Simply put, we develop practical solutions for aquatic endeavors.

What ever your choice of paddle, chances are we build a product that will help you enjoy it.
We are located in Vancouver British Columbia on the door step of some of the best paddling in the world. We are fortunate to have everything from calm bays to some of the most rugged isolated coast line in the world.
Rivers that transport you back to the time of early explorers, to raging torrents of every description. In this playground we have spent most of our lives paddling, exploring and often been shown that less can in fact be more. It is this philosophy we bring into the design of the products we offer.

Tucked up here in the North West corner of North America we have to some extent developed in the early days, in isolation.
As a result we have brought some unique and innovative ideas to the market.
Today we work with some of the best paddlers in the world to design and field test our products. Before they get to your paddle shop they will have been on expeditions, back and forth to the drawing board countless times.
As a result we are proud of the products we build. We offer you not only our experience in building them but the experience of people that rely on them.                         
Lindsay Merchant

NORTH WATER
Rescue & Paddling Equipment
#110-2331 Alberta Street
Vancouver BC
Canada V5Y 4A7

Dear North Water

Thanks for your response. I’ve been using North Water products for about 4 years, I believe. I have a Padded Paddle Bag and an Expedition Deck Bag. I’ve used them around southern California, out at the islands of Channel Islands National Park, and in Baja. I bought both items from Aqua Adventures here in San Diego, California. The shop owner, Jen Kleck, is top notch and a great representative for your products. I also had a very positive experience with your customer service people a while back that I’ll share with you. I saw on your website that you’re willing to modify your products to customer specification. I felt that the Expedition Deck Bag didn’t anchor securely enough to suit me. I noticed the corner straps on the Peaked Deck Bag and thought that would be an improvement if it could be done. I phoned customer service and explained my request and they told me to send it in. Not long afterward, the bag returned with the requested straps added, nicely done and at no charge! Besides your making quality gear, that sort of customer service will continue to endear your company to the paddling community. In answer to your question, I am with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, but my use of North Water products is not in connection with my employment. And now to my question: is there any thought being given to North Water logo apparel in the foreseeable future?
Gary

Guide Vest Review

After testing the Guide Vest in practical rescue scenarios, I was impressed with the ease and practicality of all its functions. Built in quick release tow belt is a must. Quick and easy deployment of towing gear is imperative. Having used this system in both practice scenarios and real life situations, I was happy that it performed its function flawlessly. Large front pockets allow for each paddler to customize what they bring and where they place it. The pocket size also allows for easy access even on those cold morning paddles. I have customized the large pouch on the back to fit a 2 litter water bladder and drinking hose to allow for no fuss hydration when needed. The VHF pocket located high on the chest allows you to access your VHF quickly and easily, even if separated from your kayak. Because of todays ever changing technology the size of the pocket allows for multiple options of VHF radios. Weather you are monitoring boat traffic during a crossing, listening to weather updates, or communicating with in your group, its location and ability it affords you to paddle and listen at the same time is a wonderful function. The antenna restraint for the VHF is a nice touch that allows you to take in your whole surroundings with out getting poked in the face by the antenna. Thoughtful.

As kayak guides and recreational paddlers we spend as much time on land as we do on the water.  The guide vest dries quickly and acts as a hiking vest when bird watching or walking the trails on those wind bound days. No need to transfer a small first aid kit, water, binoculars, snacks, flairs, compass or VHF, its already packed an ready to be worn as a breathable vest over your shirt, sweater, or rain gear.

The guide vest also makes sense for multi disciplined paddles as well. It fits easily over a large variety of PFD’s allowing for a simple and clean cut PFD to become a wonderful companion on a multi-day trip. The guide vest is versatile enough to carry the minimum required gear on a day trip to all of your necessities for a multi day tour.

Andrew Woodford
Level 4 rated CRCA
Certified Instructor Trainer for the CRCA
Swift Water Rescue Technician
Lead Guide for the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of British Colombia
Guide Trainer for the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of British Colombia
Director of SKILS (Sea Kayak Instruction and Leadership Systems) www.skils.ca
Paddle Sports Consultant

NW Guide Vest

I've been looking for a PFD with large pockets for years, but haven't found the right combination of large pockets, tow line, and attachment points. The Guide Vest is a simple answer to my search.  It carries all the extra gear I sometimes need to keep close at hand such as my log book, radio, and tow line; and, importantly, it doesn't interfere with my paddling or when I practice and perform rescues. It fits snugly over my PFD (and some others I've tried it with) and packs away easily when I don't need it.  Details such as the adjustable radio antenna holder, the bellowed pockets, and the orientation of the attachment points set North Water apart – they obviously consult and test their products with real paddlers before sending them to market.

