3 Top Ranger Execs Resign

[gulfcaptain]

Why is eveyone mad at BPS.......if Ranger was doing so great why did they sell?  If the bean counters at BPS looked at the profit margin and didn't see the right numbers why wouldn't you want to go in and take care of business to keep the company and the name alive?  And if you were one of the three that were going to be looked at and have to explain why the numbers aren't where they need to be then maybe they new that it was time to retire.  

[FloridaFishinFool]

Ranger did not sell them self. Not possible when Ranger did not own Ranger. An investment company Platinum Equity bought Ranger's parent owner Fishing Holdings LLC under bankruptcy restructuring in 2010.

What I am about to write is purely my opinion based on a little bit of research I did looking into this situation and is merely my take on things based on information found online in various places.

I did some checking in and around the local area of Flippin, Arkansas from news outlets to forum discussions and from what I can gather is that back in 2010 Ranger was bankrupt and allowed to restructure and the three men who resigned were at the head of the restructuring plan and bringing Ranger out of bankruptcy and back into a growing profitable company.

I suspect that Mendel Hughes, Vice President of Finance, was the go between man overseeing all the details of the recovery on behalf of the investment company who purchased Fishing Holdings.

When Platinum Equity bought Fishing Holdings, they had to provide a substantial financial boost to the company as well as provide critical financial restructuring information and planning. So I suspect that Mendel Hughes was the man more or less operating as overseer and implementer of the restructuring plan for Ranger.

But, the company was apparently sold out from under them to Bass Pro by their parent holding company wanting to get their investment back and then some.

And this is where things made a turn for the worse it would seem.

From what I was reading online, when Bass Pro closed the deal to purchase Ranger from the parent holding company, Bass Pro sent a team to meet with these Ranger executives to go over facts and figures and for Bass Pro to sort of lay the new law down to the Ranger executives. But, Bass Pro CEO Johnny Morris did not go to this meeting. He sent underlings instead. Underlings who probably were not in a position to negotiate with the Ranger executives.

One thing that is interesting to note in this deal is that Johnny Morris said even though Bass Pro is outright purchasing Ranger, there are no plans to sell Ranger through Bass Pro:

" Bass Pro Shops and Tracker to help strengthen the Ranger brand and your business. At the same time we respect the need to maintain independence and brand integrity, and in that regard, we have no plans to sell Fishing Holdings brands (Ranger, Triton, Stratos) through Bass Pro Shops stores"

Apparently before Bass Pro purchased Ranger's owner Fishing Holdings there was some manufacturing overlapping between Ranger, Triton and Stratos, and now that Bass Pro owns Ranger Johnny Morris says he intends to break this situation up and move Triton and Stratos manufacturing elsewhere.

There is alot we don't know yet and may never know, but one thing is clear is that when the meeting of Ranger and Bass Pro came to a close, those 3 top Ranger executives resigned immediately causing Johnny Morris to hop on a plane and rush out there to meet with these men probably to try and persuade them to not resign.

In my opinion if this deal was all that important to Johnny Morris he should have been at that meeting where he probably could have mitigated the circumstances of their resignations in person before hand, not after the fact. Instead Johnny Morris sent a team out there to meet with Ranger to probably lay the law down to them that for one they were no longer in charge- technically. And, that possibly the lower profit margin Ranger was surviving with may not have been enough to satisfy Bass Pro who more than likely wanted to see the profit margin increase which meant some cost cutting somewhere within Ranger, maybe fire off some employees, trim some fat, use thinner metal in the boats, or you know, cut corners every way possible while keeping prices up there even though Johnny Morris said he would not tamper with the quality of Ranger boats, I have my doubts...

Those 3 executives I think resigned because Bass Pro was basically telling them they don't run things any more, and their mission to save Ranger from bankruptcy since 2010 was no longer 100% up to them and that Bass Pro and their "experts" would be actively involved now in guiding Ranger to an increased profit margin doing things those 3 executives probably could not live with.

Just take a look at some of the Bass Pro-Johnny Morris statements issued:

" We plan to align significant additional resources to further strengthen product offerings and dealer and customer support."

We, as in Bass Pro PLAN to ALIGN SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES to further strengthen product offerings. That right there says Bass Pro is stepping in and all but taking over Ranger. And for some men use to running it their way at least since taking it over in bankruptcy back in 2010, it is clear their reign is over. No longer in charge. Time to go. Staying means doing as told by Bass Pro and Johnny Morris.

