To the Beach!

Today marked day 1 of week 7.  A good time to take a break!

We hit the road early to get to NuCanoe Dealer Adel Outfitters in Adel, GA by lunchtime.  Adel Outfitters recently moved to a bigger store right off I-75...a great location and perfect home for NuCanoe in South Georgia.  Chad liked the Frontier and is ready for a couple boats as soon as we can get them to him.

Heading west from Adel we made our way to Dothan, AL.  My last time through Dothan I saw a nice outdoors store right off the highway.  So I looked it up and found The Sportsman's Outfitters.  We stopped in despite not having an appointment or knowing who to talked to.  The folks there were friendly, and we chatted with Danny for a bit.  He and Jamie then came out to see the boats and were impressed.  Jamie thought it a great fit for their hunting and fishing customers...and loved that it could go in lakes, rivers, and the saltwater.  We hope to have them on the team in 2012!

And from there it was a 2 hour drive to Ft. Walton Beach, to Deanna's mom's home, conveniently located on the beach.  The tour goes on break as we recharge and I head back to teh home office for 4 days.  When we resume on November 7th, we'll have 2 1/2 weeks going through Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, & Louisiana.  We'll be back to the beach for Thanksgiving, then off again for 2 weeks through Florida. 

It's been a great journey...and we're looking forward to the rest!

On to Atlanta

We were now down to three days left on the first phase of the Nu Frontier Tour.  Come Friday evening, we'd be on the beach near Destin, FL relaxing at Deanna's mom's condo.   We'd be off the road for 10 days, although I'd be flying back home to the office for 4 days.

We visited longtime NuCanoe Dealers Terry & Gin Tucker at Talespinner's Outdoors in LaFayette, GA on Wednesday morning.  They were impressed with the Frontier and are anxious to get some in come spring.  We chatted for a bit, and Terry told some great stories about life in Georgia.

In the Atlanta area, we had four stops and a demo.  Wednesday afternoon we met with Willie at The Fly Box Outfitters in Kennesaw, GA.  The Fly Box has been a NuCanoe dealer for six months and they already have a customer lined up for the Frontier. 

Thursday we started at Adventure Outdoors in Smyrna, GA.  They are in the process of moving to a huge new store, providing much needed space as their current location is more than full.  Eric saw the NuCanoe 12 in the spring, and was plenty pleased with the new and improved Frontier 12.  We're looking forward to having ADventure Outdoors on the NuCanoe team in 2012!

An drive hour on 401 North took us to The Outside World in Dawsonville, a premier paddlesports retailer in Georgia.  Brent saw & demoed the NuCanoe 12 in the spring, and while he liked it, he also thought it was missing something.  Upon first glance at the Frontier, he was sold.  Brent plans to bring the Frontier into their Dawsonville store and Columbus, GA store.  We are excited to work with them!

Next up was NuCanoe Dealer The Fish Hawk in the Buckhead area of Atlanta.  The Fish Hawk crew took turns checking out the Frontier and learning all the features.  Most of the concerns they had heard about the NuCanoe 12 were addressed, and they are figuring on selling a lot of Frontier 12s in 2012!

Thursday afternoon we went to Azalea Park on the Chattahoochee to meet up with a couple NuCanoe owners and potential owners.  They went for a test ride and were impressed.  After that, Deanna & I paddled around a bit...we even let Kobe have his own boat!  Until he jumped in the water trying to chase the birds....

Tennessee

On Sunday we went to Huber Farms & Winery in Indiana on a tip from Adam.  The drive in was beautiful, winding through hills colorful trees.  The farm was full of fall festivities - pumpkin patch, corn maze, farm fresh foods, and lots of people.  We enjoyed a bottle of wine while taking in some interesting music and watching the crowds.

