Current Designs SOLD

Sad to hear but I guess everything will continue as is.

Sanborn Canoe will be buying the manufacturing rights for all lightweight composite kayaks to manufacturer and sell. Still will be made in WI. :blush:

Maybe some new models? :blush:.

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Good it’s staying in the US.

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Sub Minnesota for Wisconsin. :grinning:

Sanborn already has the molds and any unsold composite inventory. Plastic kayaks are out of production now, though there are some good deals to be found at CD dealers, if you call around.

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never heard of Sanborn not that i know much about canoes.

https://images.app.goo.gl/aqYUYC1QW4KHBZX99

deals

https://sanborncanoe.com/on-the-water/kayaks-in-stock/

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I guess chinese hulls are gone now also?

good deals

looks like selling direct now possibly?

Current Designs is a subsidiary of Winona Canoe. I can’t find anything online about a possible sale on their sites or Sanborn Canoe. All are dependently owned.

I spoke to someone I know that works there.

SOLD. the move is really just down the road to the new owners.

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Wenonah sold the CD brand beginning of August.

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guess they weren’t making money with it.

It would be interesting to know the full story. There can be lots of reasons. If an owner has reasons to “harvest” a business, you hope to harvest at a time when you feel value is maximized. But you could have reasons that prevent or override trying to time it, or you could be unloading something that isn’t as successful as you had hoped. It would be difficult for me to guess about the reasons involved in harvesting a business at the right time for the owner for an endless number of possible reasons. Wenonah ran with it for 20 years continuing to turn out a great product. Let’s hope this gets extended for some more decades.

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Odd that there’s no mention of the transition on either company’s website or FB page.

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Sanborn bought Merrimack Canoes a few years ago and moved them from Tennessee to Minnesota. Lots of moves for a company that started as a canoe paddle manufacturer.

They still have the Vision (Chinese) on the website.

My husband went to the end-of-season warehouse clearance sale at Wenonah Canoes on Friday, and he said the CD kayaks were also on sale.

He picked up 2 Wenonahs for 52% off. And a couple paddles for 40% off. I can only imagine the CDs were similarly good deals (who knows - maybe better if they need to get rid of them ASAP).

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This is always a good time to look for sales on kayaks and kayaking equipment. Manufacturers and dealers often have to move out current inventory to make room for the next year’s models. It is a requirement for some franized dealers that they order new stock even if they have current models unsold.

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Dealers lose their franchise if they don’t order a certain number of hulls a year.

Having worked in the indie outfitter biz for many years, I also recall that there was a big push to get costly inventory sold by December 31 so that they would not have to pay annual taxes on that “asset”. Plus, here in northern climes, it was not practical to store boats outdoors over the winter and indoor storage with sufficient space was rarely cheap. And we always needed to have sufficient cash in the bank to pay for the big early Spring shipments of new gear, and having thousands of dollars of boats sitting unsold for six months tied up too much of the cash stream.

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New owners Sanborn answered me and said they will continue to make the composite line of CD hulls.

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I am in the market and a CD has peaked my interest however with the sale or the changes which are bound to happen is anyone concerned about purchasing a new CD now. I have seen a few new models for sale in my area now at a local dealer all 25% off ( I am in Canada west coast ) and it is tempting for sure. A little hesitant though

Appreciate that comment/intel above @willowleaf !!