vol-fisher Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 Breaking News Brunswick Sells Triton To Platinum Thursday, July 29, 2010 The pillars of bass fishing continue to shake with today's news that Brunswick Corp. sold its Triton Boats brand to Platinum Equity. Platinum, which acquired the Ranger, Stratos and Champion brands at the Genmar bankruptcy auction in January of this year, now possesses two of the "big four" bass-boat brands. The sale thus centralizes much of the current bass-tournament sponsorship under a single umbrella. While Ranger has traditionally underwritten FLW Outdoors circuits, Triton has traditionally underwritten BASS circuits. Prior to the Irwin Jacobs era of Ranger, the company as founded by Forrest Wood was closely aligned with BASS. Jacobs pulled Ranger away from involvement with BASS and industry experts now wait to see how the major Ranger and Triton sponsorships will shake out. What the sale means for the future of tour and league sponsorship is certainly unclear. And the picture is even cloudier given current rumors that BASS will be sold in the coming days or weeks. Sale Specifics Brunswick today issued a news release announcing the sale. The Triton brand was sold to Platinum subsidiary Fishing Holdings LLC. Production of Triton fiberglass boats will be moved from Ashland City, Tenn. to Flippin, Ark. That means Ranger, Stratos and Champion fiberglass boats will all be manufactured at the Ranger plant in Flippin. Lund fiberglass manufacturing will be moved to the Brunswick Boat Group's (BBG) Tellico fiberglass boat manufacturing facility in Vonore, Tenn., while Trophy fiberglass fishing boats will continue to be built in Ashland City through the remainder of the year as Brunswick "evaluates strategic alternatives for the brand." Additionally, Brunswick will continue to build and sell Triton aluminum boats at its Lebanon, Mo. facility under license. Brunswick's Mercury Marine unit will continue to supply motors to Triton and Fishing Holdings' other brands. There was no mention of exclusivity. There was no mention in the release of Triton founder and current president Earl Bentz. In the announcement, Brunswick chairman and CEO Dustan McCoy noted: "This decision was part of our ongoing strategic review to further refine our product portfolio and best focus our resources on those brands and marine segments that we believe are core to our success going forward. As such, Brunswick will maintain its leadership position in the recreational and fishing boat markets, with a strong presence in the freshwater and sportfishing segments as well as leading brands in the runabout/cruiser and yachts segments. “These decisions, while strategic in nature, are never easy or without difficult consequences.” McCoy added. "But they are nevertheless required by business realities, and are no reflection upon the dedication and expertise of the men and women at the Ashland City facility." Follow-up reporting forthcoming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charger Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 And now they own Triton! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 i don't know if one company owning all the names will help the everyday fisherman...they can basically charge what they want to now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charger Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 Well as long as there are people willing to spend 50 and 60 grand on a boat, the prices will not come down. I put my house under roof cheaper than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 unless i become a multi-millionaire (like Jim) i will never own a new one either..i probably got what i will have from now own.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fritobasser Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 Don't like the idea of one company owning so many brands either , but like Snoot said the one I own now will be the one I for quite a while because i will not pay the prices they want for a new one. Of course I won't pay the prices they want for a new car or truck either. the prices are insane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softbaitmaker Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 I have never had any use for Brunswick company to begin with. It is a BLOOD SUCKER Company and nothing more. They will buy up a great company that is in a little trouble and suck all the good blood they can get out of it and then throw it to the Wolves. They did the same thing to Harley-Davidson. Harley got in a small slump and Brunswick sucked the company up and road the great name till the buck began a slide because the quality of the bikes were dropping and epople that bought the Bikes the last couple years brunswick owned them they learned they bought JUNK. Brunswick began putting parts made in Japan,Taiwan, China, Mexico and every other third world company that would sell to them and people quit buying the Harleys. So after riding the HOGS for all the good BLOOD they had they made the decision to dump the company for dimes on the Dollar and the employees of Harley-Davidson put the money together and bought the company. Within a year they had began making Harleys the old fashion way with all American parts and with the PRIDE that Harley had always appreciated. All the employees are stock holders in the company so they all work for themselves and each other. My brother bought a Brunswick piece of junk not knowing till it was to late. He had to take it in for repairs and the dealer told him they would have to order the part from Taiwan and it would take about a month. My brother got the bike back and sold it the following day and bought a new American Harley. You can bet they pretty much did the same thing with Triton. They ahve done it with everything so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubejig Posted July 31, 2010 Report Share Posted July 31, 2010 Count me among those that feel boat prices are absurd. When the economy tanked as a result of higher fuel prices and real estate collapse, the boat builders started feeling the heat. Much like every other industry, banking, automobiles, etc. Used to be several brands of bass boats on the market. The smaller ones, even the ones