Client Spotlight: River Elf Kayaks

River Elf Kayaks was started by two brothers with a passion for white water kayaking. 

In the 80’s, Chris and Trevor Soileau went to summer camp in middle Tennessee and were introduced to paddling.  Soon, they were white water racing.  Through the 90’s and early 2000’s, both brothers competed in racing C-1 and C-2 competition slalom boats.  Chris ended up taking a job in Virginia, while Trevor kept competing. 

Trevor was invited to help with the design of a whitewater course for ASCI (Adventure Sports Center International) in Deep Creek, MD.  He was involved with correcting the deadly Cypress Creek low-head dam by the Florence water treatment plant a couple of years ago.

In 2006-07, Chris and Trevor trained in Atlanta for a bid for the Olympics.  From this experience, family brought them back home where they started River Elf.

During their years of racing, they began designing and building boats. 

With their background, it was a perfect fit and they started building composite kayaks.  Composite boats are much tougher than people think.  The chief advantage that composites have over plastic boats is weight. Composite boats generally weigh 50% less than a similar boat built using polyethylene plastic. This benefit helps the boat accelerate quicker and achieve higher speeds. 

They are the first company to focus on composite boats for the individual river runner. 

When they first started designing boats, a friend allowed them to operate out of a small barn converted to a shop.  Soon, they out grew that space and looked for a more functional manufacturing space.  They discovered the Shoals Business Incubator and it was a perfect fit. Now they can have stations set up to streamline their operations. 

The company has expanded to offer kayak accessories such as custom skirts and are looking to add new boats to their lineup.  We are expecting great things in the future from River Elf.