Jeffrey Rawson and a group of close friends began enjoying the sport of recreational kayaking in the early 1990’s. He quickly developed a passion for the sport and kayaked all along the New England Coast and paddled many rivers throughout the Northeast. The plastic boat he was paddling was large and unresponsive. After a while he felt like he needed more, enhance the sport and take it to a new level.
After a few years of building kit boats , it was still more of the same. Determined, it would be necessary to desighn and build his own kayak. . His efforts resulted in the world’s first truly asymmetrical recreational touring kayak, the “Tangent”.

The cockpit has been moved forward to increase visibility. With forward cockpit location there is increased mechanical advantage of the rudder when steering forces are applied. Many of the current kayak designs today have lengthy water lines which push the water side to side, therefore making the rudder less effective. The need to raise and taper the after most portion of the kayak was imperative. The resulting effect of all these improvements provides greater control when running with the weather, and a less bouncy ride when driving against the weather. Overall, the kayaker gains a sense of absolute control at all points of operation with the stern remaining behind you avoiding the need for corrective back paddling.

Our approach and philosophy to our business is a bit different than most. We would like to customize to your needs. We would like to outfit our customers with the Tangent model that suits them best. We consider the size of the person, what kinds of water you are paddling in, and what level of experience and skill you have and then do our best to make sure you are purchasing in the right boat.

When shopping for your kayak, consider your needs. Are you looking for a kayak that is stable and easy to paddle? Are you looking for a kayak that offers excessive maneuverability and excitement? Are you looking to have a unique hull design that will catch the attention of all the other kayakers? The choices are always up to you we would love the opportunity to earn your business and outfit you with a Rawson Boat.R B I also stocks a complete line of accessories including "Werner" paddles.