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December 12, 2011
Press release announcing sale of Yar Craft Boats to Bass Cat Boats parent corp.
Yar Craft boat company acquired by Pierce family.
December 8, 2011 the Pierce and Suthers families entered into an agreement for sale of Yar Craft to the Pierce family, of Bass Cat Boats.
Bass Cat now in its 40th year of ownership and operation by the Pierce family. Yar Craft is a walleye boat with a heritage of over 40 years in the marine business. Yar Craft was acquired in 2004 by Corey Suthers and Norlen Inc. As Norlen grew with it’s Tomcor business arm, they sought to reduce their marine arm, making room for it’s core business structure. Yar Craft will be an independent line, with production alongside Bass Cat Boats, and manufactured in Mountain Home, AR.
The Suthers family was in search of a long term company that could assure longevity to the Yar Craft brand, securing the future of what they had built. Yar Craft has undergone extensive retooling and development in the recent years, bringing the product line up and continually innovation of the brand. Bass Cat intends to only further that progress. As they will integrate proprietary processes Bass Cat has developed for their line into the Yar Craft brand.
From Rick Pierce: Yar Craft is an exciting move for us! We were looking at Yar Craft about four years ago with Corey, and the timing was just not right for us then. We are much more prepared now to bring Yar Craft past where Corey and his team have the brand. He, Dean and Paul have all done a wonderful job to this point building a walleye platform. We hope we can continue to do as well as they have done.
On how this occurred: “This all came together pretty quick, I was eating dinner with an marine industry friend in Louisville, KY last October. I was explaining how we just finished reviewing the data on the walleye market were intent on entering the market, developing our own brand. After we finished dinner I retrieved my e-mails and there was a memo from Corey wondering if we were interested in revisiting a Bass Cat purchase of Yar Craft. It was really a no thought decision this time, especially considering Yar Craft is a functioning product line. It all came together very fast. Plus we just finished looking at the viability of the walleye market in depth”
It is important to those on both sides that the heritage and image of Yar Craft. Thus Corey and Dean Nathe are involved for at least two years from start of boat production in the process of shows, meetings and production. This is not sell and good bye relationship. Both parties are interested in the mutual success of Yar Craft as a brand.
Corey Suthers on the sale of Yar Craft to the Pierce’s:
We are very excited for the Yar-Craft name to be associated with the Pierce family and Bass Cat Boats. I am a proud person today knowing that Yar-Craft is moving to a family owned business. I purchased Yar-Craft in 2004; I owned 2 Yar-Craft boats prior to purchasing the company. I said then that if small boat companies all go away the large companies will never listen to the customer, they will build what they want and the customer will suffer in the long run. That still holds true today, the small dealerships stayed strong and the big box store dealerships suffered and some went under. Quality and service will always beat price in the long run. Bass Cat has proven that after being in business for over forty years and winning 5 consecutive JD Power awards. I know that our dealers and customers alike will be taken care of as well or better then we could. The move will also be a great asset for Bass Cat, allot of dealers in the past wanted a bass and walleye line from one company so some went to other manufacturers instead of Yar-Craft. Now they will have it all. I will miss seeing these boats built in Wausau but we were able to keep most of our employees and move them to different areas of our parent company, Norlen Inc…
The Pierce family plans to extend the same level of customer service to the Yar Craft brand that its Bass Cat owners experience with service endorsed by the five (5) consecutive JD Power and Associates awards for Best in Customer Service for Fiberglass Bass Boats. Things like the Owners Board and Owners Invitational will be extended to the Yar Craft owners for their participation in the event on April 13 & 14, 2012.
As the company integrates the service, owner’s board and more it should be a very bright future for Yar Craft, Yar Craft dealers and its boat owners.
Challenger Inc. is the parent company of Bass Cat Boats and Challenger Products. It was incorporated on in April 5th of 1971, by Ron and Jan Pierce in Mountain Home, Arkansas. The intent was to manufacture bass boats and the Pierce family is now in its 40th (fortieth) year of building Bass Cat for the fishing industry, as one of the oldest consistent family traditions in the marine industry.
Norlen Inc. is a third generation metal stamping and cutting company started in 1964 at it’s present location in Schofield, WI, and descendent Corey Suthers is President. Their subsidiary Tomcor is a premier powder coating facility in Wisconsin, located in Wausau.
