Alumacraft going to Mexico

[novakevlar]

Boycotting a boat mfr for going to Mexico. While sitting in a truck assembled in Mexico. While typing on a Chinese-made cellphone. After having just fished with a Korean-made rod and a Chinese made reel. Wearing blue jeans made in Bangladesh.

[dean c]

Boycotting a boat mfr for going to Mexico. While sitting in a truck assembled in Mexico. While typing on a Chinese-made cellphone. After having just fished with a Korean-made rod and a Chinese made reel. Wearing blue jeans made in Bangladesh.

As much as it hurts…truth.

[Bassmeister]

BRP.....enough said......

[Wormdunker]

I've wondered why something like this hasn't happened sooner. Auto manufacturers have gone, so why not boats?

Maybe didnt want to give them another way to cross the river.

[Cover Dog]

The day after I picked up my AlumaCraft Competitor in Wisconsin in 2018, BRP became the owners of the business. Sad indeed.

[cards21]

NAFTA

[jtlucas]

You'd be amazed how many aluminum and steel products come out of Mexico. Most dump trailers many livestock trailers, flat beds etc. all come from a 60 mile radius of one Mennonite colony down there. Sad to see Alumacraft go.

[Rangerdeepv]

Always will remember Alumacraft but not recommend to anyone buying anymore. Owned 2 Lunds back in the day and would buy another in a minute but not an Alumacraft now. So sad to see but there seems like an opportunity for another family to start a boat building business.

[ttranger]

Mark, Alumacraft never struggled until BRP bought them, they were family owned until a death, which made the family sell to a equity group, which after 6 years sold to BRP in 2018. Alumacraft was a cash cow, debt free and overall 2nd in Aluminum fishing boat market share, and the leader in riveted Jon boat sales. They bought them with the thought of gaining market share with Evinrude to increase that share in motors, which never happened obviously, as well as to keep up with Polaris who at the time had just purchased Bennington pontoons. Evinrude was 4th on the list of engines they sold on the back of transoms prior to the purchase. They sold more Suzuki and Honda was on their heels. They brought in all execs for the the can-am side to run the "boat group" and got rid of those of us like me with years of boat experience whether it be manufacturing or sales. They shut down the Ark. welded mod-v and jon plant where I was for 3 years as the Southern National sales manager and Product delv. manager, prior I was a Regional rep for them, spent 10 years with them and loved every minute until late 2019 when BRP started to make these decisions, It is so sad to see what they are doing to this once great American company with the decisions they make, same ones as with Evinrude. same thing will happen with Manitou pontoons that they own as well. They are placing all their hope on this "rotax" engine and truly believe this is the future. to tell you how out of touch they are, I spent months and months on a new welded bass boat (one that they needed as a refresher but also to gain new dealers) went to a meeting to present this with others on my team and was told after to my face by one of the Boat group exec. that (this is him talking) "I don't know bass fishing, I don't understand this boat and why it would help so it will be a No" I knew right then this company was screwed. They just laid off 80 some employees in Minn. last week. I had to watch 90 great co-workers and friends loose their job in Ark in 2020, I was kept on for a few months longer to help move the machines and such to Minn, as they attempted to manufacture the all welds up there, it only lasted less than a year, my welders in Ar. had over 150 years combined boat building experience and was told by these same execs. that "welding is welding" as I had concerns that they would not get the experience in welders in MN that we have here in AR. a Year and a half later they shut down the welded product all together and moved all that equipment back to the AR facility to sit in a bare building. they may try and bring some models back with this move but I just wish they would sell them off and just keep their focus on Can-am stuff, its really all they care about anyway. I can elaborate more if you wish but again this is so sad for this great group of workers and a once great company.

A very sad story being repeated all too often, as families sell out to PE groups who have little interest in the legacy behind the product. I remember when Alumacraft dominated aluminum boat sales in my area, and it's a shame to see this happen to the brand.

[Boondock]

Boycotting a boat mfr for going to Mexico. While sitting in a truck assembled in Mexico. While typing on a Chinese-made cellphone. After having just fished with a Korean-made rod and a Chinese made reel. Wearing blue jeans made in Bangladesh.

Lmao! Well done and so so true! But hey the person feels better not buying a boat made in Mexico.. then goes on vacation the next month in Mexico.

