Santa Cruz Kayaks was founded in 2009 by Jim Martin, an avid fisherman and craftsman. The idea for creating this state of the art fishing kayak was spurred by a down economy and the desire to create jobs within the community.

The Raptor’s prototype, christened "Lady Slipper" , was crafted out of strip planked cedar in the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains. After five months under construction , it was ready to be launched at the Santa Cruz Harbor. Another year of design modifications ( adding a Torqeedo elec. motor ) and the Lady Slipper became the sleek, cutting-edge Raptor – a fast, stable kayak that someone with little to no experience can feel comfortable in. Our goal was to create the best fishing kayak ever made. We are confident you will feel we have succeded.



The Founder

Jim is a Remodeling Contractor and has been fishing and diving the California coastal waters since 1975. Spearfishing, abalone diving or just exploring the underwater world. In 1999 I bought an Ocean Kayak Scrambler to use as a dive vehicle. Soon after I started getting into kayak fishing. I’m proud to be a part of this growing sector of fishermen.