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Marine Products history
Marine Products company history timeline
Raised by a family that was very involved with recreational and sport boating in Boston's south suburbs, Repass had studied electrical engineering at Duke University, then moved to California's Silicon Valley to work as an engineer for Fairchild Cameraq and Instruments in 1966.
Repass first tasted the boating supply business through his homespun operation of West Coast Ropes--a garage-based business selling rope used for boating lines--in 1968.
1969 Robalo was founded and its first boat was a 19-foot center console salt-water fishing boat, among the first of this type of boat to have an "unsinkable" hull.
By 1973, married with two children, Repass started his own consulting firm, Semiconductor Engineering Associates.
When he opened the first West Marine store in Palo Alto in 1975, it was indeed the first retailer of its size and selection in the underserved industry.
1976 Chaparral moved to Nashville, Georgia, obtaining additional manufacturing space and access to a trained workforce.
1976: Pegg is joined by Jim Lane; the company moves to Nashvil le, Georgia.
Despite his belief t hat accoutrements such as rugs and upholstery were destined to rot, P egg strayed from his no-frills approach to boat manufacture in 1978, introducing the Chaparral 198, the first model bearing stylish lines and a plush interior.
In 1986, they sold their company to RPC Inc., an oil and gas services firm controlled by the R ollins family in Atlanta.
1986: Chaparral Boats is acquired by RPC, Inc.
As its business grew, the company attracted the attention of a c orporate suitor and major competitor of Chaparral Boats, Brunswick Co rporation, which acquired Robalo in 1991, organized it within its U.S . Marine division, and relocated the company to Tallahassee, Florida.
Sales from its Port Supply Wholesale Division increased 35 percent (to $20.3 million) in 1993.
In 1993 West Marine, Inc., was formed as a parent company for West Marine Products, Inc., and incorporated in California.
In 1994 the ratio of store to catalog sales remained constant, with catalog sales growing 27 percent to $25.2 million.
In April 1995 Crawford Cole took over as CEO, and Randy Repass became chairman.
Eighteen new stores were opened in 1995, including first stores in North Carolina, Maine, and Michigan.
The power boating market represented a major growth area for the company, since it is substantially larger than the sailing market (accounting for 85 percent of all boat registrants in 1995).
The company ranked 85th on Forbes's "200 Best Small Companies in America" roster for 1995.
The opening of the company's 150th store in San Francisco, in July 1996, was celebrated with Grand Opening festivities.
Acquisition of E&B Marine in 1996
Overall, the merger allowed West Marine to eliminate its closest competitor, accomplish two years of growth in a single year, and become almost four times as large as its nearest remaining competitor (Boat United States, with approximately $90 million in 1996 sales).
2000 Premium SSi Sport Boat line introduced.
At the end of February 2001, shares in Marine Products were sold to RPC shareholders, with the Rollins family coming away from the spinoff owning 67 percent of Marine Products' stock.
Under Marine Products' guidance, the company began producin g two 23-foot models, recording its first sales at the end of 2001.
Thanks largely to Chaparral Boats' contribution, Marine Products' sal es increased from $134 million in 2001 to $252 million in 200 4.
In 2005, the subsidiary celebrated t he 40th year since the introduction of the Chaparral 15 in quarters f ar more elaborate than the fiberglass parts shop where Buck Pegg made his first boat.
In April 2014, Princecraft® Boats officially celebrated its 60th year in the boating industry and also its 60th year of expertise! Not only as the trademark been in existence for 60 years, it also has been 60 years that the boats have been and built, from A to Z, in its Princeville plants.
2017 Chaparral enters the wakesurf market with Vortex.
2018 SSX line redesigned.
2019 Chaparral introduced the OSX Luxury Sportboat.
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Marine Products competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brunswick | 1845 | $5.8B | 13,000 | 530 |
| Coralind | 1977 | $25.0M | 200 | - |
| NVIC | 1996 | $63.7M | 64 | - |
| Electro Chemical Finishing | 1977 | $21.4M | 300 | 2 |
| Quality Metal Finishing Co. | 1947 | $34.3M | 100 | - |
| Crystal Finishing System | 1993 | $400.0M | 750 | 16 |
| Bush’s Beans | 1908 | $220.0M | 650 | - |
| W.C. Bradley Co. | 1885 | $60.0M | 175 | - |
| Leviton | 1906 | $500.0M | 6,500 | 69 |
| Domtar | 2006 | $4.6B | 6,400 | 85 |
Marine Products history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Marine Products, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Marine Products. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Marine Products. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Marine Products. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Marine Products and its employees or that of Zippia.
Marine Products may also be known as or be related to MARINE PRODUCTS CORP, MPC, Marine Products, Marine Products Corp. and Marine Products Corporation.