Does anyone know what happened to ACK Austin Kayak?

[<MIKE>]

Their website redirects to The House. I love ACK and have bought all my kayaks from them. Sad to see them go.

[mi327]

I found a little bit more info on a Texas Kayak fishing site at http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/f...p?f=1&t=254353.

From the little bit of digging I did it looks like Austin Kayak merged with another sporting goods store called Summit Sports in 2016, as of the end of this year Summit Sports went out of business closed down all of it's locations including Austin Kayak. By the looks of the new site it redirects to they didn't keep any of the brands Austin Kayak sold just some no--name brands. Most likely the remaining assets were kept by the holding company that financed the merger, and probably owns the site.

I haven't ordered from them in a while since they couple times I needed a part for my Propel 10 (I originally ordered it from Austin Kayak) they were out of stock, It was nice to have another option.

[mike o]

I also heard they were bought out by summit and most people weren't that fond of them anyway. Too bad they went out of business. I recently got a part from Mariners sail I don't know much about them but they they do carry some Hobie stuff. Delaware paddle sports will ship stuff also.

[kuljc]

wow that's sad. i've purchased a lot from austin canoe and kayak.

[mjfishnut]

I just checked austinkayak.com and it redirects to the house website and the page says...

Austin Kayak may have closed it's doors...
but The House is here to pick up where they left off as your online dealer for outdoor gear!
Great Savings - Better Selection - Same Great Service
Austin Kayak customers Save 20% on thier first order*
Use code: AK2TKZ20 at checkout

I haven't explored the website yet to see if they have the selection as ACK did.

[<MIKE>]

Thanks everyone for the info! I never knew they merged with Summit Sports. I'm guessing that was the beginning of the end for them. I will support local kayak dealers moving forward. Most likely Delaware Paddle Sports.

[J.A. Veil]

There are a lot of pluses to supporting your local dealers. Many of them are struggling to get newly ordered kayaks and gear from the manufacturers. But is does not hurt to check with them to see if they have things in stock that you need. This afternoon, I drove to Annapolis Canoe and Kayak looking for a Scotty rod holder base. They had the part I wanted in stock, and I did not pay any shipping. Their price was comparable to most online vendors too. Not all dealers will have the items you want, but some of them may be able to help you out.

[YakMonkey]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1516...9353918309020/

[dsaavedra]

I found this article that goes into detail about what happened to ACK: https://paddlingmag.com/paddling-bus...-kayak-closed/

Seems like an unfortunate chain of events and its sad to see them go, they were certainly the go-to online kayak fishing store.

[gtrfan]

Seeing how they… [removed, keep it to fishing]

[Big Mike]

The great thing about this site is the lack of political discourse. There are plenty of places for you to provide non fishing commentary. As I’ve said before on here, the only left or right opinion is which side you like the reel handle on.

[Mark]

Dave,

Thanks for posting the article. Interesting.

It sounds like a heavy cash flow for prepaid inventory, their decision to subsidize kayak shipping costs, and an inopportune merger with another company doomed ACK.

Perhaps the Messana brothers will rise again. They know how to succeed in the kayak market and also how to fail. No doubt, they will do better next time if they try.

ACK was a good supplier for the hobby.

I had only positive experiences with them.