I took a look at a few tools to see where some of the big Brands in Sea Kayaking stood in comparison with each other. Some of the results were surprising, others were not so surprising. Looking at data like this can sometimes [...]]]> Sea kayaking consumer trends as viewed through insights for search

I took a look at a few tools to see where some of the big Brands in Sea Kayaking stood in comparison with each other. Some of the results were surprising, others were not so surprising. Looking at data like this can sometimes be misleading, and each person can draw their own conclusion as to what this means. I am interested in consumer searches for these brands as it relates to new product launches, brand power, consumer perception, and online web presence. I am as you know not endorsed by any of these brands, nor am I swayed one way or the other. The reason I picked these brands is that they are known primarily for sea kayaks. They don’t make recreational boats, they don’t make light touring kayaks, so the data is cleaner. I have nothing against rec kayaks, or light touring kayaks, it is primarily for the purposes of examining sea kayaking as a sport.

Let me preface this post with the fact that I am a huge nerd. My job and my hobby really shouldn’t intersect, there should be an interstitial space between the two, a void that drops off where I leave search and metrics behind, and kayaking fun can begin without even thinking about this stuff. But alas, it is interesting to look at charts and graphs and to think about what it all means.

I examined the following brands:
Valley Sea Kayaks

P&H Sea Kayaks

Sea Kayaking UK (formerly Nigel Dennis Kayaks)

Tiderace Kayaks

So here is a graph from from Google Insights for Search that shows some sort of hedge case water sports. It is something to ground us all who are passionate about this sport. This tool basically gives you search volume over time with news results and other events along the timeline.

So the thing to note is that kayaking, windsurfing, and it appears even kiteboarding are following the same trendline. The amount of searches each year is definitely smaller and smaller each year. Keep in mind this is Google’s tool and that they hold roughly 70% of the search share. The peak each year for all these search terms is in July, and it is straight down after this. What this tells me is that it is a shrinking consumer base for splinter water sports. It could be for one of three reasons. One, the number of people who are interested in kayaking is shrinking. Two, the number of people who have tried kayaking once and gotten it out of their system is growing. And three, Google searches overall are shrinking each year with the introduction of other means of finding content on the internet. Keep in mind it could be a combination of all three. The thing that I chuckle about is that parkour is bigger than kayaking in terms of searches. This is not participation mind you, but searches. Throwing myself at concrete in acrobatic leaps is not my idea of a good time, but friend Jeremy Bloyd-Peshkin can beg to differ. The other humor point is, when was the last time you remember windsurfing being top of mind for anyone? 1980 something right? Miami Vice era. Remember the girl with the bikini and the head dink? The Miami Vice opening Video sequence below at time signature :14.

We are part of a shrinking herd, a diminishing tribe so to speak, and it is good to remember the lessons of Miami Vice.

Sea kayaking brands over time.
Let’s look at Google Insights for Search.

So a couple of interesting points. Valley Sea Kayaks has a long history with sea kayaking in general. Their interest in search has been consistent, but dwindling like everyone else’s. Where do their peaks come from? They are roughly correlated to the trend in watersports in general. The super interesting thing is that Aled Williams company Tiderace has risen onto the scene and has gotten almost as much search volume as its competitors relatively quickly. Whereas Sea Kayaking UK, or NDK had a high number of searches and has since declined rapidly, either due to their name shift from NDK, to Sea Kayaking UK, or diminishing interest from consumers.

The startling thing to me is that there aren’t any huge spikes around new product innovation, or new design. That in and of itself says alot about the impact of new product launches.

There are brief spikes that quickly die off in consumer searches. The brands have done a much better job as of late in getting information to consumers to generate buzz. P&H and Valley both have used message boards and blog posts to pump up interest in new designs. P&H did a masterful job in getting everyone’s attention to the Delphin. And Peter Orton of Valley Sea Kayaks was discussing their new design concept for Valley and is using high profile paddlers like the always fun, Justine Curgenven to test the design.

Unfortunately this has not paid off in any lasting effect with consumers in search in the way that it does with say consumer electronics, or smart phones. Not a fair comparison. But in terms of how say the Apple iPhone4 launch caught the consumers perception, and has maintained interest post launch. Well, sort of unbeatable isn’t it? Could the paddlesports industry do a better job of doing prelaunch materials like videos, testimonials and endoresements for new products without getting all slimy? Probably. But is that the whole story, no? The outdoor retailer trade show, has to dates, one in January and one in August. Why are there no huge blips then? Industry insiders are aware of it, but few others. Whereas the consumer electronic show, comic con, and other expo shows.

Take a lesson from the comic book nerds here.

Marvel Studios announced the director for the Avengers movie, Joss Whedon at Comic Con, and it was plastered all over the internet and twitter. Could these Outdoor Retailer shows be a better vehicle for paddle sports? Maybe. Or maybe I overestimate the power of these shows to promote new products. I am one of the nerds from Comic Con for the record.

Lastly is a Compete Graph, showing traffic to these major brands. Unfortunately Tiderace did not have enough volume to show on this graph so I threw Go Kayak Now! into the mix. We’re not doing to bad are we?...

