Wilderness Systems Ride 135 Sit-on-Top Kayak

In the mid 80s, Andy Zimmerman and John Sheppard were busy building boats for themselves when they began attracting attention among their paddling buddies. The innovative composite whitewater kayaks were of keen interest to their friends and soon word of mouth turned a handful of boats built for themselves and friends into a budding enterprise. And so began Wilderness Systems®.

Over the next few years, the pair added touring boats and polyethylene recreational kayaks to the line, diversifying to keep pace with the growing sport. The company grew rapidly and in the late 90s, merged with Vermont's legendary Mad River Canoe®.

Today, as a Confluence Watersports® brand, Wilderness Systems continues to keep pace with the sport of kayaking and offers an eclectic line of kayaks specifically geared toward your next water sports adventure.