" We will maintain separate new product development teams to ensure unique, differentiated product offerings.

We, as in Bass Pro will maintain SEPARATE new product development teams! As in Bass Pro will now have their own ideas to run through Ranger Boats whether they want it or not, or like it or not. Bass Pro will use Ranger manufacturing to make products developed by Bass Pro's separate product development team. Ranger is not to remain as independent as Johnny Morris says in his public statement. He sounds like he may be contradicting himself somewhat with double talk.

If you were use to running Ranger would you want some outside company ordering you to do this as told? Jump through some hoops for Bass Pro Ranger executives! Everyone out there at Ranger better snap too when told to! New things coming your way so get ready...

I can see why those 3 top dogs resigned at the close of the meeting. And based on what I am reading they resigned immediately after the meeting was concluded, but in the real world you can bet those men decided while in the meeting to resign. They knew their day was done before that meeting was over!

" To be clear, when we invested in Fishing Holdings one of our primary motivations was investing in the opportunity to work alongside you, the absolute best fishing boat dealers in the world. We remain steadfast in this commitment."

To be clear, this is not really all that clear! Johnny Morris is saying they purchased more than Ranger. They purchased either all of nearly all of Fishing Holdings and EVERYTHING they owned! So now Bass Pro owns Triton outright too, and Stratos. And Johnny is now planning on moving manufacturing of Triton and Stratos somewhere else so that Ranger can now only build Ranger boats and not be involved in the manufacturing of all 3 of them. What is up with this? I wish we could get more info on this. What is Johnny Morris up to? Could he be breaking up these companies so he can grow them as independents and maybe one day sell off one or more for some big bucks if he is successful? Surely breaking up manufacturing is not going to be cheap for him to do. So there has to be some other motivation I'm just not seeing or getting now.

I seriously doubt if Johnny Morris was simply investing to "work alongside you" as he says. I am not buying that for one second. This is more of a power move to literally corner a market. It is a shrewd power move that Bass Pro can easily afford right now. And a move like this will make boats CHEAPER for Bass Pro rather than selling someone else's product, it is now their product and they have eliminated competition and middle men and taken the whole ball of wax for themself. A smart business move that would make John D. Rockefeller proud that Johnny Morris was following his business advice that "competition is a sin."

So now Johnny Morris is going to merge Tracker Marine Group and his new ownership of Fishing Holdings (Ranger, Triton, and Stratos) into one new business called  White River Marine Group.

I'll leave it here for now. I think it is pretty clear at least to myself why these 3 men resigned after meeting with Bass Pro acquisition team. They had their company sold out from under them and literally taken away from them plain and simple, and now Johnny Morris is in charge lock, stock, and barrel and they simply did not want to go back to just being an employee told what to do and when to do it among other things in this deal they probably could not live with.

And it is also just as clear that Johnny Morris is doing a power play and creating his own monopoly as well as increasing his profit take from owning it all and controlling it all.

What is now clear to me is that the 3 men who resigned, they controlled Ranger as a company, but they did not control who owned them. These men could live with being in charge while having an investment company own them, but when Johnny Morris and Bass Pro bought Ranger from their owner and parent company, these men could no longer live with having their company sold out from under them and then taken away from them by Johnny Morris and his acquisition team.

And I think it probably angered them that Johnny Morris himself did not attend the meeting in person and this may have contributed to their decisions to resign.

For Johnny Morris to hop on a plane and run out there after they resigned was too little too late in my opinion. Johnny Morris should have had enough respect for them to make a personal appearance at the takeover meeting and try and smooth things out rather than send a hired team to lay out terms in a play hard ball fashion. Not a smooth move on Johnny Morris' part which is why his public press release sounded more like damage control more than anything else.

In conclusion I will throw in another piece I got some info from that goes back to the purchase deal in 2010:

Platinum Equity To Sell Fishing Boat Business To Bass Pro Group

Press Release · December 11, 2014

Manufacturing

LOS ANGELES, CA (December 11, 2014) – Platinum Equity today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to sell  Fishing Holdings, LLC, the Flippin, Arkansas-based manufacturer of the Ranger Boats, Stratos and Triton fishing boat brands, to Bass Pro Group, LLC. 