I think each of these brands has a lot to offer to consumers looking to get their first kayak, or their second or third, this is not a criticism of the product at all, but rather a bit of insight into the trend in consumer behavior with the brand as it pertains to search. Let me know if you have insights from the paddleshop side of things, or the manufacturer side that I don’t and I would love to see it. Keep in mind this is all from the US side of things for what is mostly a UK operation. I didn’t intend to pick all UK manufacturers but they had the most data to play with and made all sea kayaks.

I had an interesting discussion with a number of paddlers as I was assembling information for my Risk Management class this past weekend. It led me to a couple of good questions?

The first is, what is the riskiest thing you do all day on average?

Is it kayaking?

Or is it [...]]]>

I had an interesting discussion with a number of paddlers as I was assembling information for my Risk Management class this past weekend. It led me to a couple of good questions?

The first is, what is the riskiest thing you do all day on average?

Is it kayaking?

Or is it something else? And what steps do you do to mitigate/avoid that risk each time you approach it?

People assume that kayaking is dangerous. And is dangerous to a certain extent, but is it even the most dangerous thing you will even do on any given day?  To what lengths will you go to mitigate or avoid risks in kayaking? Will you make go, no go decisions based on weather, water temps, wind and waves, who’s going?

And then think about the last time you went up on a ladder or the last snowstorm you drove through because you wanted to get home to be ready for work, or the last time you powered up a circular saw without reading the instructions or putting on safety goggles.

Having paddled with kids a lot more than the average guy, I know that they are funny, fickle creatures who crave adventure and excitement like crazy dope fiends. They don’t care about technique, strokes, or learning anything. They want the experience without all the talking.

Laura and I set off from our [...]]]>

Having paddled with kids a lot more than the average guy, I know that they are funny, fickle creatures who crave adventure and excitement like crazy dope fiends. They don’t care about technique, strokes, or learning anything. They want the experience without all the talking.

Laura and I set off from our very familiar Deer Lick Creek beach south of South Haven at the setting of the sun with our 10 year old daughter Isabella.  She was paddling with fury out of the gate, determined to stay ahead of Dad. She dug deep with her home made inuit blade, and grew frustrated when she wasn’t leading the pack. Laura tried to offer tips and technique to no avail. Having been through this before, I let her go off on her own. I coasted until she began to see the full moon rise over the water.

This finally made an impact on her, and she started to enjoy the cool night air, the stars, and the glassy surface of the water as she paddled towards the pier.

Once we reached the pier there was a crowd watching the full moon rise across the surface of the water. She announced proudly, “I paddled all the way here!”  As Laura and I paddled up someone asked, “where did you come from?”

“We were out paddling and we just found this kid out here on her own.”  I said. There was a sudden and communal intake of  social outrage. Then I burst that bubble. “Just kidding, this is my kid.” There was an audible sigh of relief across the space of the darkened water and the blinking red light of the pier.

I want to meet that kid that sea kayaks unsupervised under the full moon. Peter Pan, Lord of the Flies, and other childhood stories be damned, kids just don’t venture out into the dark to experience magic on their own anymore. They have to be dragged kicking and screaming. The poet in me obliges me to make my children experience sunsets and moonrises in abundance. In the end will they have no impact, like a comet sick of seeing it’s tail. I hope not. I hope there is some magic left in the world where a father can show his daughter molten silver poured over Lake Michigan, and she says, “WOW”!

And now our obligatory U2 quote:

Into the heart… of a child
I stay awhile… oh, I can go back

Into the heart…

The on land portion of the class to create a background for the on-water section will be four hours at the St. Joseph Library starting [...]]]> Go Kayak Now will be hosting a Risk Management Course in St. Joseph Michigan this weekend July 31st to August 1.

July 31st On Land Risk Management Course

The on land portion of the class to create a background for the on-water section will be four hours at the St. Joseph Library starting at 10:00 am.

Cost is $25.00.

Please bring a snack lunch and some notebook materials.

The outline for the course is as follows:

• Intro


• Who the heck are you?


• Risks in sea kayaking


• Paddlers


• Weather


• Hypothermia


• Wind and Waves


• Terrain


• Navigation


• Time of Day


• Risk Plotting


• Exercise in Risk Plotting(break for lunch)


• Dressing For Paddling


• Safety Equipment for paddling group exercise


• Towing


• Group Management and Leadership Intro


• CLAP (communication line of sight avoidance and positioning)


• CLAP Exercise

Google Map to the St. Joseph Public library where the onland session will be held.

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Second Day August 1st. 9:00 AM Lion’s Beach St. Joseph Michigan.

Four hour on the water incident management course. This class is by appointment only, so please email or call me if you plan on attending we need to have very specific instructor to student ratios in order to make this class work. This class will start at Lion’s Beach St. Joseph Michigan.

Cost is $40.00

Required equipment:

Sea kayak with bulkheads, lifejacket, spray deck, tow belt, contact tow, paddle, sack lunch, dry clothes.

Optional equipment, helmet, spare paddle, and VHF radio.

Map to Lion’s Beach.

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Please contact me with any questions.

me at go kayak now dot com!