Monday we were off to Nashville for a demo day at Long Hunter State Park with Team NuCanoe member Kevin McCullough.  We met up with Kevin during the River Bassin Tournament Trail stop in June and floated the Stones River.  We had a nice crowd of folks out to check out the Frontier on a perfect fall afternoon.  One gentlemen, Joff, was in work clothes but went for a test paddle anyway.  He was reluctant to stand up in the Frontier, but with a little encouragement, he gave it a try.  Five seconds later he was saying, "Wow, this is easy.  I can even walk around on the deck."  Yes, you can!

The next day we made the short drive to Lynchburg, TN to see Rhonda at Tim's Flies & Lies.  It is literally 100 yards from the Jack Daniels Distillery.  We missed the epic Jack Daniels Barbeque Festival by three days...probably a good thing since the crowds would have made getting around just about impossible.  Tim's has a been a NuCanoe dealer for 4 years and has introduced countless people to NuCanoe thanks to their prime location, including current dealers in Iowa and Australia.

We followed Rhonda to Tim's Ford Lake for an on water demo.  Current NuCanoe owners Warren Patterson, Denny Edwards, and Pat Neese made it out to see and try the Frontier.  (See them in the video Duck River Fishing.)  All were mightily impressed.  Warren, who was a tournament Bass Angler back in the day, would hardly sit down in the Frontier, and he never fishes on his feet in his NuCanoe 10.  He figures once he gets the Frontier, he may start fishing the lakes as much  as the rivers.  Another gentlemen, Joe, came out to try the Frontier as he is in the market for a new fishing craft.  He's glad he did as the Frontier is now on the top of his list!

Yak Angler + Canoe Kentucky

I first connected with the guys from Yak Angler in late 2010.  Adam Hayes posted an article about the NuCanoe 12, I read it, contacted him, and we started chatting. Just like that, a great partnership was born.   We supplied Yak Angler with a NuCanoe 12 Bass Angler, they passed it around to other kayak anglers, and let people fish out of it (a 7 year old girl even won a kayak fishing out of this NuCanoe at the River Bassin stop in Frankfort!).  They introduced us to Canoe Kentucky.
In June we met up with Adam and Mark Watanabe at a brew pub in Louisville.  Over food & drink, we chattaed about paddling, fishing, and business.  We then shared our plans for the Frontier 12...and Adam & Mark were quite impressed.  The only way we could get them to keep quiet about it was to promise to visit them again when we had prototypes.

So on Saturday morning we met up at Canoe Kentucky for a Frontier Demo Day.  We first went to Beaver Lake for a bit of fishing, then back to the Canoe Kentucky store to meet up the folks that came out to see the Frontier.  We took the boats to the Elkhorn Creek near the shop where the water was flat and slow.  The Yak Angler crew and the demo'ers put the Frontiers through the tests...and then some.  Paddling, trolliing, standing, rocking, 180 jumps, tandem 180 jumps, triple SUP'ing, and more.  Best to check the videos!

To wrap up the day, we floated the Elkhorn from the Canoe Kentucky put-in down to their store.  While it was mostly flat water, we encountered one fun section of rapids and a tricky corner known as The Claw.  Mark rarely sat down and provided us some great video!

To cap it off, Adam & Mark joined us for some eats and refreshments back in Louisville.  And while we were there, the gentlemen whose daughter won the kayak fishing from the NuCanoe came by to check out the Frontier.  So out in the parking under the street lights, we showed him the boat.  And the Frontier 12 was added to another wish list!

Mahoney's Outfitters & Fall Colors

The drive from Hickory, NC to Johnson City, TN on Friday morning was beautiful as can be.  The fall colors were vibrant, the sky blue, and the crispness of fall was in the air.   I am more certain than ever tha October is about the ideal time for traveling, no matter where the destination.

Fortunately for us, our destination was Mahoney's Outfitters.  Founded in 1960, Mahoney's is still in the family, owned and operated by Dan Mahoney.  The boast a great selection of everything for the outdoors:  hunting, fishing, camping, backpacking, paddling, apparel, and more.  And starting in the spring of 2012, Mahoney's will be the home for NuCanoe in eastern Tennessee.