For more information on Norlen Inc. contact 715-359-0506. For more information on Tomcor contact 715-849-4135.
For further information on Yar Craft, Bass Cat or Challenger Inc. contact:
Gary Gould, Gould Design Associates at 501-835-7180 (email: [email protected])
CONGRATULATIONS BCB !
I have seen several requests over the years for BCB to get into the Walleye Boat market. What a way to break in! Congratulations BCB!
I might have to buy your Puma now
Congrats on the new boat line. Growth in this market speaks volumes as to the past & future success of Bass Cat.Godspeed on your new adventures.
Congrats BCB.Up here in Minnesota I see a lot of Yar-Crafts and they are very well made boat. The owners are much like BCB owners and I think this is a great combination.Goodluck
Wow, you guys kept that under wraps well. Had to be killing you when folks here kept on asking why doesnt BCB get into Walleye boats and you resisted to even hint at this deal was in the works. Congratulations and good luck in this new exciting venture.
Congrats BCB. I grew up about 2 miles from Norlen. Good to hear not alot of job losses. Good luck with the new brand. I know walleye boats are alot more popular up north than bass boats so should be a good asset for your company.
YES, YES, YES and YESSSSSSSSS! Great move here guys. I am so fricken excited about this. I could pee myself. Soooo looking forward to what you guys do here.Maaaaan, I JUST got this Puma. Now I might have to put it up for sale to buy a Yar-Craft. My wife is going to kill me…Chris, you got my email Last edited by richstadler on December 13th, 2011, 1:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
shelby86 wrote: Congrats BCB. I grew up about 2 miles from Norlen. Good to hear not alot of job losses. Good luck with the new brand. I know walleye boats are alot more popular up north than bass boats so should be a good asset for your company.Per press release above: Yar Craft will be an independent line, with production alongside Bass Cat Boats, and manufactured in Mountain Home, AR.Good luck Rick! Im sure youve done your homework and see it as a profitable move for BCB!
I can see a lot of lake trout, salmon fisherman on northern Champlain, Lake George etc. as a market too. I posted on a forum I belong to over there about the purchase. No dealers around here I could find though.
Congrats to BCB and the Pierce Family. I am a fairly new Yar-Craft owner. I worked directly with Dean last spring/summer to specify my new rig which is a 2012 219TFX with a 250 Pro XS and the folks at the facility in Wausau were fantastic to work with. Corey and Dean and their crew have really done an outstanding job putting together a great big water boat. I took delivery o my boat at the end of August and I could not be happier with my rig! From what I have been reading and hearing from others I know in the business about the Bass Cat family I am excited to become part of this group. I am looking forward to getting more info from the guys at BCB as this transition settles in. I am guide and tournament fisherman in Green Bay WI. I also am the Secretary for the Sheboygan Walleye Club along with having professional affiliations with Lowrance on Pro Staff and Mercury as a Pro Team member. I want to let Rick Pierce and the folks at Bass Cat know that I am here to help support the boat and the brand to the best of my ability here in the North East Wisconsin Area. I look forward to a long term relationship with the Yar-Craft and Bass Cat boats. Here are more specs on the rig Dean and I set up.219TFX250 Pro XS9.9 Pro KickerMinkotta EM 101Minkotta Terova 101 with I-PilotLowrance HDS7 on the bowLowrance HDS10 at the helmLowrance LSS Structure scanTraxstech Rod Holders (10) , Vertical Bird Trees, and Downrigger mountsA pair of Big Jon Pro Tournament down riggers Capt. Robert ClausFinFanatic Charters920-360-2904finfanaticcharters@yahoo.comwww.finfanatic.netFinFanatic Charters920-360-2904www.finfanatic.net
Here are a couple pictures of my 219TFX…… FinFanatic Charters920-360-2904www.finfanatic.net
FinFinatic, Thank You for placing images of your 219 TFX here. The guys will now know some of what their brand is getting into. The BCB Family is rather passionate about their brand and that seems to be the case with the Yar Craft brand as well. BCB has not really used the parent Corp. name since the production of other items, though now we are trying to figure out how to answer the phone as this changes. Man we have to get so much done to give Yar-Craft owners the same level of customer service BCB owners receive. Give us some time and we will get this all done! Things are coming together nicely!
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