dealer extranet  
 
     
 
 
 
 
 
 



Peer beneath the surface of today’s Confluence Watersports Company and you’ll find a company built upon the passions of outdoor industry pioneers. Each of our leading brands can point to dynamic individuals who were driven to improve the sports they loved by creating products that improved the experience for their fellow enthusiasts.

In 1986, Andy Zimmerman and John Sheppard began attracting attention among their paddling buddies for their innovative composite whitewater kayaks. Word of mouth turned a handful of boats built for themselves and friends into a budding enterprise. And Wilderness Systems was born.

By the early ‘90s the pair had added touring boats and polyethylene recreational kayaks to their line, a diversification that paced the growing sport. Wilderness Systems grew at a frenetic pace and in 1998 merged with Waitsfield, Vermont’s legendary Mad River Canoe.

Founded by Jim and Kay Henry in 1971, Mad River Canoe was widely acknowledged as the industry’s premier canoe manufacturer. The Henrys, both accomplished paddlers, started their enterprise in their back yard because, like Zimmerman and Sheppard, they couldn’t find boats that performed to their standards. The Henry’s first design, Malecite, became the company’s signature canoe. Jim won the first of many national whitewater championships in that design, and that success fostered many, many more.

The Mad River/Wilderness Systems merger brought with it Voyageur Ltd., a Kansas company founded by Jack Scarrit, and renowned for a patented waterproof sliding closure that revolutionized dry bags. Voyageur offered a full line of paddling accessories.
 
 
   


With the merger complete, this new well-rounded paddlesports company was renamed Confluence Watersports Company and it set out to find the one missing ingredient: whitewater.

In 1999 Confluence found it in Wave Sport, a Colorado company leading the way with its cutting edge designs. Founder Chan Zwanzig started his company in 1986 importing a popular UK boat called the Lazer. By 1988 Wave Sport was manufacturing the Lazer and by the early ‘90s the company was creating its own innovative models. The acquisition unified all operations for Wave Sport, Mad River Canoe, Voyageur and Wilderness Systems at Confluence headquarters in North Carolina. There the company flourished. In 2005, Confluence undertook its most ambitious adventure: the acquisition of Watermark, one of the industry’s dominant companies.

Much like Confluence, Watermark was composed of formidable brands born on the passions of dynamic enthusiasts. Perception is recognized as the granddaddy brand in the kayak business. Founded by Bill Masters in the early ‘70s, Perception is largely credited with creating and nourishing the modern kayak movement. Under Masters’ leadership, Perception pioneered rotational molding of plastic kayaks, a breakthrough that drastically reduced the expense and maintenance associated with composite hulls, and opening up the sport to thousands who otherwise could not afford it.

Dagger, a feisty brand launched in 1988 by Joe Pulliam and a trio of his paddling mates, developed a loyal following for their slick, high performance whitewater and touring kayaks. Their love for the sport was reflected in the boats they built, and the marketplace responded.

The Harmony brand has long stood as the innovative leader in paddlesport accessories, while Mainstream, Watermark’s value-priced line of boats, brings this exceptional sport to virtually anyone who has the desire.

Confluence Watersports today may be the industry’s most influential company. Our size does not undercut what we have always been, passionate outdoors enthusiasts who can’t cross a bridge without checking the conditions of the water below. Paddlers can’t sit through a meeting without daydreaming about favorite escapes, advocates who want to bring more people into this wonderful sport. These values haven’t changed. Never will.