For more than 20 years, BIG Adventures has been helping people get on the water and fall in love with paddlesports. It started with Liquidlogic Kayaks on the Green River in Saluda, North Carolina, and has grown into a family of brands, including Native Watercraft, Bonafide, and Hurricane Kayaks, each designed with care and built for adventure.
What sets BIG Adventures apart isn’t just their high-quality, American-made kayaks, it’s the people behind them. From hand-sewn seats to innovations like the Propel Pedal Drive, every product reflects their passion for kayaking and fishing. Rooted in Western North Carolina’s rivers, lakes, and mountains, they serve paddlers across the country and around the world.
In this OBA Member Spotlight, we chat with the team behind BIG Adventures about their journey, their commitment to craftsmanship, and the innovations and community that keep them at the forefront of the outdoor industry.
1. Tell us about BIG Adventures. What does the company do, and how did it get started in the world of paddlesports and kayak fishing?
Here is a brief history of BIG Adventures. BIG Adventures really traces its roots back to 2000 with the launch of our whitewater brand, Liquidlogic Kayaks on the banks of the Green River in Saluda, NC. Liquidlogic was started by and continues to be run by people with a passion for the sport. A few years later, in 2006, Legacy Paddlesports was formed in Greensboro and brought Native Watercraft fishing brand into the family. By 2012, we had moved our rotational molding operation here to Fletcher, North Carolina, which is still home for us today. Then in 2015, we joined forces with Hurricane Kayaks, our sister company known for high-performance, lightweight boats built in Eastern North Carolina, and that’s when BIG Adventures officially came together as a company. In 2019, we acquired Bonafide Kayaks, a brand that had quickly built a reputation in the premium fishing kayak market. That addition really helped round out the four brands that make up BIG Adventures today.
Today, we employ more than 60 people who share a passion for getting others on the water. What began as a regional manufacturer has grown into a company that supplies hundreds of dealers across the United States and distributors around the world.
Beyond manufacturing, we’re proud to serve our local community directly through the BIG Adventures Kayak and Fishing Store, located right here at our factory in Fletcher. Whether it’s a Liquidlogic kayak built for chasing whitewater, a Native Watercraft featuring our Propel Pedal Drive, a Bonafide fishing kayak designed for serious anglers, or a Hurricane lightweight recreational boat, everything we build is made to get people on the water and make them want to keep going back for more.
2. BIG Adventures designs and manufactures several well-known kayak and paddlesports brands. What sets your company apart in the outdoor industry?
What truly sets us apart is the combination of American manufacturing, passionate people, and a genuine obsession with building the best kayaks on the market. We design and manufacture our four distinct brands, each with its own loyal following, and all built right here in North Carolina.
We’re also privately owned and operated, which is becoming increasingly rare in the paddlesports industry. That independence means we answer to our customers and to our craft, not to outside investors or corporate mandates. It gives us the freedom to make decisions based on what’s best for the product and the paddler.
And we don’t just manufacture kayaks, we’re kayakers and anglers ourselves. We employ some of the most passionate paddlers and anglers in the industry, and that passion shows up in everything from how we engineer our products, how we support our dealers and how we serve customers in our factory store.
We even maintain a full in-house sewing team that hand-sews our seats and accessories. That level of craftsmanship and attention to detail is something you rarely find at most manufacturers today. It’s all part of our commitment to American-made quality and the pride we take in everything we build.
3. As a Western North Carolina–based company in a region known for its rivers and outdoor culture, how has being part of the Outdoor Business Alliance connected you to the local outdoor industry community?
Western North Carolina is genuinely one of the best places in the country to build an outdoor company. We’re surrounded by incredible rivers, lakes, mountains, and a community of people who live and breathe the outdoors. That environment doesn’t just inspire our products, it shapes our entire culture. And beyond the lifestyle, our location is also strategically advantageous. We’re well-positioned to distribute products efficiently to major East Coast population centers, and we can reach international shipping ports within a reasonable amount of time, which makes a real difference in how we serve our dealer network around the world.
Being part of the Outdoor Business Alliance has been a meaningful way to stay connected to that local ecosystem, and we have a deep appreciation for the work they’re doing to foster growth of the outdoor industry in our community. That kind of intentional investment makes a real difference. It makes a difference as it helps attract talented people to our area who want to live and work in a place where the outdoors is part of everyday life, it helps foster access to the outdoors for more people in our region, and it helps grow awareness for businesses like ours. When the outdoor industry thrives here, everyone benefits.
There’s a real sense of community among outdoor businesses in WNC, and the Alliance helps foster that. We’re proud to be rooted here and to be part of what makes this region such a special place for outdoor recreation and innovation.
4. Is there a recent product launch, innovation, or project at BIG Adventures that your team is especially proud of?
There are a couple of launches that just took place that our team is really excited about. On the Native Watercraft side, we just introduced the new Native Watercraft Hammer, which features our X-Range Propel Pedal Drive. We have done several iterations of our Propel Pedal Drive up to this point, but this was the first major update since its inception. That’s a big deal for us. The Propel Pedal Drive has long been one of our most defining innovations, and the X-Range represents a significant step forward in performance and functionality for kayak anglers. It’s the kind of update that our loyal Native customers have been eagerly anticipating, and we’re proud of what our engineering team delivered.
On the Bonafide side, we’re really excited about the new Bonafide XTR130. This boat is unique in that it bridges the gap between a small fishing boat and a kayak. It basically gives anglers the best of both of those worlds. The XTR130 makes it easy to add a motor or a second seat, which opens the kayak fishing experience to a whole new audience. Whether you’re a seasoned kayak angler looking to upgrade your setup or someone transitioning from a larger boat, the XTR130 meets you right where you are.
5. For entrepreneurs or innovators interested in getting started in the outdoor industry, especially in gear design or manufacturing, what advice would you give them?
ng to start a creative business in the outdoor industry?
Start with genuine passion for the activity you’re designing for. You cannot fake authenticity in this industry. Customers can tell immediately whether a product was designed by someone who actually uses it, or just someone trying to make a dollar. Our best products come from our own team and our pro team partners spending time on the water and identifying real problems that need real solutions.
Second, don’t underestimate the value of manufacturing locally. It’s harder and more expensive in the short term, but the quality control, responsiveness, and the pride that comes with it are worth it. We’ve made a commitment to building in America, and that’s not just a marketing message, it really is a daily operational choice that shapes everything we do.
And finally, build community around your brand early. Whether it’s through dealers, pro staff, or loyal customers, the outdoor industry runs on relationships. Find your people, listen to them, and design for them. That’s always been one of our north stars at BIG Adventures.
