Ocean Kayak
Ocean Kayak is one of Appomattox River Company's best-selling sit-on-top kayak companies.
Ocean Kayak didn't invent the original sit-on-top kayak. They just perfected it. Innovation has been Ocean Kayak's mission since they launched their first sit-on-top in 1971, in a backyard in Malibu, California. The company's founder took an old surfboard and carved out two places one to sit in and another for his scuba gear. That's right, the Ocean Kayak was born thanks to a passion for scuba diving. As this craft was seen on the water and on the beach, people began to inquire.
In the mid-80's the operation moved north to Ferndale, WA. Once in Ferndale, Ocean Kayak started looking at ways to mass produce the kayaks. Roto-molding was the answer. They started with one fiberglass model. At first, people laughed at their sit-on-tops. After all, Ocean Kayak boats didn't look anything like traditional kayaks. After a second look advantages were noticed. Unlike traditional kayaks, a sit-on-top kayak features a cockpit that is easy to get in and out of and doesn't require you to learn how to do an "Eskimo roll." The sit-on-top is open, non-confining and more welcoming to people who may not think they can use a kayak.
Ocean Kayak then began to take sit-on-tops to ocean resorts, and people really began to catch on. They'd return home from their resort vacation, tell their friends about this great new boat they'd discovered and then look for a place to buy one.
Ocean Kayak sit-on-top kayaks are no longer made of fiberglass. They are now produced in rotomolded polyethylene. This material makes their boats much tougher practically indestructible, in fact. The rotomolded polyethylene sit-on-tops were are more affordable and much more popular.
Today, many thousands and thousands of boats later, Ocean Kayak is the world's biggest maker of sit-on-tops.