It is definitely a fancy bit of kit, but for on water professionals and paddlers on more remote and challenging trips, it offers flexibility and performance.  North Water continues to prove itself an innovative designer of quality kayak touring safety equipment.  Congratulations.

Michael Pardy
Guiding and instructing paddlesports for over 20 years
Lead guide, guide trainer, examiner with the SKGABC, senior Instructor Trainer with the Canadian Rec. Canoeing and Kayaking Association.
Coauthor of 2002 Handbook of Sea Kayak Safety and Rescue, columnist for Adventure Touring Kayak Magazine.
Past president of the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC

Dear North Water,
The 55 ft Sea Kayak Quick Release Tow Belt arrived.
Thank you it is wonderful.
Larry Martin

Customer Service
Dear North Water,
Please accept my thanks for your outstanding customer service. I had a serious dispute with one of your suppliers. I had ordered one of your paddle floats that looked perfect, and I just couldn't get the supply company to send it to me. I had e-mailed Nikkiof North Water and asked if there was anything she could do. She double-checked that North Water had sent the item to the supplier. You had. She advised me to wait a week and be in touch at that time. A week and a half later, the gear still hadn't come in from the supplier. That's when something truly amazing happened in this day of buyer beware and shady internet sales. Nikki not only sent me a paddle float, but CALLED me to double-check my address.
North Water's response was so fast and thorough and professional that I can do nothing but applaud. And order ALL my gear from North Water. And tell everyone I know to do the same thing. And get on every paddler message board that I am a member of and trumpet North Water for their high quality merchandise and the unexpected and wonderful customer service. I feel like I've not only discovered a great source for quality paddle gear; I feel like I've stumbled on to some paddler friends! And that is a great feeling.
Thanks again North Water. Paddle On!
Mindy Yocom, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Canoe Spray Deck Testimonials

Bill Layman and Lynda Holland venture into some of the remotest places on earth. Traveling by canoe they have ventured into “The Land Of Little Sticks” the ancestral lands of the Athapaskan Indians (Dog Rib, Slavey, Chipewyan (Dene). They are now traveling the waterways of “The Barrens”, land of the Inuit. Most trips are 500 to 750 miles lasting anywhere from 25 to 40 days with no mid trip re-supply.

Here’s what they have to say about the North Water Spray Decks.

Personally, I wouldn’t even think of going to the barrens without a covered canoe. A spray cover gives you that extra edge in big rapids and on large lakes where wind can come up in an instant and it is also a blessed relief on those really cold days. Remember that any swim in the barrens is potentially life threatening – the water up there is incredibly cold folks! I find that when I am south of the tree-line, where the water is warmer and there are more and longer portages, I don’t always feel the need for a cover.
To date the best cover I have used is the one made by North Water. Made of 14oz. Hercules cloth, these covers are nearly indestructible and North Water’s attention to sewing detail is bar none. Give them a call and they can walk you through the options you might want. My advice is to opt for two paddle pockets, and consider the split deck option – it makes it real easy to get at your gear. And one note. Everyone thinks that the lace-on system North Water uses is going to be a real pain in the ass. Well that’s exactly what I thought when I first saw it, and "it just ain’t so".
The deck only takes a few minutes to re-attach in the morning, and at lunch, with the zip-open cargo cover, there is no real reason to undo it at all. The trick at night is to only undo one side of the cover – that way it is easy to get the side-to-side adjustment even in the morning when you are still waiting for the coffee to cut in. And on portages, don’t even take the cover off. Just undo one side completely, roll the deck across to the attached side, and spool the loose cord around the rolled up deck and cinch it tight. North Water has an excellent selection of other peripherals from knee pads and D-rings to throw bags and Z drags.

Trip reports of the Thlewiaza, Kazan, Coppermine, Fond du Lac, Nunaut, Elk and Thelon rivers can be found at:
www.gorp.com and www.out-there.com/BL.htm

“All Decked Out: Canoe decks to keep gear in and water out”

What do the fastest paddling trip across Canada (from New Brunswick to Vancouver) and the world record canoe trip (from Western Canada to the Amazon) have in common? They both relied on a canoe deck to get them through time when weather and whitecaps would have stopped other expeditions cold.

Canoe decks aren’t just for hardcore paddlers. They’re becoming more and more popular for extended journeys – especially in cold, wet regions – by providing protection from the elements for food, clothing and most importantly, paddlers. They can also be used when running whitewater, eliminating the hassles of bailing at the bottom of every ripple.