The pending transaction is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Platinum Equity acquired Ranger Boats and Stratos as part of a larger portfolio of boat brands in February 2010 from Genmar Holdings, Inc., through a transaction conducted under Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.  Triton was acquired from Brunswick in July 2010. 

“Nearly five years ago we pledged to provide the resources and support necessary to help the company grow and evolve, while respecting the heritage and deep roots in fishing that make it so special,” said Platinum Equity Partner Louis Samson, who led the acquisitions in 2010.  “We achieved our goals and I am very proud of all that has been accomplished during our stewardship.”

In addition to the add-on acquisition of Triton, Platinum Equity worked with the Fishing Holdings management team to execute a series of other growth and operational improvement programs, including: the development and launch of a line of aluminum boats that involved developing a completely new manufacturing site from the ground up; continued introduction of innovative new products across all brands and segments; strengthening of dealer relationships; and numerous improvements in manufacturing capabilities and overall operational efficiency.

Mr. Samson credited Fishing Holdings President Randy Hopper and the hard work of Fishing Holdings employees as the key driver of the company’s success.

“Randy is an exceptional leader, with a very talented executive team supported by a tremendous group of dedicated employees throughout the entire organization,” said Mr. Samson. “The business will be in very good hands going forward.”

Mr. Hopper expressed excitement about the future as part of the Bass Pro Shops family.

“We’re very fortunate to be partnering with an organization with so much understanding of the industry and our brands,” said Mr. Hopper.  “This new alliance will provide synergies that will strengthen our independent dealer base and ensure our continued focus on fishing.”

“Nearly five years ago we pledged to provide the resources and support necessary to help the company grow and evolve, while respecting the heritage and deep roots in fishing that make it so special,” said Platinum Equity Partner Louis Samson, who led the acquisitions in 2010. “We achieved our goals and I am very proud of all that has been accomplished during our stewardship.” 

In addition to generating operational benefits, the transaction will provide further enhanced services and products to better support Fishing Holdings’ existing dealer network and large base of customers worldwide.

Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO Johnny Morris said, “We’re excited about the association with these iconic brands. Ranger Boats founder Forrest Wood has been a longtime friend and someone who has made a tremendous impact on our industry. We look forward to building on such a rich history.” 

According to Mr. Morris, after the transaction closes Fishing Holdings’ portfolio will continue to operate from its Flippin, Arkansas headquarters under the leadership of existing local management which boasts more than four decades of experience.  He said the new partnership not only joins some of the industry’s most respected brands, but also provides greater stability and growth opportunities for Fishing Holdings’ independent dealer base. 

“The business will continue to be operated independently by the same management team that has led it for many years,” added Mr. Morris.  “Our goal is to provide the products and services necessary to fuel our collective growth.” 

Fishing Holdings was advised by Harris Williams & Co. in connection with the transaction. Latham & Watkins acted as deal counsel.

About Platinum Equity

Founded by Tom Gores in 1995, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with more than $7 billion in assets under management and a portfolio of operating companies that generated approximately $15 billion in revenue in 2013.  Platinum Equity specializes in mergers, acquisitions and operations – a trademarked strategy the firm calls M&A&O®  – acquiring and operating companies in a broad range of business markets, including manufacturing, information technology, telecommunications, transportation and logistics, media, equipment rental, metals and other industries. Over the past 19 years Platinum Equity has completed more than 150 acquisitions.

About Fishing Holdings, LLC

Fishing Holdings LLC, headquartered in Flippin, Ark., is the nation’s premier manufacturer of fiberglass and aluminum fishing boats, including the legendary Ranger Boats brand, as well as the Stratos and Triton boat brands.  More details, product information and specific offerings can be found by visiting www.rangerboats.com, www.stratosboats.com and www.tritonboats.com.

--------------------------------------

"According to Mr. Morris, after the transaction closes Fishing Holdings’ portfolio will continue to operate from its Flippin, Arkansas headquarters under the leadership of existing local management which boasts more than four decades of experience."

Yeah right. That 4 decades of experience and local leadership is now gone... any wonder why??? I don't.

[FloridaFishinFool]

I'm gonna throw this out there for what it is worth if anything...

Take a look at Randy Hopper for a second. This man literally grew up working for Ranger starting out sweeping up moving up through manufacturing to engineering and into management before being hand picked by the founder of Ranger Forrest L. Wood to be the company's CEO.

The man spent his entire adult life working for Ranger- some 45 years or so.

