Taking On Scarab

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Let’s get the bad news out of the way right now: Even with French boatbuilding giant Beneteau as the relatively new owner of Wellcraft, there is zero chance that the company will revive its once-popular line of Scarab go-fast boats (check out “Scarab Pride“, Jason Johnson’s last offshoreonly.com column, to get a look at one). After speaking at length with company representative Andy Gamble in Cadillac, Mich., I can guarantee that.

“The performance-boat is just very tough and very competitive, and that’s not where we’re headed,” said Gamble. “Our plan for the coming year with Wellcraft is to produce 180 units across the line next year. We currently have 16 dealers, and we’re hoping to build that network to 30 dealers next year.”

Among those dealers is Sportboats Marine in Fort Myers, Fla. Started as a Baja dealer in 1993 by owner John Kray, Sportboat Marine eventually added the Fountain and Donzi lines to its offerings and probably would have remained a go-fast-boat-only dealer to this day had the market not plummeted in the mid- to late-2000s. In addition to the Cigarette Racing Team and Nor-Tech lines, Sportboat Marine sells brands that probably would put you—as a dedicated performance-boat enthusiast—to sleep including Aquasport, Edgewater, Monterey and more.

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