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Boating Business

Polaris to Stop Building Rinker, Striper and Larson FX brands

Rinker

Rinker is one of the brands that will be discontinued.

Polaris Inc. announced today that it is going to stop building fiberglass boats including the Rinker, Striper and Larson FX brands. The company says it is focusing its marine investments and growth efforts on its Bennington, Godfrey and Hurricane pontoon brands in Elkhart, Ind. 

According to tradeonlytoday.com, the move will eliminate 120 jobs at the Syracuse, Ind.-based fiberglass-boat manufacturing facility in June. Polaris bought the fiberglass lines in January 2019. A year earlier, the company purchased the pontoon business. All the brands had been owned by Boat Holdings.

Bennington

Bennington pontoon boats are one of the most popular brands.

A Difficult Decision

“The decision was made after extensive consideration of every available alternative,” Bob Mack, Polaris’ boats and adjacent markets president, said in a statement. “We were fully prepared to expand these brands and our presence within their respective segments of the marine industry. But today, considering market dynamics and the continued uncertainty around the sustained impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have decided not to move forward with investing the necessary resources to maintain and grow Rinker, Striper and Larson FX, and will discontinue production of those brands.”

polaris

Polaris had hoped that the Larson line, which includes fish and ski models, would give them entrée to the recreational fishing market.

Some employees will have opportunities at the Elkhart pontoon-building facilities.

Looking Ahead

“We deeply regret the impacts this will have on our employees, boat dealers, sales representatives, suppliers — and or course, our Rinker, Striper and Larson FX customers,” Mack said. “However, today’s decision will allow us to concentrate our investments on driving growth and innovation with Bennington, Godfrey and Hurricane and strengthening our leadership in those segments.”

sweetwater

The Sweetwater series of pontoon boats is targeted at the budget-minded buyer.

Polaris will continue to provide customer service and parts support for Rinker, Larson FX and Striper boats and will honor the warranties of boats purchased from Polaris.