Team ARC headed to Greenville, SC for the Eastern Outdoor Reps Assoc. trade show this past weekend. I took a bunch of photos with my phone showcasing some of the highlights of the show. So, here is what peaked our interest in the paddle-sports world.

New Kayaks and Paddle Sport Gear

The Jackson Kayak Big Rig - 13'-2" length. 37" width. 85lbs. weight. 450lbs. capacity. The Big Rig is a big stable SOT fishing machine. It comes ready for Raymarine Dragonfly fishfinder and Power Pole Micro stake out system. It is the best of all the Jackson Fishing Kayaks in one stand-up ready vessel. *It is still in prototype phase.

The Jackson Kayak Coosa , Yak Attack Angler version looks pretty cool. It comes equipped with Yak Attack Geartracs, Visi Pole, Ball mounts, etc.

The Jackson Kayak Rock Star looked sharp! Jackson says it is their best hull design yet. Easier edging and carving power with customizable outfitting. We have a few of these in stock already and they are moving fast! 

The last cool thing from Jackson Kayak was the JKrate. A new fishing crate. Ready for RAM and Yak Attack accessories. Word is there will be a cooler insert as well.

At the Confluence Watersports booth:

First up, the Wilderness Systems Ride 115X. It has a removable console that reveals a large pass through the hull, including a battery storage area. Comes with a stand assist strap. The Advanced Angler option also comes with with a factory installed Yak Attack Mighty Mount, 1.5 and 1 Yak Attack Screwballs, a Yak Attack Zooka Tube and a Yak Attack VISICarbon Pro.

Next up was the Perception Kayak StrikerX prototype. It looked like a great entry, price point fishing kayak. Below that was the Perception Tribe in a new green camo.

The Wilderness Systems Focus 145, 150 and 155. This day touring/ overnight kayak looked very sleek, fast and shiny. We all liked the look of this thing. Tom even climbed in to get a feel for it. This will also be a great fitness boat for all water types.

The Dagger Kayaks Katana cross boat is a nice addition to the Dagger family. It has a whitewater hull, storage and a skeg. This boat looks sweet.

The Wave Sport Kayaks Mobius playboat. This is going to be a freestyle machine!  Between the rounded edges, the sculpted side walls, and the soft curvature of the bow, this predictable design makes loops, mcnastys and phonix monkeys easy to initiate. It is extremely loose and fast on waves, featuring a continuous rocker profile and a stern release edge that allows quick acceleration down a wave."

The Native Watercraft booth had some new color flash.

Of course, everyone has heard about the new Native Watercraft Slayer Propel! This thing has been creating quite a buzz.

Here is a great video about the Slayer Propel.

I personally thought the improved Native Watercraft Ultimate Kayak looked pretty good. It will now be coming with a better seat setup, an anchor trolley on each side, geartracs, new padding, etc. It was pretty sharp.

They even flattened out the bottom, for added stability.

Liquid Logic Kayaks Stinger was in the house! And the Liquid Logic StingerXP!

BIC SUP had a great new cross board on display. It is 10' and padded out with yoga foam. It also had a prominent bow keel for speed. This SUP looked like a hot number for all around use.

Feelfree Kayaks had a great new lime camo color and the cool UniTrack dashboard gear system. The Feelfree Fishing Kayaks are really starting to catch fire. They are currently working on a new boat, the Lure, but it is still in the planning stage.

Pelican Premium had the Maverick 100 kayak, touted as tech-friendly, and a tandem kayak called the Unison 136T. The Unison 136T kayak was one of our surprise highlights and somehow I missed getting a photo of it. But, I'm sure we'll start stocking it soon.

The Pyranha Kayaks Fusion SOT was another highlight. It is built on the Fusion L shape and will feature a seatback and thigh straps. Here is a prototype photo of the Fusion SOT alongside the new Burn III.

The Venture Kayak Jula was another interesting highlight, as we saw the prototype, outfitted with a "scudder." Scudder is a mix of rudder and skeg. It looked so cool, Tom actually hit the floor to get a better view.

Astral Bouyancy had the Brewer which continues to win awards, but what really got me psyched was the new Astral Ronny Fisher PFD. It features great gear pockets and a roll-up safety/ rain hood. It looked good.

Hurricane Kayaks rounded out their line with the Skimmer 140 to complement the Skimmer 116 and Skimmer 128.

and last but not least, we all thought the new AquaBound SUP Paddles looked sharp. They have the Spark, Freedom and Challenge. Aluminum, Carbon and Carbon w/ carbon blade. Here is a shot of the Carbon on carbon, the Challenge. The graphics are the same on all three paddles with the blade being green on the Spark, blue on the Freedom and black on the Challenge. Looks good.

Most of this stuff is still coming down the pipe and is not currently available. Some will be late fall and some will be spring. We'll keep you up to speed. In the meantime, paddle safe and enjoy this weather!