Peacock Choppa

This is what I found on the subject! A new brand of bass boats will be introduced Friday morning in Flippin, Ark., another site has learned. “Fifty years in the making... Centuries of custom boat building experience... And an unparalleled commitment to excellence. It’s all part of our deep-rooted legacy as we launch an all-new fishing boat brand in Flippin, Ark,” reads an invitation to the company’s unveiling, which is slated for 11 a.m. Friday at the Forrest L. Wood Outdoor Sports Gallery. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place afterward at the nearby Flippin Industrial Park, where the company’s manufacturing facility is presently under construction and is slated to be completed during the first quarter of 2018. The identity of the brand is being withheld until Friday's announcement, however, the leadership group behind the new company includes familiar names in the bass boat industry. Keith Daffron, the former vice president of sales at Ranger Boats and grandson of Ranger Boats founders Forrest and Nina Wood, will serve as president. Mendel Hughes, the former vice president of finance at Ranger, will be the chief financial officer. Both Daffron and Hughes, along with Randy Hopper, resigned from their executive positions at Ranger in November 2015, less than a year after Bass Pro Shops acquired Ranger, Triton and Stratos from Fishing Holdings, LLC. Read more: http://www.another site.com/docktalk_article/18801/new-boat-company-to-be-unveiled-friday#.WiSSvoWcE5s#ixzz50FLbloom

I know Anglers Marine in Anaheim. They did some work for me back in 2008. I had a prop issue and they helped me out. I was heading up to Stockton to fish the FLW tournament on the Delta.

Actually, you can buy a Champion hull and deck rebadged as Charger Bass Boat. Have a look at the website. They even use the striping scheme from the Champion line. Champs were one of my favorite hulls, a real great boat. True that, I Love Bass Fishing. I forgot all about Basscat

TThe cash crunch of '08 was still being felt at those companies. I forget the name of the private equity group that owned them before Fishing Holdings bought them. Historically, these types of private equities buy with only one purpose in mind. That purpose is to sell the group for a profit. They have little interest in manufacturing above the maintaining status qou.

White River Marine Group owns Ranger Boats. White River is Bass Pro Shops' marine arm. The sale was completed late 2014 and finalized in 2015.

Ranger sells more than the rest combined at this point. And the TX line of aluminum boats is a big seller. As a side note, I'm currently a Ranger owner. I'm sorry you feel I was ripping a company. I'm not. I wanted some discussion on the topic that is productive. So far, I'm seeing personal type replies that don't address what is happening in the bass boat industry. No haggle is fine when competition is healthy. That competition has been greatly reduced with consolidation and elimination of these brands. Consolidation is nothing new. In fact, to a large extent, consolidation back in the Genmar days is what got us to this point anyway. Lets look at Legend Boats, recently bought by BassPro/ White River Marine Group. A highly thought of bass boat and known for it's very high standard of quality. Do you really think that translates into the Nitro mantra? I agree with you Fishing Rhino. That was my point in my original comment. Why go thru all that pain as a company to figure that out in the end. Pheonix and Skeeter are licking their chops to make big inroads for market share.

Nope you guessed wrong, never worked in the boat industry. I run 25 Maaco Auto paint stores in the Southeast. It's not speculation my friend. Go try and shop a Stratos boat and see how far you get. If you think one company controlling all of your bass boat choices is good, then you may want to rethink that. No haggle pricing is what you have coming to a dealer near you with reduced choices in how you go fishing. Take a look at what happened to Procraft. Lowe is also out of production. Shuttered by Johnny. Alumicraft shut out at Cabelas. If you don't already know, BassPro owns Cabelas now. One of the most respected names in bass boats, Randy Hopper, left Ranger/White River Marine Group when asked to lay-off 300 employees by the bean counters. There was also the crossover parts usage that has the potential to tarnish Rangers' reputation that factored into the decision. Should be noted two other top execs resigned the same day. One a relative of Forrest L Wood. That should say something.

I have been trying to buy a new Stratos Boat and have been told no new orders are being taken. Only existing stock is available for sale. I was also told Triton will cease to exist next year. I figured BassPro would pull something like this after they acquired the companies. I feel they are under the impression people will purchase their Nitro brand if the competition is eliminated. Guess what, people buy Triton and Stratos for a reason. The reasons are usually A) They can't afford a Ranger B)They are faster than a Ranger C) They prefer the styling D) They do not want a Nitro due to poor finish quality and low resale value. Very bad move Mr. Johnny. For all your great business moves and the good you've done for the sport of bass fishing, this isn't one of them. Just sayin. This is great news for Pheonix, Skeeter and the up and coming Falcon brands. I know where my next boat purchase will be going and that's not to the mass produced schlock coming from a giant company that has bean counters making decisions that cost the good citizens of Murfreesboro their jobs.