Though they’ve been around since Voyageurs first draped furs over their hulls, technology has finally come to these canoe covers. To see what all the water-shedding hoopla is about, we tested solo and tandem decks from Vancouver’s North Water Rescue & Paddling Equipment. The company has patterns for most models of Clipper, Dagger, Mad River and Old Town canoes, and can custom-fit others. For our testing, we outfitted an Old Town 169 with a tandem (complete with zippered cargo hatch and spare paddle hold) and a Dagger Ovation with a solo.

First we had to submit the boats’ measurement, easily done over the phone or company’s Web site. Specs you’ll be asked to provide include everything from overall length and width to make, model, gunwale and hull material. A diagram on the Web illustrates how to perform such other needed measurements as the distance from the bow to the back of the stern seat and rear thwart; stern and bow cap dimensions; and width distant from the bow to the back of the stern seat and rear thwart; stern and bow cap dimensions; and width every two feet from the bow. They ask for a lot, but the attention to detail shows itself in the final result.

Made from waterproof and UV-resistant 14oz. Hercules material, both decks were easy to install, with the kit for each containing the deck drill placement marker, 20 loop patches, two tubes of vyna-bond, four D-rings, two 20-foot lacing chords and two deflector hoops. With easy-to-follow instructions, it took about two hours to install each one, including gluing on the patches and drilling holes in the canoe.

The company’s attention to detail was also apparent when it came time to paddle. A storage area near the bow held each canoe’s painter lines, a cargo hatch on the double allowed easy access to gear, a paddle pocket kept spares handy, and poly-webbing tie-downs provided easy lacing points to the canoe. A three-inch rub strip along the gunwales also protected the deck from wear and tear from errant paddle shafts. When trying them with gear, the decks adjusted easily to accommodate different loads.

None of the test paddlers notice much weight gain and we all found that the lash-down system didn’t interfere with our strokes. Perhaps their nicest feature are Velcro-closing cockpit covers made of 420-denier packcloth; they provide a large opening when needed (i.e., for wet-exiting), and an elastic waist adjusted to fit paddlers of all sizes. The opening also allowed for a secure fit whether kneeling or sitting, and let our bodies breathe when the Colorado sun poked through the clouds.

For all their comfort and warmth, however, the decks did have a drawback. Instead of picking our way through each wave train as usual, we now headed for the biggest ones we could find. And by increasing our penchant for play, we didn’t return home until well past our respective curfews.

Dear North Water
First off just wanted to extend a big thanks to the whole crew at North Water for helping support the Lohit Expedition this past December. We became the first team to descend the 125-mile continuous Class4/5 monster in six days and the Hoss was a brilliant big water multi-day machine.
After the Lohit Expedition and several years of paddling with North Water equipment, I feel a strong loyalty to one of the best paddling companies in the world. It is no coincidence that the best designs happened to be backed up by unreal customer service. As a prominent instructor here in the Northwest, this loyalty combined with an ever-increasing amount of exposure is hopefully helping you guys sell more and more gear. Since returning from India, I’ve given slideshows and video presentations at the Port Angeles Kayak Symposium, Western Washington University, Fluid Adventures Grand Opening in Seattle, and I will be also talking at the Bigger than Rodeo premiere in Seattle May 19th. I’ve also been contacted by several of the local clubs to speak about the expedition over the next few months and I’ve been working with Rapid Magazine on publishing an article about the trip.  North Water has been given tremendous praise in all these venues.
Thanks so much for your generous support of the Lohit Expedition. I could not have done it without you guys! Regards,
Bryan Smith - www.bodyboatblade.com

Our Northwater gear is used exhaustively every weekend for classes and tours. Nothing holds up better, nothing deploys faster and easier than Northwater.
Commercial use really puts products to the test and your products are the best I've ever used.
Todd Zeller, Rivermaster and Instructor - Quiet World Sports

Dear friends
Over the holidays I received a gift, your 35 foot Rapid Line rescue belt for kayakers. I'm Enormously impressed at the design of this item. It's sleek, light, and right where you need it - when you need it! And seeing as my buddies rarely carry ropes, it's the only rescue rope I've ever seen that I can deploy so my slacker friends can rescue ME! Nice score for the design department gang!
Daniel DeMocker

Dear North Water
I am interested in receiving a current catalogue of our equipment, most specifically throw bags. I am looking to replace two belt bags that I currently have (bags only). My husband and I have used your throw bags extensively in the past, both at work guiding river trips and on personal trips. Your gear is excellent! If you could send us a recent catalogue our way, we would greatly appreciate it.
Andrea Graham

