Yar Craft sold to Bass Cat - press release

[Larson15]

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.

[TR21HP]

That can only benefit Yar Craft. Very few companies in the business have the kind of customer service or quality that Bass Cat provides. Great company with great people.

[gregg52]

i have to look into Bass cat never really heard of them

hope what you say is true

[Larson15]

Gregg, check out the bass cat boats owners board. I guess they are going to implement a Yar Craft owners board that will function the same way. There is alot of conversation over there now about this subject.

[gregg52]

i'll look that up

thanks

[Get'n Jiggy]

Bass Cat builds an AWESOME boat but they are spendy. Personally I think

they are a step above Ranger in hull design and at least on par for fit

and finish. This should be interesting.

[gregg52]

i think anybody in the market for a new boat this spring might want to read some of those post

i'm sure most are sick of me tooting my horn all the time but the proof is the puddin

i cant say much about this bass cat boat but it has been around for 40 yrs so i presuming they are doing something right

i wonder if this raises the value of my boat

[Raider4ever]

I read somewhere (In-Fisherman; BASS magazine; F&S; or somewhere, but not on the Interweby-thing) that the president of Bass Cat calls you up, asks you how the boat is and all that, and thanks you even if you buy a USED boat from a private party and they somehow find out about it. That be customer service.

I've seen a couple on "Watercraft-Trader" and they look like real nice rigs and came with some bells and whistles but WAYYYY too rich for Lil-Ol-Me. I think a couple of guys on the Bass forum run them.

[gregg52]

when guys say way to rich for me

they need to sit down and think about it

if you are buying from money you saved and are paying cash then i understand that statement

but i believe more bouts are bought by financing most are probably 3-5 yr deals on anything fairly new

now this is just my insite on this deal

if you can make a 300$ payment i'm thinking with alittle thinking you could make a 4-450$ payment for that short of time

fishing boats for most are a major purchase cuz if you are buying a boat you like to fish alot

and most unless you do tournaments will last you 20 yrs or so if taken care of so something i'm going to have that long i'd rather suffer for a couple yrs make a steeper payment have EXACTLY what I want and not be saying I SHOULDA done this or that

i know there are different ways to go about it buy cheap and work your way up etc etc

as i said its just my thought and thats what i did and actually i'm struggling big time right now but theres light at the end of the tunnel

and i will survive..lol

[hanson]

This is a really interesting "merger". Bass Cats are awesome boats... slide over to the bass forum and ask Dietz about his. Few other guys on the forum run them as well.

I'm imagining that the Yar-Craft brand is going to benefit from this in a huge way.

[Raider4ever]

when guys say way to rich for me

they need to sit down and think about it

if you are buying from money you saved and are paying cash then i understand that statement

but i believe more bouts are bought by financing most are probably 3-5 yr deals on anything fairly new

now this is just my insite on this deal

if you can make a 300$ payment i'm thinking with alittle thinking you could make a 4-450$ payment for that short of time

fishing boats for most are a major purchase cuz if you are buying a boat you like to fish alot

and most unless you do tournaments will last you 20 yrs or so if taken care of so something i'm going to have that long i'd rather suffer for a couple yrs make a steeper payment have EXACTLY what I want and not be saying I SHOULDA done this or that

i know there are different ways to go about it buy cheap and work your way up etc etc

as i said its just my thought and thats what i did and actually i'm struggling big time right now but theres light at the end of the tunnel

and i will survive..lol

Or, they are putting out $150.00/month for five years and got a frigging awesome boat.

[JohnMickish]

This should only help out YarCraft, and I really hope that the new owners take a hard look at the old graphics and change them. Nice boats but that Y stripe keeps me from owning one.

[gregg52]

ya i agree on the stripe

my boat isnt maybe the nicest lookin

[Get'n Jiggy]

i have to look into Bass cat never really heard of them

hope what you say is true

I've spent quite a bit of time in Mountain Home, wanted to retire there

but the wife ain't havin' it. Fished with a guy that had a Bass Cat Bay

boat. The guides like the bay style boats for striper fishing. The boat

was probably the smoothest riding boat I've ever been in. The Bass Cat

Company and their boats are considered top shelf around there. Flippin

is just a short distance from Mountain Home, most of the best fiberglass

fishing boats are made in the area.

[Larson15]

(Note from admin, please read forum policy before posting again, thank you)

[BCB]

First we don't want to violate any forum rules as a new member and we are going to say this as best we can trying not to. We now find ourselves surfing regularly on lots of the forums around walleye that we never had a reason to before. We are very familiar with the forum use and bass forums we pretty much have a solid hand in, sponsor, frequent, as well as comment on most. Including being first involved with most bass forums since their origination, some in the mid 90's. Though the walleye boards we just touched occasionally to see what was up.