that made good products, couldn't keep up with the demands put on them by the consumer. consumers in this market want all the bells and whistles and the big boat companies could ramp up and provide everything This added lots of value and value adds cost. The guy that was making a good bass boat but didn't package all the electronics, fancy trim, lush seats, fancy trailers etc. went out of business. folks don't want to just buy a good boat and motor, they want luxury and they want their brand splattered all over the pro circuit. for each boat company that has huge expenses associated with pro tournament trails, TV shows, slick magazine ads etc. their is a cost and that cost is passed on to the consumer at a much higher rate that means profits. It's the American way. to be in business making money. The higher priced boats demanded by the consumer are having trouble. When markets get in trouble only the strong survive. Hence we only have a few boat companies left. We the consumer drive the markets. I think you will see packages from manufacturers that will be lower in price. However we have been able to order boats with our own options for a long time, it just wasn't fed to you through advertising and marketing channels bcause the demand was not there. We can with a little effort, shop around and find 16-18 ft boats with 150 motors for 23000-26000. We have the 60,000 boats on our minds because we see them on TV and read about them in magazines. But it can be done. Look at the price of electronics, computerized trolling motors and dual axle trailers with fancy fiberlass sparkling trailers. Then price boats without all this stuff. Much better price. Triton, Ranger, Stratos, Champion were or are broke. The new company should breathe new life into these brands and will have to deal with the reccession. But because boats are considered luxery items the prices will always be aimed at the higher end buyer. I've seen more tin boats on the water the past couple years and these boats cost much less and you can add just about any option you want as fast or sslow as your personal finances allow. My boat is 11 years old and I hope to get a bunch more out of it. A little windy but thanks for allowing me to add my 2 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JIGSTICK Posted July 31, 2010 Report Share Posted July 31, 2010 I believe we are gonna see the Blazer, Bullet, Basscat, Pheonix boats come along real strong in the near future. Look at their average prices for what you get compared to the big 4 (stratos, skeeter, ranger, triton) and its obvious what's the bigger bang for the buck. Now if you have to replace seats say on a blazer, its gonna run you about 500-600 bucks. A bench seat for a skeeter is over 1000. Skeeter seats only last 3-5 years under normal conditions, now any average guy that gets a new skeeter will probably take it out for 10-15 years so he can afford the payments, that means 2 sets minimum of seats at 1000 bucks a pop! I know several friends with bullets that have had their boats for 5-7 years and their seats are still in great condition. It's like with shoes, you spend 100 bucks on nikes and can buy new balance for 60. The old saying of you get what you pay for can only go so far anymore. I have yet to see a bass boat I'd pay $55,000 for when I can go buy the same size boat that's faster, has more storage, and is cheaper to work on for $15,000 less. JMHO... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountainman Posted July 31, 2010 Report Share Posted July 31, 2010 It is rediculous what new boats/vehicles of any kind cost these days. I hate to see all these names under one owner because that cuts out competition. Just another step at eliminating the Free Market System. BTW, I'm with Snoot. Unless I get rich as El Stumpo, Ill never own another boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 31, 2010 Report Share Posted July 31, 2010 prices have gone way out of hand on everything on the market today...my first car was a 1973 SS Chevy Nova...special ordered.....454 ci...4 speed tranny..etc..$2700.00 direct from Detroit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basshunter360 Posted August 1, 2010 Report Share Posted August 1, 2010 Just get a crawdad and you have nothing to worry about... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountainman Posted August 1, 2010 Report Share Posted August 1, 2010 prices have gone way out of hand on everything on the market today...my first car was a 1973 SS Chevy Nova...special ordered.....454 ci...4 speed tranny..etc..$2700.00 direct from Detroit Bet you wish youd have hung onto that one. Shoot, Id like to have it, even if it was a durned old chevy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softbaitmaker Posted August 1, 2010 Report Share Posted August 1, 2010 I'm going to point fingers at a couple reasons for boat prices. B.A.S.S. F.L.W. and Manufacturers. The Two Pro Circuits Promoted the boats and the Anglers listened to them and the manufacturese put hooks in the noses of the anglers by offering that bonus money in alot of local events around the country. The Manufacturers baiting the anglers and many of them bit the hooks. As more and more anglers were chasing the bonus bucks and buying the boats the prices were going up and aup. I was probably one of the luckier ones that was able to get in on sponsor boat buys each year while on tour. I had Skeeters for years and most know I fish out of a Skeeter now but it is a 1998 and I won't be buying another one in my life. if anything major ever happens it will probably be my end to fishing from the front of a boat and I will be a back seater because I cannot afford a major fix on a motor unless it would be insurance related issue. I don't know how anyone can afford to pay 50 or 60 grand on a boat and another 30 to 40 grand on a newer tow vehicle and still be able to afford to have a home and fish. I do know this. I'm seeing alot more 2005 and older boats on the water these past few years and far less newer ones than I did back 5 years ago. I think anglers have decided to quit buying those 60 grand boats when they are already riding in a perfectly good boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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