Are Kayak Specialty Stores Sustainable?

Me and Kristina go live with updates on the future and direction of the channel and go over all things kayak related!

#Kayak #kayakfishing #bassfishing #diy

[thaddbigler]

Very sad to see you away from OMTC. Being a Flippin resident, wife and I hate to see this type of Change. Best to you and Kristina on your future endevours. Look forward to more content for sure.

[mattdalton]

You navigated the Crescent subject very well. I appreciate that. They have a niche in the market, and they do that very well. Hate to hear about the NRS inflatable was planning on picking one up for hard to access spots. Hope everything goes great in your future endeavors.

[homie]

If the motor is out, u can still use ur peddle like Hobie or other kayak. You just need to be prepare when you r out on the water either inshore or offshore.

[mumblesjustin]

Oo damn. Im sorry to hear that. My son and I stopped by last month. It was great to meet you in person. I know it sound silly but my teenage daughters think its cool to meet youtube creators. I hope your able to continue making the kayak reviews for years to come.
I was really planning on purchasing my next kayak from y’all. Because y’all’s reviews and discussions have influenced what to look for and what makes one kayak better than another. I hope the best for both y’all.

[chandlercole]

Wish you the best of luck in the future! It is sad to see all these local shops closing/stepping back. Sales have been down over these past two years for our shop. We've stepped back from over 50 models to a core 35 that do really well, and if we weren't an all-around outdoor store It would be really tight for us.

[thaddbigler]

Still fighting the good fight for the right to use a peddle kayak in the BWCAW. Visited with you in shop about this. Sink your teeth in that fight. Too many disabled kayak peddlers that pray for this access. Thanks for all you do to support the Kayak industry.

[stephenbeaver]

Wow! I hate to see this for you. Wishing you the best in your new role. I have 6 shops near me. Tampa area. One just cut his space in 1/2. I was just there yesterday. Then I came to see this. Video today. I am expecting my company to down size soon. Different industry. The internet and AI. Is now pushing out many. The human interaction is not needed. Many of the younger generation prefer this. That adds to the move toward it faster.

[doctorkayak]

A year ago or so I was a little frustrated at how slow the technology was evolving. Smarter motor integration into kayak design literally died. With the very short lifespan of Jackson's Bite FD/E-Drive very little progressed from there with the other brands. There were some design improvements across the board but for the most part they stopped evolving.

The Bixby's and the Newport's and the like, in my opinion, are clumsy add-ons that require users to spend a lot of time futzing with them. My Bite E-Drive is quick and easy to use when I did use it. The mad Covid rush that stirred the market has clearly subsided. I got out once this year and I had high hopes of spending this summer on the water but prostate issues returned and I have been recovering from surgery for the rest of the summer. Now I am in the middle of moving across the state to care for my elderly mother.

When I saw this video pop up I realized that the kayak craze was just another national fly by night trend. There are hard core paddlers and kayak fisher-people but the dream is over. I thought for sure that there were going to be some incredible designs and some high end options. I was expecting built in motors and plotters and fish finders and nav lights and so on. The potential was there and it just evaporated!

The last thing I expected was to hear this news especially after how hard you worked recording and editing videos on behalf of O.M.T.C. I was looking forward to making a road trip to check out your store after the dust settles with my situation. I wish you two the best.

[southwestindianaoutdooradv]

I hate to hear this! I know you’ll keep the great content coming but sad to see a paddle shop closing! So wish we had one in my area!

[kevinclark]

Less discretionary cash due to inflation, higher kayak prices, and a glut of used Covid kayaks on the secondary market leads to less demand for new kayaks.

[chrisjohansson]

Sad but the reality of the economy we are in ...the Amazon's of the world are making it hard for small shops to compete....

We will keep watching, I hope you land on your feet!

[NuFishin]

This is very sad news. 😢 I hope you land on your feet. OMTC is going to miss you big time. When I saw the big announcement title, I thought you were adding a human child to the mix! 😂

[dpsaws]

Manufacturers need to stop selling direct and cut out the dealers.

[marcbeck]

What seems to be the issues that are causing the scale back? It seems to be counter intuitive to the increasing popularity of kayaking. I have switched from Lund style aluminum boat to fishing kayaks. They are cheaper and catch more fish!

[MysticalDragon]

Sad news. Glad they gave you time to find options for yourself and family. Sadly though in this economy people have to decide where they spend limited free money. Then you have those with the go cheap mentality vs buy nice or buy twice mindset. Also some of the creep with prices in the industry hasn't helped and the void in the 700-1000 range isnt being met.

Sad to hear about ouchita outdoor outfitters as I bought my first two kayaks from them in 1999 when i lived in hot springs and they had their new storefront at the time.

[Ozzypup]

Well I can say that at least around me for every 40-50 cheaper kayaks like a pelican or lifetime for example I might see 1 or 2 of the high end kayaks. This even goes for the fishing kayaks I use myself and see most other people using. I guess its kinda like why buy 1 really expensive kayak when you can by 4 or 5 of the cheap ones and get your whole family out. Ive had the expensive kayaks and I sold them all and just went to one of the sitin pelican fishing kayaks. Its light, paddles well and I still catch fish. No reason to spend a ton of money on a pladtic boat. Ive had it for 4 years now and its holding up fine. I should also say though that I live in Michigan so your not using them all year.