North Water has become one of our best lines when it comes to outfitting a paddler. From custom fitting their boat to quality accessories, we find North Water #1. We have seen tremendous growth in our North Water sales as new innovative products are introduced. Customer service has been great and Ocean River Sports regards North Water as one of our very best suppliers.
Brian Henry, Ocean River Sports, Victoria BC

North Water has been outstanding to work with. From a first phone call two years ago to dealing with billing and custom orders, I have had nothing but great service. The staff are always friendly, enthusiastic, and genuinely care about my outfitting needs. They have quickly positioned themselves as leaders in the whitewater industry, making their products the only real choice for serious professionals and river programs.
Jeff Jackson, Canoe Program Coordinator - National Outdoor Leadership School, Yukon

North Water PFD Endorsements
I have been using my North Water Rescue PFD for three years and it is still serving me well. The quality, durability, and function is definitely what we need for the job. I don't and wouldn't leave shore without it!
Attached is a photo from a Fishery this summer when a few of us got together (a few rebels still have the Wildwater from England but will soon be ordering North Water Rescue PFD's).
Thank you for all your time and commitment!
Rob Harris, Fishery Officer - Squamish Field Unit, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

I have found your products to be of high quality. You willingness to customize designs to meet our specific requirements has been appreciated. Our field staff are able to operate more safely because of the products that you supply. I have, and will continue to, recommend North Water products to my colleagues.
Cheers,
Bruce A. Patten, A/Salmon Support Biologist - Fish Management, Operations Branch, DFO

The Personal Floatation Device that I purchased from North Water is one of the most practical and important pieces of equipment that I use while on the job. North Water worked hard to build a quality PFD that kept the operational requirements of a Fishery Officer in mind. North Water has always been professional, courteous, and always willing to work to provide the equipment needs of our staff.
Monte Bromley, Prince Rupert, BC

www.techrescue.org/extlinks/

www.wavelengthmagazine.com- Wave Length Magazine

www.jojaffa.com/guides/canoeing.htm

www.paddleperformance.com

Products manufactured and sold by North Water are intended for use by people who are trained and experienced in ocean/river paddling and rescue work. Our products have been designed for use in conditions that require experience, skill and good judgment. Improper use may lead to injury or even death. If you do not possess the training and judgment needed to recognize the risks associated with moving water, obtain qualified instruction before using these products. North Water Rescue and Paddling Equipment is not liable for any damage arising from the use of its products.

North Water Rescue and Paddling Equipment is a division of North Water Holdings Ltd.

We are privileged to live in a modern society where we have many opportunities and choice. In my travels throughout the world I have met people who struggle to exist day to day and have little or no choice in determining what kind of life they wish to live. The biggest cause of this struggle is not too many people and not enough food but the unfair distribution of wealth directed by forces outside their boarders. Part of keeping the dictators and warlords in positions of power is to deny the population basic human rights to keep them busy surviving; struggling for food, shelter and clean water.

In North America we are governed by the same forces and have seen the drive to privatize our natural resources. One of these is water. Under agreements like NAFTA and the Security and Prosperity Agreement this threatens to turn resources such as water into commodities which violates basic human rights. (UN Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25 [1]).

A big part of what North Water does is build products that enhance people’s ability to play in water. We felt it only fitting to set up a program that provides safe drinking water to those that do not have it, much less play in it.

Cambodia seemed like the logical place, so we visited remote villages deep in the jungle. We met the locals and saw first hand what the needs were and how best to work with them. We teamed up with one of the back country tour companies (Hidden Cambodia) which also works to provide clean safe water to these marginalized communities.

We had the choice to contribute to some of the larger fund raising organizations, where we receive tax credits, but found up to 50% of the donated funds go toward administrative costs. We opted to stick to the true intention and make sure every penny goes directly to the people that it is intended to help. This puts us face to face with the people that benefit from our efforts. It is amazing to see how much impact a simple well makes and the gratitude that is shown by people in these villages.

It takes under $2,000.00 to drill a well and provide a whole village with clean drinking water. This greatly reduces sickness and disease, decreases infant mortality, creates a gathering area and a sense of stability within the community. It also lets them know people do care about them and they are valuable part of a much bigger community.

We offer our dealers the opportunity to contribute a percent of annual sales, or a one time contribution to drill their own well. We take care of all the logistics, and provide photos of the people and community that benefits from your generosity

The photos on this page are an example of one of the villages and people helped by this program (click on them for a larger image).

Lindsay Merchant
President

Our facilitators in Cambodia are Paul and Sheila at:
http://www.hiddencambodia.com/

Photos of various well sites:
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2279769990061510178wpXNdL