US Watercraft acquires three boat brands

Posted on 11 December 2012

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US Watercraft LLC said today that it acquired the Alerion Yachts, True North and North Rip brands from Pearson Marine Group.

Based in Portsmouth, R.I., US Watercraft is the licensed builder of the J/22, J/24, J/80 and J/105 lines of J/Boats and the Farr 30 and Farr 40. US Watercraft said it will service and build Alerion, True North and North Rip.

Pearson has a 50-year heritage and was a division of TPI Composites that built sailboats and powerboats until 2004, when TPI sold its name and wind energy divisions, but retained its marine division.

The US Watercraft acquisition of the three brands includes all of the manufacturing assets, including the records and parts necessary to construct the Pearson boat lines and the tooling that can be used to build and service the larger and out-of-production J/Boats and related parts.

US Watercraft also said it entered into a lease on 42,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space at the current Pearson/TPI facility in Warren, R.I. The acquisition essentially returns the J/24 to its roots because this is the facility where most of the world's 5,500 J/24s were built prior to 1998.

USWatercraft will continue to provide service and repair work for sailing and power boats through affiliate company Waterline Systems. The Waterline Systems service work will remain at its facility in Portsmouth, R.I.

"We are extremely excited about this wonderful opportunity to add these high-quality brands to the USWatercraft family. We can provide a full line of world-class sailing and power boats that are backed by the highest-quality customer support." USWatercraft president Randy Borges said in a statement.

Click here for the full release.

Comments

3 Saturday, 22 December 2012 01:55

By Scott Bryant

Pat/Clive - it's great to hear from Alerion friends and family on this exciting topic! Alerion Yachts will continue its 20+ year heritage of designing, marketing and building premium sailboats under the USWatercraft umbrella. USWatercraft brings numerous capabilities and offerings that will enhance the Alerion customer experience. Besides a waterfront service facility close to the factory, USWatercraft has the staff and strategy to support existing and future customer needs. Today, with a bustling factory full of Alerions (including the new Alerion 41!) there are no signs of slowing down! Read more here: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs112/1102932454942/archive/1111839616955.html

2 Thursday, 13 December 2012 03:29

By Pat Nowak

As a purchaser of a new Alerion Express 28 in 2005 and of a new Alerion Express 33 in 2010, which I currently own, I would like to hear from either US Watercraft or the former Pearson Marine Group executives what their plans are for the Alerion brand.

I do have the AE 33 up for sale, not because it was unsatisfactory but because my sailing requirements have changed. Both the AE 28 and the AE 33 were a joy to sail, fast, responsive, and so easy to single hand. I wish the new owners success and pray that they will continue to manufacture the Alerion line of sailboats.

Regards.

Pat Nowak
Holland, MI

1 Tuesday, 11 December 2012 20:24

By clive dent

It's good news to read that True North and Alerion are now in very good hands. I enjoyed designing and working on these products during my tenure as Chief Designer for Pearson Composites.

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