If you were in his shoes and now CEO of Ranger, and for 5 years- 2010 to 2014 taking full control of the company trying to bring it back from bankruptcy to a profitable solvent company. 

Do you think it was a possible goal of his- a personal goal- to restore this company he gave his life to and to maybe, just maybe possibly even bring Ranger as a company to the point where they could own themselves again? Wouldn't this be the icing on his cake and 45 plus years at Ranger to be the man who saved the company? It would be a legacy completed! And now it is not possible any longer.

This type of thing was possible when you are owned by a bunch of investors who simply want profit and nothing else and have no real control over making boats or ulterior motives to corner markets, etc.

But when a man like Johnny Morris steps in with his Bass Pro Shops, and his Tracker Boats in the mix, and he has the cash to buy your company out from under you like he did, if any of us were in Randy Hopper's shoes wouldn't it now seem like it was no longer possible to save the company to stand on its own?

In my opinion it is very possible that when Bass Pro purchased Fishing Holdings who owned Ranger that this ended any hopes a man like Randy Hopper might of had to recover his company and be the man who put that company back on its feet and on its own. His is now a legacy stolen from him. Maybe even a dream that died when Bass Pro bought it all.

Johnny Morris and his Bass Pro Shops may have ended Randy's ambitions to recover and restore Ranger Boats for himself and his legacy, for his employees, and for Forrest Wood. Its over for him. Time to move on.

This is just a theory of mine... but if I were in those shoes I have to wonder if I would have been thinking along these same lines... oh well. Just a thought anyways...

------------------------------

And think about Mendel Hughes for a second. This man was Vice President of Finance for Ranger. Just WHO do you think was giving it his all to turn around Ranger financially from bankruptcy?

If finance was your specialty and you made it your mission to try and save Ranger with a possible idea of buying back and owning Ranger now solvent and standing on its own again, would that not be a success for your specialty knowledge and efforts?

But when a company like Bass Pro steps in and buys it out from under you and sends in an acquisition team laying down the law, isn't it clear when a financial officer like Mendel Hughes immediately resigns indicates his services are no longer needed. His specialty finance knowledge is no longer running the show?

His resignation based on his position and what Ranger was going through tells me Bass Pro and their experts took it over.

What happened to Ranger is like Walt Disney buying Wet N' Wild. Bass Pro is huge compared to Ranger. Johnny Morris and Bass Pro are not going to invest in a company and then let local leadership run it in the ground. Bass Pro is going to take a leadership role over all they own and it is clear these men and their personal and professional mission at Ranger ended in that meeting with Bass Pro acquisition team. Simple as that as I see it.

And I would bet you Bass Pro had these executives sign non-disclosure agreements that prevents them from speaking about this in public. Bass Pro and their lawyers would want to keep the inner secrets of this deal secret and out of the public eye.

[K_Mac]

This thread keeps coming back! Floridafishinfool I can't help respecting your compassion for the men who resigned their positions. For the employees of Ranger the success of the company is what's important. For the executives who left, that is simply the way business works. These men had  great careers with Ranger. Now they can find something else to do. 

It will be interesting to see what happens with Ranger. I wish Morris and Ranger well.

[tomustang]

Funny to think the execs that were there before the bankruptcy were able to turn profit. They went under, a firm purchased them and they cut the fat. 

 

Fish Holdings and Platinum Equity fixed rangers problem incorporating other brands and business models. Johnny Morris just bought the refined product. I don't feel bad because some ranger big wigs quit.

[Redlinerobert]

I just want to order a new Z522.  Somebody halp!

[Al Wolbach]

I worked a BPS and I don't want to come across as a disgruntled employee, because I'm not, I enjoyed working there for a few years. The pay sucked but the discount was good. The BPS business plan, from an employee perspective, is raise prices/lower wages/cut hours. They have no concern/compassion for any employee. They fire managers faster than they can be trained so they call Kmart and hire another, as well as Sam's Club or Walmart. The employee turn over, after the first year or two of operation, is absolutely staggering. When I shop at the store where I worked I recognize no one and I've only been gone a couple of years, literally no one.

If Johnny Morris treats the Ranger employees the same way as he treats the BPS employees, you do not want to buy a Ranger boat two years from now.  The employees that are currently building the boats will be gone and a recent high school grad will be laying the keel of their new boats, and for minimum wage. I'm not an economics major, but apparently the easiest way to reduce overhead, therefore increase profit, is reduce wages/cut hours or eliminate higher paid employees. In some way, reduce payroll.

