Our Story:
Joe Matuska received his first kayak paddle and boat in 1973 as a graduation gift. After swimming several times during his first outing with them, he came home with a broken paddle and a broken boat. Figuring that someone with a degree in Medical Microbiology should be able to fix a broken paddle and boat, he went to work on them. In 1991, Aqua-Bound was born in Surrey, British, Columbia manufacturing paddles for whitewater, touring and recreational kayaking and canoeing. Aqua-Bound quickly became the number one producer of plastic-bladed kayak paddles as they were the first to introduce gas-assist molded paddle blades to the industry. This technology made durable paddles at lighter weights possible. Joe spent a large amount of his time working the phones and growing his business by providing excellent customer service.
In 2008, Branches LLC purchased Aqua-Bound Technologies from Joe and his partners and moved the company to Osceola, WI USA. The paddles are still built here with the same passion for extraordinary quality and service.
"To me, Aqua-Bound represents the freedom to go anywhere and explore new places in nature."
Tomasz Furmanek, ProStaffer and avid sea kayaker
Our Core Values:
Elevate the Experience
As paddling enthusiasts, we design our product based on our own research and we build it to better the sports we love.
Personify Midwest Integrity
Personal service is what motivates us to come to work every day. Our goal is to provide the best service in the entire outdoor industry.
Master our Machine
We develop and maintain seamless business priorities while responding with agility and accuracy to ensure we can consistently meet your needs and expectations.
Lean Forward
We are constantly innovating new product and working to improve our day-to-day tasks. This means we embrace new ideas as well as prioritize thinking like an artist and working like a scientist.