In 1967 there was a General Manager from a famous boat company known to most as Thompson Boats. Mr. Jack Dallman who was employed by Thompson decided to venture out on his own and manufacture a new glass line known today as Yar-Craft Boats.
Runabout style boats became a very popular first boat for Yar-Craft in the 70’s, but by the early 80’s Jack was forced to reinvent the wheel and offer a deep V fiberglass fishing hull that appeared to the fisherman who were demanding a boat that could stand the test of Mother Nature. Fishermen wanted a boat that excelled in bigger waters and harsh conditions. By the mid 80’s the company as out of the runabout business and into the deep V hull series boats still known today as “The Dry One.” This slogan is an example of history in the making carried on from fishermen that used the product and know what they want in a boat and its performance.
In the mid 90’s Jack Dallman passed away and the Dallman family business was purchased in 1995 by Mr. Bob Schutte from Menominee, MI. Jack’s fiberglass fishing line continued to live on with Mr. Schutte and he grew the company with his own hull design known as the Storm Series. Yar-Craft Boats continued to operate in Menominee Michigan until 2004 when a young businessman from Wausau Wisconsin purchased the company. Mr. Corey Suthers, a previous owner of a Yar-Craft Boat, became the owner of the company.
Mr. Suthers, who also owns a second family business known as Norlen, Inc. brings 45 years of experience and product knowledge to the US and International companies. Noreen Inc. is a state of the art steel and standing business that his grandfather started in 1964. Mr. Suthers began making his mark at Yar-Craft by introducing the TFX series, a faster, smoother and stylish series act will be with the company for many more years.
The Suthers family was in search of a long-term company that could assure longevity to the Yar-Craft brand and protect what they had built. On December 8, 2011 the Pierce and Suthers families entered into an agreement finalizing the sale of Yar-Craft Boats to the Pierce family. Yar-Craft will continue to be a premium multi-species brand, incorporating the same upscale production technologies as Bass Cat Boats in Mountain Home, Arkansas. The fleet has already undergone extensive retooling and development in recent years, improving the product line up with continued innovations.
Today, both Yar-Craft and Bass Cat have secured their heritage as part of the Correct Craft family. We fully intend to embrace the passionate Yar-Craft following, while raising the bar through premium raw materials and innovations. Yar-Craft’s manufacturing has evolved to mirror proprietary processes that elevate our bass boats above others. Bass Cat brings 40 years of superior manufacturing innovations/techniques, as well as, the last five (5) JD Power Awards for Customer Service to the table. Strengths no other boat manufacturer can offer to the future of Yar-Craft Boats.