Guess that's all changed now! Thanks for posting this on the Hot Spot Outdoors forum. We are very pleased to be a part of walleye angling and we look forward to many years of building walleye boats. We have started a lot of the same format we follow with our Bass Cat line and we have no intentions of sidelining the Yar-Craft brand. It will remain as a stand alone brand with a dedicated market. The brands will not be marketed together, unless dealers so choose that.

We just wanted to stop by and say Thank You for the kind words and express how pleased we are with the purchase of Yar-Craft. Corey and his team in Wausau are delivering the final boats this month in WI and we will began our first 186 TFX today in Mountain Home. They have made this transition as seamless as it can be and very smooth. The information on the things we are doing is readily available and we won't overuse our space here to blog about those details.

We do want to invite all the Yar-Craft owners to come on down to the Owners Invitational tournament on Lake Norfork, April 13 & 14, in Mountain Home. It is our 25th event for Bass Cat owners and we will be adding a walleye event for those Yar-Craft owners as well.

Again we are very excited and we look forward to the challenges and appreciate the warm conversation.

Rick Pierce

Challenger Inc.

Yar-Craft Boats

Bass Cat Boats BCB

[polarsusd81]

Hey Rick,

Any chance you guys will have a dealer here in Minnesota that has been carrying the Yar-Craft brand bring in some Bass Cats? Not having a Bass Cat dealer in Minnesota has been going on for far too long. I am not in the market for one at this point, but that new Margay looks to be a killer boat in the 17' market. Someday one of those will grace my garage. I have a feeling that with a dealer in Minnesota, there would be a lot bigger draw for them here. Others would likely say the same thing. After riding in Deitz's boat a few times, it is rather easy for me to say they are the best bass boat on the market. I hope we can expect to see the same amount of attention to detail and design carried through to the Yar-Craft brand as well. It will make a great walleye boat even better.

[gregg52]

Hi Rick

I own 2095DCX and love it as you can ask most any body on this forum they are well aware of that fact...lol

I actually picked my boat up at the factory and Dean showed me the process of building the boat....I liked the boats before that but was

really sold after seeing how strong they are,I have to say I had never heard of BassCat before the press release.Since I have heard nothing but good about your boats so I'm presuming and hoping Yar Craft remains the driest RIDE boat

I live up in the Brainerd lakes area and have been chasing the elusive

walleye longer than I care to admit and have always ran glass boats

again ask any body on here...lol Do you think you will have any new dealers up this way..you could use 1 any way IF you are looking for help promoting or selling boats up here let me know I 'm pretty good salesman especially in some thing I believe in I think from what I hear about these BasCats you could move a few of those up here Lots of Rangers up and lots of bass to..lol I suppose you know your market though

[BCB]

We are only a month into owning, moving and restarting the company. There are a total of about 15 semi loads to move 740 miles from Wausau that started the second week of December. We still have one 40' trailer load and about 5 flat bed loads to move to ARkansas. Pre Production of the boats to begin the training process started this week. There are three boats to be built for this. A 186 TFX, 2095 BTX, 209TFX and this will give the Arkansas crew hands on training on where to drill what hole and why. Building boat bodies is not a factor, where to put a widget and why is.

We still have dealership contacts to make as the holidays made that difficult. Plus it seems northern dealers get focused on other things besides boats when ice is looking at them soon.

Where the MN dealers status is we don't know yet, as we have several there. Ivan is headed to the Minneapolis show soon and he is meeting four present dealers there who are visiting. Our position is one to give a dealership some room to operate, and those conflicts have not been addressed yet.

As for the bass boats, there definitely will be some Yar-Craft dealers looking at the bass lines, just like Sherm (IN) and other Bass Cat dealers are looking at the Yar-Craft line to offer. Though we are a ways from that coming together with a plan.

All good things come in time and this will too.

Thanks,

Rick

[Larson15]

I own a 2011 BassCat Pantera II and traveled a few states away to make the purchase if that tells you anything. They have in my opinion the best and most innovative hull design and technology on the market and only use materials made in the USA. The resins that they use are much more expensive and superior to any other boat designers. As far as customer service is concerned, they lead the industry in that.

Another major benefit is the trailers. They manufacture there own trailers which are also a C channel design. Every other boat company buys trailers from one of the two major trailer builders. If BassCat was in the trailer building business they would own the market and anyone who has experienced owning them will say the same.

I posted pictures of mine on here a while back if anyone would like to look. Otherwise I can answer most questions about there boats.