A Conversation With… Riff McKay, founder of Riff’s Downriver

First things first: Tell me about the name Riff, which I’ve never heard before.

My name is actually Robert McKay, but I’ve been called Riff for a very long time. My initials are R.F., and I am officially R.F. McKay III. So my grandfather was Bob, my dad was Little Bob, and I was everything under the sun for a few years. Then my aunt started calling me “R.F.” and my sister turned that into “Riff,” and that stuck.

Cool, I like Riff—sounds like a boat ride somehow.

 Well, I enjoy it. It's unique enough that people remember it. And I don't run into a lot of people claiming to have my name, so that's good.

Well, Riff, tell me about your business and how long you've been doing it.

We're just starting our third year. Now, I'm a lifelong kayaker, okay? I love kayaking. To some people it's a sport, to others it's recreation. I don't care which you want to do, I've got boats—let's go! My goal here has been to provide the very best kayaks I can at the very best prices I can without starving to death. And I struggle to do that at $50 a day. I'm not cleaning house here, you know what I mean?

But I bought really high-quality kayaks and I stand by them, because for a lot of people, this is their introduction to what it's like to be on a river in a boat—in a kayak specifically. And I want them to know that not only is it comfortable, it's enjoyable. You're going to see the river in a way that you've never seen it before. You’re going to be right near water level. Eagles are going to be flying over your head. You can fish your way down if you want. If not, you're going to have fun anyway. So I put my heart and soul into this. I really love what I do, and I'm trying as hard as I can to give as many services to people as I can.

Well, I've looked at your website, and it looks great. You've got all different kinds of kayaks for people.

I do. And canoes as well. And I'm looking to branch out. I'm trying to get some investments going, because I want to move onto the lake more as well.

Are you from this area?

 No, I'm originally from Arizona. I married a girl from Arkansas and she wanted to live near her family. And, being a nice guy, I said, "Okay"—and then her family kept her!

So here I am doing the thing that I love in the way I want to do it. Everybody else in the business, they rent you the boat and then charge you for the ride back. If you went to the Buffalo River, which a lot of people do, they're going to charge you $60 for a boat and that much or more for the ride back. That's where they make their money—in the shuttle.

I give away the shuttle. If you rent the boat, you don't have to pay me for the shuttle. I'm coming to get you, I'll bring you back. Because I come at this from a kayaker's perspective: "You rented me the boat, you know I'm on a river, and it's only going one direction. What do you mean I have to pay you to come back? Aren't you coming to get your boats anyway? You're not going to just leave them laying there on the side of the river." 

Well, surely you add a just little bit extra….

No sir. Everything is included in the one price. And at that same price, people can keep the kayaks overnight. So if somebody wants to stay for the weekend, they call me up and say, "Hey, we're coming in Friday night. We want to float Saturday and Sunday. We'll be leaving Sunday afternoon."

Great. I'll charge you for Saturday and Sunday, and I'll deliver the boats Friday night. You can get up on your own Saturday morning and put the boats in the water yourself. At the end of the day, you call me and I'll come get you and take you back to where you're staying. Sunday morning, you put the boats back in the water and enjoy the day. Then call me, and I'll come get you and take you back to where you're staying—all at the same daily price.

I'm trying to open this market. Heber Springs is not kayaking central, but the Little Red is such a good river, and it's such a good place, and there are so many good people here. It's a service that this area needs. So that's what I'm trying to do.

What were you doing before you started this three years ago?

I'd been managing at Walmart in Paragould, and, honestly, I don't think I'm cut out for corporate life. I'm a very easygoing person. I came to Heber Springs specifically to start this business.

I used to come here to go fishing every summer and I would bring a kayak with me. The first time was probably 17, 18 years ago. One time I was launching a boat and the guy looks at me and goes, "What are doing?" "I'm going fishing," I said. And he said, “That's much too small a boat for this river."

And I said, "Sir, do you understand what a kayak is for? These boats are built specifically for rivers." It dawned on me then that this is an area with a river that doesn't know kayaking. Boy, somebody really ought to introduce kayaks here, I thought. A couple of people tried and they did it the same way everybody else does—it’s all about the money and not about the service. And it failed, unfortunately for them.

So, after toying with the idea for years and years, I sold my house and bought a bunch of boats, determined to do this from a customer's perspective. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'm doing it the right way. A lot of people tell me I'm ridiculously underpriced and they're mad at me for not being more expensive.

How many people do you have working with you?

