question

I know there use to be at least one other dealer in the U.S. . But my question is more for the info of being curious.

I see many Souris River Outfitters in this country (that is good). Was wondering if they buy direct from the factory or what? Also can they only sell used Souris river canoes? I always wondered how that works and I know somebody here knows.

There used to be a Souris River dealer in Eagle River, WI called Walkabout Paddle & Apparel. I see they're not listed as a dealer any longer. At one time, I thought there was also a dealer in Kansas City. They're not listed anymore either.

I'm sure if you call or email Souris River in Canada, they can advise you of the current dealers here in the U.S.

Jackfish: "There used to be a Souris River dealer in Eagle River, WI called Walkabout Paddle & Apparel. I see they're not listed as a dealer any longer. At one time, I thought there was also a dealer in Kansas City. They're not listed anymore either. "

The Kansas City Paddler was a dealer, but the owner passed away and the shop was closed. Too bad as the owner was a great guy and had an incredible canoe and kayak inventory.

SR has seemed to move to a factory direct model rather than sell through dealers. I dont know what if any restrictions they put on outfitter fleet purchases.

billconner: "SR has seemed to move to a factory direct model rather than sell through dealers. I dont know what if any restrictions they put on outfitter fleet purchases. "

That is what I am most curious about.

My understanding was that there was only one SR dealer in the US - Red Rock. The other two dealers mentioned actually had to buy their canoes from Red Rock.

Outfitters buy canoes directly from SR. They are able to sell their canoes used. I'm not aware of any special requirements for doing so, but there may be.

Can an outfitter sell a SR used for any period of time? Like maybe used for a 30 minute demo? I suspect but don't know that their agreement with SR might not allow that. I am pretty sure outfitters buy them for 30-40% below MSRP. When discussing buying a used Tranquility from Piragis with an outfitter, they were certain Piragis paid less for it than asking after a season - which as around 2/3 of new. Don't know how hard SR was trying to have a permanent place in the Piragis line-up with the Bell to Northstar gap.

I was curious, too, so I emailed Walkabout Paddle & Apparel in Eagle River, WI and inquired about their Souris River inventory. The answer was "YES" they still handle SR canoes.

Here is their response:
"Thank you for checking in with us. We do still carry Souris River, we carry the Quetico series. Currently we only have two 18.5ft Clear LeTigre in stock. We will be getting 16ft and 17ft back in stock in July. Please let us know if we can answer any questions you may have."

I'm pretty sure that nearly every boat Souris builds is already spoken for, so the direct sales model makes a lot of sense for them. Outfitters buy direct.

Every company we have bought rental boats from requires you to rent them for at least a year before selling, although it would probably be pretty hard to enforce the policy.

Quinn

Bearskin Lodge: "I'm pretty sure that nearly every boat Souris builds is already spoken for, so the direct sales model makes a lot of sense for them. Outfitters buy direct.

Every company we have bought rental boats from requires you to rent them for at least a year before selling, although it would probably be pretty hard to enforce the policy.

Quinn "

Thanks a lot for this post and others. It is always nice to learn a little more how certain operations function, and yes, I am a Souris River canoe fan. This is very informative and has been very cordial. I like that. The number of outfitters handling them has just exploded in the last decade it seems.

You would expect that, but see the Quetico government crews use them almost exclusively with being able to portage the canoe to the Quetico center.

Pinetree: "

Bearskin Lodge: "I'm pretty sure that nearly every boat Souris builds is already spoken for, so the direct sales model makes a lot of sense for them. Outfitters buy direct.

Every company we have bought rental boats from requires you to rent them for at least a year before selling, although it would probably be pretty hard to enforce the policy.

Quinn "

Thanks a lot for this post and others. It is always nice to learn a little more how certain operations function, and yes, I am a Souris River canoe fan. This is very informative and has been very cordial. I like that. The number of outfitters handling them has just exploded in the last decade it seems.

You would expect that, but see the Quetico government crews use them almost exclusively with being able to portage the canoe to the Quetico center."

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