|
Clavey River Equipment is
named after Clavey Falls, a Class IV rapid on the Wild and Scenic
Tuolumne River in California. The rapid was formed by the Clavey River,
a tributary of the Tuolumne, depositing huge granite boulders in the
main channel.
Years ago Outdoor
Adventures, a river company operating in the Western U.S., founded
Clavey Equipment in hopes of providing a reliable source for quality
river equipment. Clavey opened its doors 1983 selling Avon Riverboats in
San Rafael, CA. Over the next 10 years the business moved a couple of
times and ended up in Point Reyes Station, California a small coastal
town north of San Francisco. Longtime river guide Jeff Kellogg began
managing Clavey in 1989. Meanwhile, right up the street from Clavey,
another longtime river guide, Tom Meckfessel, was spending allot of time
and money down at the Clavey warehouse. In 1994 Jeff decided that he
wanted to buy the business from Outdoor Adventures. Realizing that if he
made the commitment alone he would have little time to spend on the
river he asked Tom if he would like to join him in purchasing the
business. Tom, having little or no business experience himself, said yes
and the new Clavey River Equipment was born. Jeff and Tom moved Clavey
?over the hill? to Petaluma, a small town better known for its restored
victorian homes and chicken hatcheries. For the last seven years the
business has grown and we now have a new location ?downtown? on the main
drag. Because of our great location in regards to ocean paddling we have
began carrying a full line of recreational and touring kayaks. While the
business has grown over the years we still are a small, service
oriented, operation. In fact, if you ever give us a call it will most
likely be Jeff or Tom answering on the other end of the line. We pride
ourselves in building custom raft packages for customers and with over
45 years of combined river experience we know how to gear a boat.
Jeff Kellogg - grew up in
California and lives in Inverness, a small coastal town on Tomales Bay.
He has been guiding rivers throughout the West for over 20 years and
still occasionally works as a professional raft guide and drift boat
fishing guide. He lives with his wife Ann and their 6 year old daughter
Raini. Jeff spends much of his free time on the bay in a kayak, on the
river or riding his mountain bike.
Tom Meckfessel - also
grew up in California and lives in Point Reyes Station (right next to
Inverness). He has been guiding rivers in the West and Alaska for over
20 years and still makes it up to the Noatak to guide a trip now and
then. Tom lives with his wife Elizabeth and their two daughters, Emma,
11 and Isabelle, 8. He spends his free time (not much) searching for the
perfect left break on the beaches of the Point Reyes National Seashore.
Clavey River Equipment |