Wellcraft
Wellcraft is a brand of American powerboats. It was founded in 1955, making wooden runabouts.[1] The company is owned by Groupe Beneteau, part of its Rec Boat subsidiary.
Acquisitions
[edit]In 1982, Wellcraft purchased California Yachts from the Marshall Boat Company and in 1987 sold it back to them.[2]
In 2014, Groupe Beneteau acquired Rec Boat Holdings (Wellcraft, Four Winns, Scarab, and Glastron).
Education programs
[edit]Wellcraft created the Wellcraft Saltwater Fishing School to teach new Wellcraft owners how to become better fishermen.[3]
It also created Wellcraft's High Performance Boot Camp to teach new Wellcraft owners how to get "maximum thrills" out of their new purchase while operating them safely.[3]
Product line
[edit]Its Scarab line of boats, specifically, the Scarab 38 KV was featured on Miami Vice.[4] The Wellcraft Scarab 38 KVs were a 28-hued, twin 440-hp boat that sold for $130,000 in 1986.[4] As a result of the publicity the show gave Wellcraft, the company received "an onslaught of orders", increasing sales by 21 percent in one year.[4]
In appreciation, Wellcraft gave Don Johnson an exact duplicate of the boat featured on the show.[4] Altogether, one hundred copies of the boat (dubbed the "Scarab 38KV Miami Vice Edition") were built by Wellcraft.[5] The Miami Vice graphics and color scheme, which included turquoise, aqua, and orchid, was available by special order on any model Scarab from 20–38 feet.[6]
Don Johnson also designed the Scarab Excel 43 ft, Don Johnson Signature Series (DJSS), and raced a similar one.[7] The Don Johnson Signature Series was powered by twin 650-hp Lamborghini V-12's, which caused some problems to the design of the boat due to their size.[7] Overall the boat cost $300,000 with each engine amounting to between $60–$70,000.[7]
Starwind division
[edit]In the 1980s Wellcraft started a sailboat division, called Starwind. The division operated until about 1984, producing a line of small sailboats, including the Starwind 19, Starwind 22, Starwind 223 and Buccaneer 18 centerboard boats.[8][9][10]
References
[edit]- ^ McKnew, Ed (November 2007). 2008 PowerBoat Guide. American Marine Publishing. p. 469. ISBN 978-0977353941.
- ^ McKnew, Ed (November 2007). 2008 PowerBoat Guide. American Marine Publishing. p. 46. ISBN 978-0977353941.
- ^ a b Kovach, Brad (April 2001). Angling Academy. MotorBoating. p. 81. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
- ^ a b c d Davis, Chris (June 1986). "The Boats of Miami Vice". Motor Boating and Sailing. 157 (6): 36–40.
- ^ Benoit, Ellen (1986-04-07). "Just Like On TV". Forbes: 106.
- ^ Cole, Tim (May 1986). "The Machines of Miami Vice: The car, the boats, the guns that make it TV's hottest show". Popular Mechanics. 152 (5). Hearst Corp.: 89–91.
- ^ a b c Schryver, Doug (February 1988). "Don Johnson's new Scarab gets all the bells and whistles Wellcraft can muster, plus a few new tricks. You can own one, too – for a price". Starship: 116–119, 202–203.
- ^ Browning, Randy (2018). "Starwind 223 sailboat specifications and details". sailboatdata.com. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- ^ Browning, Randy (2018). "Starwind (USA)". sailboatdata.com. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- ^ McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Buccaneer 18 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.