[ThomasD]

Lmao! Well done and so so true! But hey the person feels better not buying a boat made in Mexico.. then goes on vacation the next month in Mexico.

my next vacation is in Jamaica

[bassn5150]

Mark, Alumacraft never struggled until BRP bought them, they were family owned until a death, which made the family sell to a equity group, which after 6 years sold to BRP in 2018. Alumacraft was a cash cow, debt free and overall 2nd in Aluminum fishing boat market share, and the leader in riveted Jon boat sales. They bought them with the thought of gaining market share with Evinrude to increase that share in motors, which never happened obviously, as well as to keep up with Polaris who at the time had just purchased Bennington pontoons. Evinrude was 4th on the list of engines they sold on the back of transoms prior to the purchase. They sold more Suzuki and Honda was on their heels. They brought in all execs for the the can-am side to run the "boat group" and got rid of those of us like me with years of boat experience whether it be manufacturing or sales. They shut down the Ark. welded mod-v and jon plant where I was for 3 years as the Southern National sales manager and Product delv. manager, prior I was a Regional rep for them, spent 10 years with them and loved every minute until late 2019 when BRP started to make these decisions, It is so sad to see what they are doing to this once great American company with the decisions they make, same ones as with Evinrude. same thing will happen with Manitou pontoons that they own as well. They are placing all their hope on this "rotax" engine and truly believe this is the future. to tell you how out of touch they are, I spent months and months on a new welded bass boat (one that they needed as a refresher but also to gain new dealers) went to a meeting to present this with others on my team and was told after to my face by one of the Boat group exec. that (this is him talking) "I don't know bass fishing, I don't understand this boat and why it would help so it will be a No" I knew right then this company was screwed. They just laid off 80 some employees in Minn. last week. I had to watch 90 great co-workers and friends loose their job in Ark in 2020, I was kept on for a few months longer to help move the machines and such to Minn, as they attempted to manufacture the all welds up there, it only lasted less than a year, my welders in Ar. had over 150 years combined boat building experience and was told by these same execs. that "welding is welding" as I had concerns that they would not get the experience in welders in MN that we have here in AR. a Year and a half later they shut down the welded product all together and moved all that equipment back to the AR facility to sit in a bare building. they may try and bring some models back with this move but I just wish they would sell them off and just keep their focus on Can-am stuff, its really all they care about anyway. I can elaborate more if you wish but again this is so sad for this great group of workers and a once great company.

My first boat was an AlumaCraft ProV17 w/a Johnson 70 horse. That was in the late eighties. My dad bought it for me while I was in Jr High School. We live about five minutes from a boat ramp and during the summer when dad was at work our retired neighbor would drag me to the ramp, drop me off and I’d fish. He’d come back and get me at whatever time we agreed on. Man, those were the good ol’ days and I had some great times in that boat. It’s a shame that AlumaCraft is being run into the ground.

[MIKER2702]

ross perot was called a idiot about the giant sucking sound coming from the border guess he was smarter than the others
or the others were going to get rich off of it. my company taking product from here to mexico a little bit at a time......

[ram1076]

So now with cheaper labor and expense costs their prices should go down considerably to reflect that!!! Right??

[Fireball]

I only wish BRP moved E-TEC to Mexico............hey, maybe there is hope after all.

[Bass Cat Boats]

We doubt anyone follows BRP to Mexico as the freight on products eats up the majority of the cost savings over the border. SeaRay has produced in Mexico for some time as Brunswick (Mercury parent) ducked the EPA MACT standard regulations with that move. It could be a move to shift more product coastal as transportation cost from MN a is brutal to Arizona and California. Otherwise most companies have no true savings impacts that aren’t offset by other increased costs.

BRP a got into the boat group business to support their Evinrude outboard engine company, which they no longer have.

Good analogy by Arcaugh1 who is a seldom poster.

[mean_dean]

There you go BCB, wait until Alumacraft dies, buy the building and machines plus the Alumacraft brand from BRP, then re-open as part of the BCB family new aluminum line of boats.

[novakevlar]

There you go BCB, wait until Alumacraft dies, buy the building and machines plus the Alumacraft brand from BRP, then re-open as part of the BCB family new aluminum line of boats.

That's kind of what you do, right? Company goes belly up, sells the molds to new ownership who rebadges and adds some bling, buyers start rolling back in.

[posmallie]

This is really disappointing. I run a 2019 Alumacraft Competitor. I love the boat and it's built like a tank. It's a Lund without the Lund price point. If they were smart, they'd also lower the price of their Mexican-made boats to be more competitive in the market, since many purchasers won't know they're made in Mexico. But you know they won't do that because it won't produce the same profits.

It's sad to see a good American company go bad. I also worry what will happen if I need warranty work done. While I hope it never comes to that, I feel like if they have to ship the hull to Mexico, it'll take me years to get it back.

[FrancoCialone]

This is really disappointing. I run a 2019 Alumacraft Competitor. I love the boat and it's built like a tank. It's a Lund without the Lund price point. If they were smart, they'd also lower the price of their Mexican-made boats to be more competitive in the market, since many purchasers won't know they're made in Mexico. But you know they won't do that because it won't produce the same profits.

It's sad to see a good American company go bad. I also worry what will happen if I need warranty work done. While I hope it never comes to that, I feel like if they have to ship the hull to Mexico, it'll take me years to get it back.

That's my point, what are you going to do when you need factory warranty work ? Do you really think they will ship the boat to Mexico and then back to where you live ?