HOU CANOES NAMED AS GLENMORE LODGE CANOE SPONSOR

HOU CANOES NAMED AS GLENMORE LODGE CANOE SPONSOR 

2ND FEBRUARY 2015: Glenmore Lodge is announcing today that Hou Canoes will be the official canoe sponsor of the Paddle Sport department, the new partnership will run from February 2015 – December 2017. 

Head of Paddle Sports at Glenmore Lodge, Dave Rossetter says: “I am delighted to announce that Hou Canoes are our new canoe partner. The brand represents excellent quality and they are manufacturing an first-rate range of open canoes. Using the latest technology and materials their boats offer exceptional durability and strength - which is perfect to meet with the requirements of the Glenmore Lodge canoe courses”. 

He continues: “Our stores are equipped with market leading equipment from a range of leading sponsors, having Hou Canoes on board will further reinforce that we have the highest quality kit for customers”. 

The new partnership will offer course participants the option to use the Hou range of canoes which include their three layer PE boats – Hou 13, 14, 15 and 16 models. Annually the boats will be replenished which presents course participants with continuous access to market leading boats. 

Glenmore Lodge instructional staff will have the opportunity to provide feedback on boat designs and features which will in turn influence future developments to the Hou Canoe range. The Hou series of boats arriving at Glenmore Lodge from March 2015 include: 

Hou 13

The Hou 13 is a lightweight solo canoe that also has the capacity to carry a small load. The shorter length and responsive handling  makes it one of the most fun canoes in the Hou range.  Hou14 The Hou 14 is an ideal canoe for solo or tandem paddling. It is the bigger brother to the Hou 13 and provides a faster straight line speed and a higher load capacity.  Hou 15 The Hou 15 is a great all-round canoe that is both efficient at paddling and load carrying. It is an ideal choice for weekend trips away.  Hou16 The Hou 16 is a fantastic all-round canoe with plenty of room for carrying all your gear for multi day adventures or for taking the kids out on family day trips.  General Manager of Hou Canoes, Justin Snell, says: ‘We are very happy to be working in partnership with Glenmore Lodge, we will be utilising the vast experience of the Lodge team to further improve all aspects of the brand as well as working to further promote both brands through the on-going program. Watch out for further Lodge related announcements very soon!".  Each year, Paddle Aport courses at Glenmore Lodge are growing in popularity and has seen the roll out of increasing numbers of skills and qualification courses.  To see the full range of 2015 Glenmore Lodge paddle sport courses visit www.glenmorelodge.org.uk and for further information on Hou Canoes visit www.houcanoes.com  For more information or to arrange ay interviews please contact Marketing and PR Manager, Lisa Anderson on 01479 861 256 or email lisa.anderson@glenmorelodge.org.uk  Notes to editors   Glenmore Lodge is Scotland's National Outdoor Training Centre and has an international reputation as a leader in the field of outdoor leadership training and assessment. They also offer a diverse programme of courses accessible to anyone wishing to learn the skills necessary to recreate safely in the outdoors.   Some of the UK's most experienced and highly qualified professionals provide coaching and instruction in rock and ice climbing, mountaineering, kayaking on river, sea and surf, open canoeing, mountain biking, orienteering and skiing.   The Lodge is based in the centre of the Cairngorms National Park - Britain's largest National Park.   The Lodge itself has a climbing wall, gym, kayak rolling pool, sauna, tutorial rooms, a lecture theatre, residential accommodation and bar.

Where have you been?

Hello!! It's been a while since we blogged here at hou, but there is solid reason for our radio silence. In the last few months we've gone from being a company in the wings to a company that's very much on the scene if not creating the scene! All 5 models are now in full production and available to purchase, we now have boats in stores from Devon to Dunfermline and

this is clearly taken quite a lot of our time in fact all of our time.
So how have the boats been received by you the paddling public? At hou our aim is to provide you with great boats at great prices and it seems that we are achieving. Our first production boats are the lightest 3 layer polyethylene boats available today. Due to the time proven great designs they are also the toughest and stiffest boats on the market today, we have managed to combine these two vital aspects with great build quality. To produce boats like this was always our aim but to finally see the product in store and more importantly being purchased and used has been a great milestone for everyone concerned.
The most important thing we should say in this article is a big thanks to everyone who has helped us along this journey, from the shops that have backed us as a new brand to the earlier adopters who have left positive messages of encouragement on forums. We look forward to meeting you on the water.
So not wishing to take our foot off the gas where will hou be going next? For sure there are more stores that we would like to see our products in but maybe more importantly is continued focus on what we're about which is making great boats. On going attention to quality control and material development is key and whilst some of the team focus on this there will be other work providing us with "mid season upgrades" just like formula 1!!!
Do not fear about buying a boat right away as these upgrades will be available to all! The last piece of news for now is our soon to be announced 'paddle test' team who will be tasked with three areas of work, product testing, brand promotion and most importantly of all, making us laugh!!!!
So that's all for now a big thanks to all our supporters, more news soon.

In The Beginning!!

Hello!! and here is the first blog from the Hou Canoe Crew!!!


Not sure where to start but so far its been a whirlwind of epic proportions. Since deciding that there is a ‘gap’ in the market for a ‘New Canoe’ company (that’s funny when you have read the history and about pages on our site!!) life has been a rollercoaster. As you can imagine its not as easy as you would like!! We are not ones for meetings here, we like to keep things simple. It’s a simple company ethos, make good boats, treat people as you would like to be treated yourself, then go paddling, or maybe surfing, or maybe fishing or maybe biking. That’s what we are about, good boats and good times. Simple as that. If this company ever gets big then please can you remind us of why we are in it!!


So why have we started?? There are only a small number of serious brand options available in the UK when buying a canoe. The majority of which are made by large foreign companies who just don’t care about you and your canoe. They can pretend to, but I bet you all the money I can scrape together that the big ‘fat cat’ bosses of these companies wouldn’t even know who you are, never mind care about you and your boat. It’s a massive one way street, your boat is important to you, you care, you care its built well, you care its not going to fall apart on you when you are out enjoying your life, you care when you strap it onto the roof of the car, you care about paying a fair price for it, BUT!! does the company who made it care about you??? So then for these companies, its all about the ‘bottom line’. How much money can they make? At hou Canoes, yes we need to make money, we have families to feed etc but our main aim is to provide boats that will enable people to enjoy themselves, get out there and have fun. Its why we get up in the morning………….


So if you like what we stand for then let us know, give us a like on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.


And sometime soon we will no doubt see you on the water……..


More soon from the Hou Canoe Crew!!