Blake & Brandon from Mahoney's

We stopped in to visit Brandon, Jimmy, and Mike in June with the NuCanoe 12.  They were impressed and figured it be a great addition to the store.  Upon learning about Frontier, they were more excited than ever. We had quite the crowd gather around during our show & tell at the store.   They've seen the fishing side of paddlesports start to boom, and are confident next year will be a breakout year for kayak fishing....led by the Frontier 12!

Along with the Mahoney's staff, NuCanoe owners Mark Hutchison and Cecil Jones made the trek to meet up with the tour.  We enjoyed chatting with them and are pleased they are both excited about the Frontier.  Hopefully next time around we can join them on the water for some fishing!

Cecil & Paul drove 3 hours to see the Frontier!

Frontier Demo Day @ Outdoor Supply Company

Charlie & Rick at Outdoor Supply Company put together a great Frontier demo day on Thursday afternoon at the Wittenburg Access Area on Lake Hickory.  The weather was a bit cooler than usual, but we had no rain and the wind was minimal. 

The Frontier was put through the paces solo, tandem, paddling, trolling, and standing up.  We had paddlers old and young...big and small.  And the results were great!  Proof being that Charlie wanted to know if he could revise their pre-season order to get more Frontier boats! 

Thanks Charlie & Rick for the great event!  

Winding Through South Carolina

Tuesday night we navigated through the back highways of South Carolina to Anderson, SC for our meeting the next day with Grady's Great Outdoors.  For over 50 years, Grady's has been the premier source of outdoor gear in the Anderson area.  Today, they have fishing, hunting, paddling, outdoor apparel, shoes, and more.  Sounds like a great home for NuCanoe boats!  

Owner John Phillips was certainly impressed by the Frontier. He already liked the versatility of the NuCanoe 10 & 12, so the Frontier's added features and space really appealed to him.  The timing is great too, as they are planning to have more room for boats and outdoor equipment in the near future.   And while we'd love to have NuCanoe boats fill some of that space, certainly the anglers & hunters in the region won't leave them on the store racks for long!

From there we made our way to Sunrift Adventures in Travelers Rest, SC.  Sunrift has a great selection of hiking gear, boats, clothes, camping gear, and more.  They started carrying NuCanoe boats at the start of this year as they saw the growth and opportunity in kayak fishing.  When they had NuCanoe boats rigged up and ready to fish on the showroom floor, it got lots of attention.

Upon first glance at the Frontier, Josh, the paddlesports manager, was loving it!  The wider deck, slide track for the seats, and built in storage were all high in his NuCanoe wish list.  He is anxious to get Frontiers in ahead of their demo day in the spring...and let their customers put it to the test.

Wednesday night we stayed in Greenville, SC and ventured downtown for some dinner.  It's a great city with a nice downtown area.  We settled on the Carolina Ale House for eats and drinks.  The food was great...the only downside being about half the draft beers were out, thanks to the Greenville Fall Festival the prior weekend.

Thursday morning we were on the road to Carolina Fresh Farms in Rock Hill, SC.  While the core of the business is in sod and landscape supply, by listening to their customers, their Rock Hill store has grown into a leading supplier of hunting feed, outdoor gear, and sunglasses.  Seeking to round out their outdoor equipment offering and take advantage of the pond behind their store, Mills Grant began looking for a line of boats.  After looking at many options, he remembered NuCanoe, which he saw at a show a few years ago.  Fortunately, he got in touch ahead of the SC leg of our tour, so we were able to visit them.

We met with Mills, Byron, & Chris, and they are all full of great ideas for building the outdoor gear business at CFF.  And best of all, they are excited about using the gear they carry for themselves.  And that includes NuCanoe boats...particularly the Frontier.  After taking it for a test ride in the pond, they were sold.  And thinking forward to the spring when customers could stop by for a demo anytime.  We are excited to have CFF on the NuCanoe team in 2012!