Great River Outfitters is proud to present the exceptional line of sea kayaks manufactured by Valley Sea Kayaks of Nottingham, England. GRO began importing Valley Sea Kayaks in 1990 and has continued to be the exclusive US importer and distributor of Valley products and other fine accessories for the last 15 years.

Valley Sea Kayaks can be purchased in the United States only at specialty kayak retail stores. We sell Valley kayaks through our authorized dealers only. Our dealer link will assist you in finding an exclusive dealer in your area. If there is not a dealer in your proximity, we will assist you with your purchase. You can also find our accessories in many fine kayak stores across the country.

GRO Heritage

Great River Outfitters was founded by Stan and Ema Chladek in 1972 as a sea kayak company and retailer in the Detroit, Michigan area. Their lifelong interest in kayaking began more than forty years ago when they were gold medalists in C2 mixed team paddling at the 1965 ICK Whitewater World Championships in Austria. Stan and Ema are also the original organizers of what has become an annual event, the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium.

Stan Chladek and Frank Goodman, the founder of Valley Sea Kayaks have been friends and paddling companions for many years and have paddled together on several worldwide expeditions. Goodman is one of the world’s best known kayak designers and originally began his kayak design career in order to create a sea kayak, fully outfitted for his expeditions.

Stan and Ema retired from Great River Outfitters in 2004 and GRO was sold and relocated to Rhode Island. GRO will continue to be the exclusive importer and distributor of Valley Sea Kayaks and accessories and the GRO retail division is now operated by The Kayak Centre of Rhode Island.

Great River Outfitters
One Phillips Street, North Kingstown, RI 02852
[tel] 401.667.2670
[fax] 401.667.2680
info@grokayaks.com

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