Seaward Kayaks: One Year After Dragons' Den

Family run Seaward Kayaks entered CBC's Dragons' Den one year ago to make a pitch for $300,000 for 15% of their business. They handcraft all of the kayaks here in Canada (in Chemainus, British Columbia) and wanted an investment to help them develop longer touring kayaks.

*Spoiler Alert* Make sure to watch the clip from their pitch before continuing...

Dragons' Den pitcher CEO Douglas Godkin had interest from four of the five Dragons, and struck with David Chilton, however after due diligence they decided to part ways. We touched base with owner Steven Ree, to find out his thoughts a year later after exiting the Dragons' Den.

"Things have gone very well" says Steven. Seaward sold their thermoform division so that they could primarily focus on fibreglass kayaks. He just couldn't stand behind Thermoform and no matter what industry people say about it, "It won't last, it's a throw-away product". Steven mentions that "I've got proof in the pudding" when referring to the fibreglass construction of their Kayaks.

The company was built on tour operators back in 1986 and is just about to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Seaward has weathered the trend to manufacture goods offshore and is pleased to see the shift coming back to 'local'. "Almost every day we're getting a call from someone who wants to have their boat made in Canada". They also pride themselves on customer service and their lifetime warranty... "Customers can phone us and get an answer. You can't just call up kayak manufacturers and get a replacement for a broken foot pedal. They are going to steer you to a dealer, and most likely an answering machine where you hope you get a call back".

Steven recalled that their time on Dragons' Den was a lot of fun, and thinks that the Dragons turned away every other pitch that day except theirs. "There was a lot more grilling than what you see" he chuckled.

The Canadian dream was summed up well by Steven. "We are very fortunate that it is my wife and I... and via that, we have been able to keep it close to our heart all these years. That's our saving grace.".

While the kayaks are still sold at MEC and a few select dealers, most sales are done through the company itself in B.C.

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