13th March 2025
Viking Kayaks: From Resilience to Growth – The Journey So Far
In January of 2022, the devastating tragedy of the Viking Kayaks Matamata factory fire struck. Destroying the factory, most kayak moulds, tools and equipment that manufactured and distributed the Viking Kayaks we all know and love. The disruption caused by the incident lead to the partnership of Galloway Group and Viking Kayaks New Zealand, to replace and repair the damaged moulds, and moulding of the kayak hulls for Viking.
After 7 months, Viking Kayaks NZ was sold to Galloway Group to take Viking Kayaks to new heights. While this journey had its rough roads with setting up a new factory location, replacing and upgrading moulds, and optimising our production – not to mention keeping up with the fantastic customers, orders and support from all of you! We then rolled into 2023…
2023: Laying The Foundations
2023 we added a brand-new kayak oven for manufacturing to the plant and welcomed Tevita who has been manufacturing Viking Kayaks for 8 years into the moulding and fit out crew up in Auckland. This was a challenging year for the team, but we persevered in making progress in every facet of Viking Kayaks.
2024: The Year of Transformation
2024, a year of growth. Bringing our new marine development expert Pedro on board, an avid kayak fisherman and Viking fan himself, is already making waves in the market. Tevita leading manufacturing and the office crew running behind the scenes has led us to the years triumphs.
Viking Kayaks Pro Team
Binging an all-new Pro Team on board, this team represents what it means to #BeAViking. All being extremely talented fishermen, long-time customers and fans of Viking, and a real part of the New Zealand kayak fishing community. They will be out there at fishing comps, posting their adventures online and providing insights and feedback on products and potential developments in the future.
Product Excellence
The first half of 2024 was dedicated to the trials of a new, revolutionary resin from our world-leading suppliers in quality, innovation and development of rotational moulding materials. Rigorous testing saw this material undergo assessment for raw material weights of each and every model, moulding process performance, scratch and dent tests (aka dropping hulls from a height) all of which outperformed the pre-existing material that had been used since 2018. Leading to the release of the below models with updated weights in September 2024:
- Viking 2+1: From: 30kg To: 27kg
- Profish GT: From: 26kg To: 25kg
- Profish 400: From: 27kg To: 25kg
- Profish Reload: From: 31kg To: 27kg
Expanding Manufacturing
In order to increase our New Zealand based manufacturing capacity for our large and Profish range of kayaks (2+1, Tempo 2, Profish GT, 400 and Reload), to meet demand and to keep the quality consistent for all models at the high standards we hold here at Viking Kayaks; we have made the move to outsource the manufacture of our small kayaks (Lagoon, Ozzie, Nemo, Espri) to Thailand, using our very own moulds, our new raw material and same fittings. As of April 2025, these kayaks will be available.
Viking Kayaks Website
We went live with our brand-new Viking Kayaks New Zealand website, making this new platform the central hub of all things Viking Kayaks, a place where you can find out info on all our products, locate your nearest dealer, browse news and how-tos, and order from our full catalogue of products within NZ! (Psst… keep an eye out for the AU/Global site coming soon)
Looking Ahead: Committed to Growth and Innovation
Our commitment to forward movement, positive change, and investment in future proofing our products and the brand of Viking Kayaks at the end of the day, is for you. We want to provide our customers with a product that is as functional, high quality, and safe as can be, whether you are getting the family out on the water at the bach, Exploring New Horizons with your mates, or hauling in your dream 20lb snapper while out kayak fishing in our back yard. Viking Kayaks are your go-to expertly designed and purpose-built kayaking platform.
Watch this space for further developments and news in the world of Viking Kayaks this year! If you have any queries, or require more information, get in touch with the Team. We appreciate feedback and are always here to help! Drop us a line via email admin@vikingkayaks.co.nz Please note: we endeavour to respond to all enquiries within 2 business days.
Explore New Horizons and #BeAViking!
Viking Kayaks New Zealand