It's primarily just me. I have a guy on the weekends, especially through the summer and over the 4th of July, when he's with me nearly 24 hours a day.

But most of the time it's just me. I have two vans, three trailers, 30-something boats. I have the capacity for very large groups. And when that happens, I’ve hired up to five people. I once had a group of 40 people come down from Batesville, and I was like, Well, we're going to need some help here.

The other thing is, all of my boats are capable for fishing. This is a great fishing river, and if somebody wants to fish, they're not going to be struggling—I made sure of that. Where do I put my tackle? How do I fix my line if I need to? That kind of thing. I put as much thought into this as possible. When I first started this, I contacted all of the boat manufacturers and I said, "Okay, send me as many demo boats as you can. I'm going to buy a bunch, but I'm going to test them all. And if you don't send me any boats, you're out." So I got 16 boats delivered to me for a test run. And every day for the next 16 days, I took a different boat down this river. 

Could you tell the difference in the boats pretty quickly?

Oh, absolutely. I’m a lifelong kayaker. I've done every major river you can think of—I paddled the Grand Canyon from start to finish. I love kayaking. Now I'm 55 years old and not in any shape to paddle the Grand Canyon again, but that was the ultimate experience, as good as it's ever going to get. Now I just enjoy being out there on the water.

Riff’s Downriver Kayak and Canoe Rentals is also a trusted partner for many of our corporate events at Morgan’s at the Little Red. Their team helps groups get out on the Little Red River for guided floats and group adventures—a great way to relax, connect, and see a different side of the area. Visit Riff’s website to learn more, or reach out to our team if you’d like to include an outing in your next retreat.

What do you look for in a kayak? Just the feel of it, the maneuverability?

 I do want it to be responsive. If you need to turn the boat, the boat needs to turn when you want it to. If there's a rock that appears to be coming at you—even though you're coming at it—you want to get out of the way. So the boat needs to respond.

But it also needs to be stable. And those two things generally fight against each other. Agility and stability generally don't mix well. A lot of fishing kayaks are very, very stable, but they have zero agility. It's like paddling a barge down a river. I'd be happier on a log.

So what I look for is something that gives me the best of both worlds, and that's what I ended up with. Something that responds when I want it to, but still gives me the stability. People can stand up in my boats and not tip over. Now, I'm not saying that people with no sense of balance can stand up in my boats. But I can stand up in my boats and, at 55 years old and not in the best shape of my life, I'm happy with that.

Besides the mechanical aspects of the boat, it has to be comfortable. If somebody's going to be sitting there for four to six hours, you don't want them getting out with their back hurting or their rear end hurting, or their knees sore. Or, after an hour or two on the water, they just couldn't find a comfortable way to sit. I want them to get out going, "Wow, that was great. I can't wait to come back."

So with all that in mind, I found the boats that I love, and they are fantastic boats, and I am loyal to them. Customers from Morgan’s at the Little Red have been in my boats, and they absolutely loved it. They had such a good time.

The way I'm doing things, I can respond to individual requests. I'm nimble. People sometimes ask for things that I hadn't thought of, and I say, “You know what, yeah, I can do that. Give me enough time to work on it and I'll make it happen.” And I enjoy that. I don't have this rigid structure around me that I have to go by. I don't have to worry about anybody else's version of how things should go. I don't have to worry about whether there's any nepotism involved. There is nepotism, of course—I’m taking care of myself. I am my favorite employee.

Good for you. So now that you live here, what do you think about Heber Springs?

I live here year-round, and I love Heber Springs. This has been such a joy—from the moment I got here and announced what I was doing, I’ve had nothing but support and people cheering me on. I love this community. The restaurants here—I walk into Cafe Klasar and it's, "Hey, Riff, how are you? We got a table for you right now." I go to Zeke and Lizzy's and it's the same thing. And I'm just a scruffy river rat—nobody special.

I think a lot of that has to do with the way I'm doing my business, because I'm not here just trying to rip off vacationers. They're getting a value for their money and probably more than they're paying. At the same time, I work hard and people see it. Throughout the summer, I’m running like a madman, sun-up to sundown, just trying to keep up.

But I am here every day of the year. Matter of fact, my last float of 2024 happened on December 29th. As long as people are willing to tolerate whatever weather's happening, I've got a boat for them. Now if it's storming, if there's lightning and that kind of thing, we're not going to put people on the river. I'm not risking anybody's safety. But barring that, yeah, you can float at Riff’s any day of the year.