The ink might barely be dry on the contract, but the sale of Triton Boat Company to Brunswick Corp. (parent company of Mercury Marine) has the industry abuzz with speculation. And at this point, speculation is really all there is.



What is known, is that the sale impacts a number of parties. Competitive boat and motor manufacturers – and their dealers and OEM suppliers – will no doubt be affected, as will the pros who have endorsement contracts with the companies. BASS/ESPN will be impacted as well, since its exclusive boat and motor sponsors are now joined as one company. Also impacted will be BassFans, since they're the major portion of the bass boat and motor buying segment.

Another Addition

Brunswick has acquired a number of boat companies in recent years. Brunswick brands now include: Abermarle, Baja, Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Crestliner, Hatteras, Lowe, Lund, Maxum, Meridian, Palmetto, Princecraft, Sea Boss, Sea Pro, Sea Ray, Sealine and Trophy. Triton is the latest addition.

But it's a significant addition, since it's a major fiberglass bass-boat company. Its other freshwater fishing boat lines – Crestliner, Lowe, Lund and Princecraft – are aluminum builds.

(Editor's note: Brunswick purchased boat brands Lund, Lowe and Crestliner from Genmar Holdings Inc. in March 2004. Genmar currently owns fiberglass bass brands Ranger, Stratos and Champion.)

Sales Stop?

Triton Boats was formerly owned by Earl Bentz, who founded the company and also served as president. Bentz will stay on with Triton as president of the Triton division. In addition, Brunswick stated Bentz will be a Brunswick spokesman for fishing activities, dealer development and alignment and industry matters.

In an open letter, Bentz stated: "It is our plan to continue to provide you all brands of outboards that we have offered in the past. If history provides any guides, we may encounter some resistance from engine manufacturers. As long as these engine companies continue to sell to Triton, we will offer them to you, either through packages or pre-rigs."

If history is a guide, both Yamaha Motor Corp. and Bombardier Recreational Products U.S. Inc. (BRP) – which manufactures Evinrude/Johnson outboards – will soon discontinue sales to Triton. Both dropped sales to Sea Boss, Sea Pro and Palmetto in January of this year. Yamaha does not sell engines to Mercury's aluminum brands, and according to IBI Magazine, BRP will discontinue sales to Brunswick's aluminum brands starting June 30th.

It's assumed by most in the industry that both Yamaha and BRP will decline the invitation to sell to Triton. Honda and Suzuki could provide two alternatives, but it's not yet clear if either will be an option on Tritons.

According to a Brunswick spokesman, Mercury currently accounts for "70% to 75% of the engines on Triton boats." The spokesman also noted that such a high number should signify this wasn't an "engine play." Rather, "We (Brunswick) have a stated strategy of trying to have as many different types of boats as we can – filling in the white space is what we call it."

Industry sources estimate Yamaha sold about 800 to 1,000 motors to Triton last year. If Yamaha discontinues sales to Triton, that would free up those motors for other transoms. Who would hang those motors is uncertain, but count Genmar brands and perhaps BassCat as strong contenders for the extra supply.

Industry Reaction

BassFan spoke with two select competitors of Triton to gauge initial reactions.

BassCat is the last major bass-boat company to remain independent. Company president Rick Pierce said, "We're the last of the Mohicans right now. I see that as a positive in today's environment. I think whether (the purchase) is a positive for the industry is a matter of opinion. I don't think that's something we'd be able to comment on.

"They (Brunswick Boat Group) chose to be a part of a segment they weren't a part of. We deal with it with Yamaha and Skeeter, and there is no doubt there are subliminal challenges in there. I don't think that we'll see much difference eventually with this one either. We'll see subliminal challenges, but I will say that we have extremely strong relationships with Mercury going back through a time period that they owned ProCraft.

"We've always been able to continue those relationships, and we see no reason for that to change."

Genmar chairman and CEO Irwin Jacobs said, "I think it's business as usual, and I think we'll let their record stand for itself, and let ours stand for ours. They're going to have to walk the road of, how do they deal with the OEMs and how do they deal with their customers? They've got a tricky road to ride.

"It doesn't affect us in any way," he added. "There's plenty of competition in our industry. I don't believe that Mercury and/or Brunswick is going to be any more competitive than Earl Bentz was, as a competitor. As far as the record is concerned, we've grown our (business) with Earl Bentz there every single year, for I don't know how many years now. We continue to grow our market share and our company, so welcome to the party, so to speak."

BASS Sponsorship

Other possible ramifications come in the form of BASS sponsorship. Mercury and Triton are both premier sponsors of BASS – and the only boat and engine companies that sponsor BASS. Whether that played into the purchase decision, or what lies in store for BASS sponsorship, is not clear at this time.

One the one hand, sponsorship arrangements could remain status quo. Or, as some have speculated, boat-motor contingency prizes could work their way into BASS competition, much like the current FLW Outdoors model.

BASS GM Don Rucks said of the sale, "We too learned this week's news that Brunswick had acquired Triton Boats. We are very pleased to continue our excellent relationship with Earl Bentz and Brunswick Corporation Mercury Marine Division. Both Triton and Mercury are premier sponsors of BASS and share our vision to grow the sport."

Staff Shakeups

The sale, of course, affects the pros – particularly those who run Tritons powered by engines other than Mercury. Triton/Evinrude pro Davy Hite is one example.

BRP (Johnson/Evinrude) field staff coordinator Krista Heidgerken said, "The only two it affects are Steve Daniels and Davy Hite. It's too early to make a determination of how it will affect them."

BassFan spoke with Hite Tues., May 31 – the same day the sale was announced. "I just found out about it this morning," he said. "It affects me in a different way than a lot of other people – me running a Triton and Evinrude. You just never know what the future might hold. I've been through similar situations with sponsors before.

"Sometimes when things seem like they might be bad, it comes out to be a blessing. When OMC went bankrupt, I thought it was the worst thing that ever happened. It turned out to be a good thing, because Bombardier builds a better engine. So I've learned to just wait and see what happens."

Triton/Yamaha pro Dustin Wilks will also likely encounter a problem. "I haven't really thought about it," he said. "I always figured it was just a rumor, so I was kind of surprised. There will probably be some hard decisions to make down the road."

However, the news is largely good for current Triton/Mercury pros. Gary Klein said, "It's a major, major positive. I think it's really going to be good.

"Anytime Earl (Bentz) gets involved with something, he pushes it. He approaches business like we approach fishing – always pushing. I admire the man, and I think it's awesome."

Notable

> Current Triton/Yamaha pros, in addition to Wilks, include: Greg Hackney, Jay Kendrick and Frank Scalish. Hackney moved from Ranger to Triton this year.

> Guy Eaker runs a Triton powered by Honda.