Fans of the Evinrude and Johnson brands of outboards should know that these motors are once again in production. In fact, Canadian company Bombardier -- which now owns these brands -- just signed a deal with Triton Boats, and already has a new pro staff.
The first Evinrude and Johnson motors rolled off Bombardier's new Sturtevant, Wisc. production line in October, and in December the company signed 11 pros to its Evinrude pro team: Denny Brauer, Chad Brauer, Steve Daniel, Dion Hibdon, Guido Hibdon, Davy Hite, Larry Nixon, Carl Svebek III, David Walker, and walleye pros Chris Gilman and Eric Olson. No word on whether a Johnson pro team is forthcoming.
"I'm honored to be a part of this Team," Nixon said. "In my 25 years in this sport, I've never had an introduction to a company like this. These people are serious about this -- both tournament fishing and building engines. I'm thrilled to be a part of so much energy and passion. It's incredibly refreshing."
With the exception of Hite, who runs a Triton, all of these bass pros run boat brands manufactured by Genmar: Ranger and, in Nixon's case, Stratos. It's assumed that this is due to Bombardier's sponsorship of FLW Outdoors.
"For Bombardier, FLW Outdoors represents the future of fishing nationwide because these events serve and support professional and amateur anglers," said Robin Michael, PR manager for Bombardier. "Their grassroots approach to tournament fishing also directly targets Evinrude/Johnson core users. That's why we chose it to be one of our primary sponsorships."
New Triton Agreement
Last Monday (Jan. 21), Evinrude announced that it signed a long-term supply agreement with Triton Boats to provide Evinrude and Johnson outboards engines to power Triton's bass and offshore boat lines.
Triton president Earl Bentz said that Evinrude and Johnson "are household names that we need in this business to keep the industry moving forward, both technologically and competitively. Bombardier has a number of very talented people at the head of Evinrude and Johnson, many we have known and trusted for years. With their abilities and the Bombardier wherewithal, we expect once again to see great things out of these two brands."
He added that "Bombardier holds the same high standards as we do, and that's the kind of industry partner we can build a future with."
Bombardier, a huge company with $16.1 billion (Canadian) in revenues last year, already has agreements to supply Evinrude and Johnson outboards for Genmar boat brands.