I hope Johnny Morris's management team does not manage their production plants the way they do retail sales stores. If they do Ranger is in trouble approximately two years down the road. JMHO.

 

 

 

[AQUA VELVA]

All of this mental anguish is a moot point. The companies will always do what what they feel is in their best interests and the rest of us will live with the results. Life goes on ,guys. As for the big shots that resigned, don't shed too many tears. I'm sure their golden parachutes made for a cushy landing.

[scrutch]

I was recently at Johnny Morris' Dogwood Canyon Resort in Missouri.  While there I asked (purely out of curiosity) if the employees had ever met Johnny and what they thought of him.  Without exception everyone gave similar answers.  They all LOVED him and spoke very highly of him.  They all said that he comes across as just a regular joe, They said that Johnny was very easy to talk to and nobody had a negative word to say about him.  I was doing my best to "read" into the responses to see if they were giving me canned, politically correct answers.  I never detected anything of the sort.

[Motoboss]

While investigating the disappearance of Ranger Boats on the fishing circuits and through google search came across this thread. @FloridaFishingFool’s layout of the apparent facts was fantastic.

 

Now these many years later we know the real intent behind the accusation of Ranger Boats by Bass Pro Shop group, to kill off the competition. I owned a superb 2003 17ft Ranger, now gone and it was the best fiberglass bass boat I have ever owned. It’s sad to see such a demise befall such a previous giant in the industry.

 

Thanks to those who posted here and the great accusation of information.

[rangerjockey]

3 hours ago, Motoboss said:

While investigating the disappearance of Ranger Boats on the fishing circuits and through google search came across this thread. @FloridaFishingFool’s layout of the apparent facts was fantastic.

 

Now these many years later we know the real intent behind the accusation of Ranger Boats by Bass Pro Shop group, to kill off the competition. I owned a superb 2003 17ft Ranger, now gone and it was the best fiberglass bass boat I have ever owned. It’s sad to see such a demise befall such a previous giant in the industry.

 

Thanks to those who posted here and the great accusation of information.

If the idea was to kill off the brand, they haven't done a very good job of it. Same with Triton.

I think the trouble was that every guide, every wanna be guide and "pro" was on staff.

When white river took over, they trimmed the fat and a lot of guys ended up without a discount.

Around here it looks like Caymus has taken over that role and has some guides in their boats.

 I've had a Ranger and would buy another. Currently I have a Triton and the boat has been flawless but let's face it they all can have issues. If I got a crazy idea to buy a new boat tomorrow .... Probably another Champion. The reason ol' Johnny bought Ranger was because it was for sale

[Woody B]

This thread was started almost 7 years ago.  Has the sky fell yet?   

 

 

 

[volzfan59]

On 8/28/2022 at 4:49 PM, rangerjockey said:

The

On 8/28/2022 at 5:32 PM, Woody B said:

This thread was started almost 7 years ago.  Has the sky fell yet?   

 

 

 

The resson ol' Johnny bought Ranger was because it was for sale

That's exactly right, you can't buy what wasn't offered up as "For Sale". And nope, the sky hasn't fallen, seriously doubt that it will.

[Motoboss]

Oh, I’m not saying Ranger wasn’t for sale and the original intent probably wasn’t to kill off the brand, but basically  it happened.
At least to the degree that they are irrelevant in sales and competition while relying on the “name” for sales with little media or on site exposure.

 

Family has a Champion franchise so that would be my next boat, but never had any issue with my Ranger.

[Cbump]

1 hour ago, Motoboss said:

Oh, I’m not saying Ranger wasn’t for sale and the original intent probably wasn’t to kill off the brand, but basically  it happened.
At least to the degree that they are irrelevant in sales and competition while relying on the “name” for sales with little media or on site exposure.

 

Family has a Champion franchise so that would be my next boat, but never had any issue with my Ranger.

Since when are Champions still built? 
 

 

Interesting thread since I now own a Vexus. One of the best companies for customer service I’ve ever dealt with. Of course there have been growing pains, but they are coming along. 

[rangerjockey]

If you think they are irrelevant you haven't done much research. They are still around, and the new 520 R is a great looking boat.

7 hours ago, Cbump said:

Since when are Champions still built? 
 

 

Interesting thread since I now own a Vexus. One of the best companies for customer service I’ve ever dealt with. Of course there have been growing pains, but they are coming along. 

