Smaller boat companies come and go?

[mansueto]

I'm still newer to all things boating. This question is posed to those of you that have seen a lot of names, a lot of models over the years. I'd really be interested to hear your insights.<br /><br />Have there been a lot of boat companies which have come and gone over the years, with some actually recalled only by those who own them? Have there been a lot of smaller companies over time who have gotten into boat manufacturing, only to go out of existance a few short years later, and leave not enough of a mark on the industry to have their name recalled by more than just a handful of folks only 20, 30, 40 years later? <br /><br />I have a Duratech 16' runabout. I'm not so concerned to find others who know this company...but I'm interested to know if there are other boat brands you've seen over the years perhaps just once, and thought "wow, another brand 'X' boat!" <br /><br />Thanks.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Smaller boat companies come and go?

I would say there have been Atleast Hundreds,... <br />Probably Thousands of Boat Manufacturers who have Come,........<br />And Gone..........

 

[b.gagnon]

Re: Smaller boat companies come and go?

It's sad but true!

 

[brownies]

Re: Smaller boat companies come and go?

I have recently found a 99 Zuma Trollwater and a 95 Stealth.<br />Both are all out bass boat designs.<br />And, These two boats may be the only Zuma and Stealth in existence....lol.

 

[KCook]

Re: Smaller boat companies come and go?

I would say the rate at which brands die off has slowed over the last decade. The new brands that have sprung up do show promise. Examples: Azure (Bennington), Everglades, NauticStar, Palmetto, Pioneer, and Southport.<br /><br />Kelly Cook

 

[cart7]

Re: Smaller boat companies come and go?

New brands seem to pop up when the boating biz starts showing signs of upturns. If the economy shuts down, so do many of those upstart boat building companies. It's cyclical. Many get into it to make a fast buck building less than stellar boats of questionable quality, others are sincere but don't build a big enough customer base to last a recession.

 

[KRS]

Re: Smaller boat companies come and go?

I own one, an Ebko Marine from '87 !

 

[Solittle]

Re: Smaller boat companies come and go?

Part of the reason for this is the way boats are made. The established manufacturers will have a number of design engineers who design the lull. The design is then used to create a plug which can take thousands of hours to do right. Then the mold must be manufactured from the plug which is then used to "make" the hull.<br /><br />The underfunded guys skip much of that by taking an existing hull and making a mold from it bypassing the design & mold process. Because they are underfunded the actual manufacturing of the boats themselves are often made to a low level of quality. Here in south Florida they were called "Hialeah Specials" and often turned out in small warehouses in industrial areas. When one guy bellied up the mold was often sold to another guy who was also underfunded and the cycle goes on.

 

[cart7]

Re: Smaller boat companies come and go?

Originally posted by SoLittle:<br /> Part of the reason for this is the way boats are made. The established manufacturers will have a number of design engineers who design the lull. The design is then used to create a plug which can take thousands of hours to do right. Then the mold must be manufactured from the plug which is then used to "make" the hull.<br /><br />The underfunded guys skip much of that by taking an existing hull and making a mold from it bypassing the design & mold process. Because they are underfunded the actual manufacturing of the boats themselves are often made to a low level of quality. Here in south Florida they were called "Hialeah Specials" and often turned out in small warehouses in industrial areas. When one guy bellied up the mold was often sold to another guy who was also underfunded and the cycle goes on.

That's also known as "Splashing" a hull. It used to be more common, especially in the Bass boat building business. Not too much anymore.

 

[Talleyman]

Smaller boat companies come and go - Hydra Boat Works!

Smaller boat companies come and go - Hydra Boat Works!

My 24' pontoon boat was made by Hydra Boat Works in 1995 - the first and last year of the company's existance! Luckily, with a pontoon boat of that time period, everything was standard, and I was able to restore the whole thing with new furniture, fittings etc. from other sources.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Smaller boat companies come and go?

I think part of the problem with the smaller companies is that they never get the exposure or create a large enough dealer network. Selling boats isn't like selling cars. A person will often own dozens of cars in their lifetime, where as the average person might only buy one or two new boats, and usually, those two boats tend to be very different. So repeat customers aren't there in most cases.
Think about how many boats you've owned, then think about how many you would buy again brand new, exactly like the one you had before. There's always something better or faster out there to upgrade too. Too often manufacturers simply don't cover the whole range of boat styles and types and quite often the next boat bought simply isn't offered by the same brand or is out of their price range.
All too often I've watch guys upgrade from a really nice smaller boat to a lesser brand larger boat just to gain size, but then find or realize the lack of quality after it's all too late. At that point they are stuck with the larger boat or simply can't afford to buy new.
Although I would venture to guess that most of us here, at least a third of us own multiple boats of various types, it's not the norm among the new boat buying crowd.

I've never bought a new boat, probably never will since my preference in boats seems to be somewhere around the mid 60's or so or even older.

From what I've seen, the entry level boat has gone from a well built machine as it was 40+ years ago to often a bare bones cheaply built boat with lots of trim and gadgets to make it sell.

I'm starting to notice that most of the used boats I find in decent shape are over 40 years old, most of them from later dates are well worn rotted or just so poorly built they aren't anything I'd even want to fix up.
I think MFG is a good example of such boats, the early all glass hulls of the 60's have survived yet the later wood laden models of the 70's have long since rotted away.

Only time will tell how the newest boats will hold up to time and the neglect that many owners seem to expose them too.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Smaller boat companies come and go?

2 year old thread.

 

[Hitech]

Re: Smaller boat companies come and go?

Have there been a lot of boat companies which have come and gone over the years, with some actually recalled only by those who own them?

I have one of those. It's a 1975 California. I haven't run into anyone that has ever heard of them. I only have because I own one.