Yar Craft Boat Company Acquired by Pierce Family
OutdoorHub 12.27.11
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 Craftisa functioning product line.Itall 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.
