Gary Jacek
Established Member
Jackson and Werner
- Thread starter Gary Jacek
- Start date
drahcir
Established Member
Goodbye Sultan, WA.
Yeah, here’s a thought…run — don’t walk — to your nearest paddlesports dealer and buy your Werner Paddle of choice. Because they are soon going to take a nose-dive in quality and in variety, and within a decade they will be discontinued.
Look, we’ve all been around the block enough times to know that when Mom & Pop sell their paddle sports business to a MBA-ridden conglomerate that their brand is going to wither and die. We’ve seen it happen with local brands before: Necky, Current Designs. Wither those brands now?
What does Jackson know about making paddles for multiple sports? Do they have experience with composites? Why is the WA Werner factory being moved to TN rather than vice-versa? All of this leads me to predict a decline in quality and variety.
Ignore that MBA-speak about “growth“ and “business values”. Buy your Werner blades now and let the brand rest in peace.
Cheers,
Andrew
Look, we’ve all been around the block enough times to know that when Mom & Pop sell their paddle sports business to a MBA-ridden conglomerate that their brand is going to wither and die. We’ve seen it happen with local brands before: Necky, Current Designs. Wither those brands now?
What does Jackson know about making paddles for multiple sports? Do they have experience with composites? Why is the WA Werner factory being moved to TN rather than vice-versa? All of this leads me to predict a decline in quality and variety.
Ignore that MBA-speak about “growth“ and “business values”. Buy your Werner blades now and let the brand rest in peace.
Cheers,
Andrew
We got the news at the shop and all realized we felt more disappointed in this than when Pelican bought Confluence (Wilderness Systems, Dagger, etc).
Jackson makes a few good boats, a few turds too. Overall just disappointing.
I wonder if they'll still be doing paddle service when they move factories. I've got a Cyprus that could use a new ferrule...
Jackson makes a few good boats, a few turds too. Overall just disappointing.
I wonder if they'll still be doing paddle service when they move factories. I've got a Cyprus that could use a new ferrule...
Every company that merges goes to ***t, such a shame, been there and seen it so many times.
Here’s an interesting video on this topic I watched today on the Werner/Jackson merger and Lendal paddles. It says a month old video. Will Werner paddles soon become Jackson paddles? What’s happening with Lendal?
Last edited:
Well. maybe GearLab, which makes amazing Greenland style paddles, will get into the euro-blade paddle business?
I think something is different at Gearlab too lately. Shops all over show hardly any inventory in Gearlab, when a year ago they had more. I’ve been looking for a 230 cm Akiak, as a cheaper backup to my Kalleq. Their website shows only a black Kalleq now, they had a few colours for a while, and now only a red Akiak in 220cm only. Maybe the April earthquake, political issues with China, or just lack of demand? I don’t know, but definitely something.
Last edited:
kayakwriter
Administrator
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2006
- Messages
- 1,318
I can't speak to the overall inventory levels, but I had it from a Gearlab retailer that they had real problems with the coloured versions of the paddles (fading? bubbling?), and so many retailers are declining to stock them. Kinda makes me feel a little better: I'd bought my all-black Kalleq the year before they started offering colours and I thought a red one would be more loss-resistant in the water and accessorize better with my red-decked boat. Turns out I'm just as glad I didn't go red.
Oh, that’s interesting to know, thanks, my Kalleq is black too, a few years old now, but a great paddle. Maybe coloured plastic tips are just all that’s needed anyway. Black, red and blue to accent your boat.
Last edited:
kayakwriter
Administrator
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2006
- Messages
- 1,318
I'm old enough to remember MSR buying out the amazing Moss tents company, so they could move the manufacturing overseas and then quietly kill the brand. Another competitor gone!
I wonder how many Werner people are going to move across the country to work at a new plant in another state, such a risky proposition for an employee, or if Jackson even wants them, and if they did, I doubt it would be for long. My thoughts are any paddles will eventually be made offshore. It just seems to follow that pattern all to often. That won’t make America great again.
Last edited:
SWriverstone
Established Member
Perhaps I'm naive...but ultimately don't all these mergers come down to a simple desire for a big payout by the original owners? More to the point, is it impossible for the original owners to simply sustain their companies (with new blood, new management, without loss of quality) while stepping back from their formerly intense workloads? I just wonder why owners invariably just choose the "big cash payout" and abandon it all?
@AM nailed it: again and again, corporate buyouts and mergers have diminished both quality and product lines. Every brand owned by Confluence has lost over half the boats they once made. Perception used to make some good plastic sea kayaks. No more. Ditto with Dagger. Ditto with Wilderness Systems (with the lone holdout being the Tempest, which they'll undoubtedly kill off very soon after having killed off the Tsunamis).
Scott
@AM nailed it: again and again, corporate buyouts and mergers have diminished both quality and product lines. Every brand owned by Confluence has lost over half the boats they once made. Perception used to make some good plastic sea kayaks. No more. Ditto with Dagger. Ditto with Wilderness Systems (with the lone holdout being the Tempest, which they'll undoubtedly kill off very soon after having killed off the Tsunamis).
Scott
drahcir
Established Member
Among our paddles we have two Nimbus paddles, light and of high quality. My own is a Nimbus quill, quite merciful to my arthritic left shoulder and, in that respect, similar to my GP. I believe Nimbus is still on Quadra Island, but still quite easy to order from the USA.
Agreed, I had the opportunity to try a Nimbus paddle recently and was pleasantly surprised. If/when I ever need a replacement, one will definitely be at the top of my list.
I‘m not sure why I hadn’t considered them before (for some reason, I‘d always thought they were lower-tier but I’m not sure what gave me that impression); and I didn’t know they were locally made! Had I tried one before, I probably would’ve gone that route instead of the Werner.
JohnAbercrombie
Premier Member
A friend has a much-loved Nimbus 'quill' and I recall him saying that a replacement wasn't available.
I just went to the Nimbus website and clicked on the Products-Paddles tab:
I've heard from several people that Nimbus is in 'build it when the urge strikes me' mode, but I don't know if that's true.
One acquaintance had a fairly recent 'take it or leave it' experience when buying a new ($$$) Nimbus boat.
So if you want a Nimbus product, it would be better to follow up now rather than waiting, I think.
If I recall correctly Nimbus paddles was spun off a couple of years ago. That link might just be a virtual dead-end.
That one seems to be working.
Nimbus kayaks is slowing production way down. I think they're making the occasional custom kayak, but not many.
That one seems to be working.
Nimbus kayaks is slowing production way down. I think they're making the occasional custom kayak, but not many.
drahcir
Established Member
My impression (please correct) was that Nimbus kayaks and Nimbus paddles were separate entities. Then Steve Schleicher (the kayak guy) moved his operation back to Quadra where Nimbus paddles lurked. I don't know the relationship between the two companies, perhaps relatives? Further, I think Steve had some involvement with Sterling's kayak company, maybe with the Ice Kap design.
The above are a bunch of vague conjectures! Fix and elucidate!
The above are a bunch of vague conjectures! Fix and elucidate!