recreationists but do not necessarily arrive with deep paddlesports experience.
That expertise matters when a customer is choosing a kayak, canoe, SUP or PFD. A knowledgeable employee can ask questions an online product page cannot: Where will you paddle? How often? What fits your body? What are you trying to do on the water?
Those conversations help customers buy the right product, not simply a product.
And that may be one of specialty retail’s most important competitive advantages.
Brands and Retailers Need Each Other
The roundtable also produced a candid conversation about the relationship between manufacturers and specialty retailers.
Retailers want brands to do more than list their dealers. They want manufacturers to actively highlight the businesses selling, fitting, demonstrating and supporting their products.
Coward discussed creating educational videos, product reviews, photography and other content that brand partners can help distribute. Kahn noted that dealer-locator platforms have generated customers for his store. Panelists also encouraged brands to amplify retailer events and use their social-media reach to tell consumers where they can find knowledgeable local dealers.
The issue becomes particularly important as manufacturers grow their own direct-to-consumer channels. Several panelists described the tension retailers feel when the brands they represent also compete with them for the final sale.
The opportunity is to make the relationship more complementary: brands create demand, specialty retailers provide expertise and experience, and both help create successful long-term paddlers.
There Are Bright Spots, but They Aren’t the Same Everywhere
The panel also demonstrated why broad industry averages rarely tell the whole story.
Kahn reported that low water had significantly affected his Denver-area business, while packrafts and lightweight inflatables were performing well. Coward reported a relatively flat year overall but strong growth in longer-format education, premium recreational boats, packrafts and inflatable kayaks. In his business, packraft sales had more than doubled from the previous year.
Stephens described a much tougher paddlesports year in the Florida Panhandle.
Even the pre-webinar retailer survey showed demand pulling in several directions at once. Respondents reported interest in portable and inflatable products, premium equipment and entry-level affordable gear. Another theme was the challenge of engaging beginner paddlers and accelerating their learning so they become committed participants.
That last point matters beyond retail.
Getting someone to buy their first boat is one transaction. Helping that customer gain the knowledge, confidence and connection to keep paddling creates a participant who is a long term consumer.
The Margin Conversation Can’t Be Ignored
Some of the roundtable’s most candid discussion came when retailers talked about profitability.
Boats require significant inventory investment while also creating shipping, warehousing and handling costs that smaller products do not. Panelists discussed margins in the neighborhood of 40 percent as a practical minimum, with higher margins needed when retailers absorb substantial freight and handling expenses. One retailer noted that larger fishing kayaks can require multiple employees simply to unload and move them.
Those pressures are changing business decisions.
Panelists discussed becoming more selective about manufacturer relationships, reducing special orders that do not make financial sense and carefully managing inventory. Kahn described closing his store one day each week during the season to reduce payroll costs.
These are not abstract industry issues. They are decisions specialty retailers are making every day to remain viable.
From Conversation to Collaboration
That kind of candid exchange is exactly what the Paddlesports Trade Coalition was created to encourage.
As PTC Chair Stig Larsson noted at the end of the webinar, the value comes from sharing information and being willing to talk openly about the problems facing the industry so brands, retailers and other industry partners can learn from one another.
That conversation continues in person at PTC Colab 2026, October 14–16 at Montgomery Whitewater in Alabama.
This year’s Colab will combine product demos with education, industry conversations and hands-on experiences. Montgomery Whitewater is providing exclusive use of the site, creating opportunities for flatwater and whitewater demos, kayak fishing, SUP and canoe testing, PFD fitting and other hands-on product experiences.
PTC University programming is also designed around the same idea heard throughout the retailer roundtable: keeping the specialty in specialty retail by giving industry professionals access to current knowledge, hands-on training and ACA credentialing opportunities that are conveniently scheduled as part of the PTC Colab.
Attendee registration for PTC Colab is FREE, and a PTC Retailer Engagement Fund is helping offset hotel costs for selected retailers nominated by participating brands.
Next Steps
- Register to attend PTC Colab 2026 (FREE)
- Register to Exhibit at PTC Colab 2026 (and nominate Retailers for Retailer Engagement Fund)
- Register to attend 1-day ACA Instructor Update
- Register to attend 1-day ACA Instructor Endorsement-Paddlesports Fishing