Win a Ruahine Kayak in 2017

Kayakers in the 2017 Motu Challenge event stand a chance to win a brand new Ruahine kayak. Race organisers are 'over the moon' that Ruahine have come on board as a sponsor. Kayak stage manager Fred Wingnut Wingate is wildly enthusiastic saying "These kayaks don't come cheap. The top of the line F1 retails for $4,000. Some lucky bugger is going to take one home. I might even enter myself"

One of the long serving race organisers George Teddy has come out of retirement to paddle for a local Opotiki team and will be hoping that his lucky number comes up at prize-giving.

New owner Tim Taylor is excited about the kayak business and is investing heavily in the multisport event scene. He explains a little more about his business here.

Ruahine Kayaks is one of the original kayak producers in New Zealand. Starting in the heydays of kayaking, the 80’s, it grew from a garden shed operation into one of the most recognised and well regarded multisport kayaking brands in NZ. Each kayak in the range is designed to complement a certain type of paddler. As athletes, we are ever improving our skills, so the kayaks provides for a natural progression in models, from entry level to elite.

Ruahine has always had a passion for innovative design and construction. It represents a wealth of paddling experience and passion, combined with leading edge technology. Founder, Mike Rowley, was not only a great fiberglasser, he was also a visionary and lead the way with kayak development. In 2007 his time on our rivers came to a tragic end after suffering from injuries sustained in a crash. Ruahine Kayaks was left without a leader and the brand slowly faded away. In 2016 Ruahine Kayaks was put on the market and the new owner, Tim Taylor took up the challenge to reinvigorate it.

So where to from here for Ruahine kayaks? To put it simply, I aim to produce quality kayaks at a reasonable price. I believe there are plenty of kayak companies that are trying to produce the fastest, lightest, or most racy kayak on the market, however they are forgetting two major things…most people can’t afford them and most people don’t have the skills to paddle them! I want people who compete in multisport races to love the kayaking component; to feel safe in their kayaks and look forward to their time on the water. The Ruahine range is perfect for that as it has models to suit all sizes and ability levels; starting with the Intrigue for beginners right the way through to the F1 for the elite paddlers.

To check out the range of kayaks, services and accessories visit www.ruahinekayaks.co.nz.