The Champions are being made by Charger up the road in Richland Mo.  They have the 210 and 196.

 

[Cbump]

Ok. That would be a charger. Basscat made a champion hull boat too. Was still a Basscat. 

[rangerjockey]

Bass Cat made a hybrid of a Champion hull and BC top cap. Champion in Mountain Home has long been closed.

They made them under Stratos name for a while also. 

Kelly Power, A local marine dealer and former Champion rep was able to work with Charger and bring them back.

They are a Champ through and through. The console has changed for the electronics we have these days.

It's not unusual for boats to be copied. Champion originally was a splashed Skeeter.

When John Storie started Cobra/Hawk he splashed a Ranger 460.

When Legend started they splashed a Hawk. ( Ranger 460 )

 

[Cbump]

17 minutes ago, rangerjockey said:

Bass Cat made a hybrid of a Champion hull and BC top cap. Champion in Mountain Home has long been closed.

They made them under Stratos name for a while also. 

Kelly Power, A local marine dealer and former Champion rep was able to work with Charger and bring them back.

They are a Champ through and through. The console has changed for the electronics we have these days.

It's not unusual for boats to be copied. Champion originally was a splashed Skeeter.

When John Storie started Cobra/Hawk he splashed a Ranger 460.

When Legend started they splashed a Hawk. ( Ranger 460 )

 

I understand all that. But that splashed skeeter wasn’t a skeeter. It was a champion. And that splashed ranger 460 wasn’t ranger. It was a cobra/hawk. And that splashed Hawk wasn’t a hawk. It was a legend. 
And that splashed Champion isn’t a champion. It’s a charger. 

[rangerjockey]

Well, it's a Champion made in a Charger plant. If that makes it a charger in your mind so be it.

 I don't think it would make a lot of business sense to build a plant when you can use an existing facility and skilled workers.

If someone wants a new Champ, there it is.

 

[PaulVE64]

Top 3 execs resign?

Quality issues are often the result of earlier cutbacks but Johnny M. isn't likely to increase his investment. He would have done his due diligence and known he would either refresh the brand with capital or acquire their tech/skills/marketing and cut costs asap.

Which option does Johnny usually take?

[Deleted account]

1 hour ago, Cbump said:

I understand all that. But that splashed skeeter wasn’t a skeeter. It was a champion. And that splashed ranger 460 wasn’t ranger. It was a cobra/hawk. And that splashed Hawk wasn’t a hawk. It was a legend. 
And that splashed Champion isn’t a champion. It’s a charger. 

And a Ford is a Ford, and a Chevy a Chevy, except when they are a Mazda or a Toyota. A "boat" comes down to the running bottom, and the build quality, everything else is just the layout and parts specs. But if you need the nameplate, that's ok too. 

[Cbump]

1 minute ago, Deleted account said:

And a Ford is a Ford, and a Chevy a Chevy, except when they are a Mazda or a Toyota. A "boat" comes down to the running bottom, and the build quality, everything else is just the layout and parts specs. But if you need the nameplate, that's ok too. 

I don’t need the nameplate. But I’m not going to buy a Charger and call It a Champion. ??‍♂️

[the reel ess]

On 11/30/2015 at 2:31 AM, EvanT123 said:

I had a washing machine repair man the other day tell me there are 8-9 brands of washer that are basically the same and interchange parts.

The brand you buy probably depends on the store you shop at.

 

Like with baitcast reels. I sent a Lew's reel to BPS to be fixed. It was making a terrible racket when cast, which I assumed was a bearing going bad. They called me and told me they had no contract with Lew's so they didn't have parts for it. But they wanted to offer me an exchange for the Carbonlite 2.0. I took it. It came back and looked cosmetically almost exactly like the Lew's reel, just shiny, flashy colors. It even has that little window on the underside to oil the gears. I find it hard to believe they didn't have a bearing that would fit the Lew's.

[volzfan59]

True enough, Charger did aquire the ChampioN molds, made minor changes to the stripping and started producing them. Other than the changes to the stripe's, it's a great looking rig. I completely understand why they changed the stripes, just not for me. I used to have a 19' ChampioN, best boat I've ever owned.

 

Here's a little trivia for you. BPS/ White River Marine own the ChampioN name now. They also own the Stratos, Pro Craft and I believe Astro names. They own the rights to some other boat names from the past but I can't remember them.