Kingfish Connection: Let me start off by asking you, for those that don't know, what is a scarab? Is this what your new, larger center consoles will be called? Or will you be making significant changes to the larger models in the Wellcraft series of boats?

Scarab and Wellcraft share a common heritage, but Scarab has always been a separate brand. Scarab has been focused on performance, as it relates to hull design and efficiency. Today’s Scarab is built on that performance heritage, but it’s all about outstanding attributes for competitive fishing, rather than racing.

Why did you all decide to make this change?

Actually, we are now just changing back to where we began. A few years ago, we made the decision to exit the offshore racing market for a number of business reasons, but we never quit building Scarab fishing boats. At that time, the logical thing to do was to roll our Scarab fishing boats under the Wellcraft umbrella. In hindsight, that change confused our serious fishing customers, who saw and understood the difference between a 20 foot Wellcraft Fisherman center console and a 35 foot offshore performance fishing Scarab. Today, we have re-launched Scarab to provide what our customers are telling us they want in serious offshore fishing machines. Where Wellcraft leaves off at 25 foot center consoles, Scarab takes off with a 100% focus on the high performance tournament angler.

Will there be any new center console boats that will be introduced soon that will be targeted to the king mackerel fishing community?

Absolutely! We intend to grow Scarab into a full-line of tournament-ready boats. In addition to the existing 35 Scarab Tournament, 35 Scarab Sport, and 32 Scarab Tournament, we just introduced our all-new 30 Scarab Tournament this fall. This boat is a new design from the keel up, and was developed with intense feed-back from tournament anglers. It is fast, edgy, and most importantly…functional. In addition, we debuted our latest model, the 30 Scarab Sport, at the Miami Boat Show. Not only will this boat have all of the great fishing features of the Tournament model, it will also have added amenities that many customers are asking for that add more boating versatility…like an enclosed forward cabin and cockpit entertainment center. Our customers can use this new Scarab model to tournament fish in the morning, dive in the afternoon, and family cruise in the evening. The Scarab Design Team is busy working on more new products, and you can count on a steady diet of new and exciting Scarab’s to satisfy the needs of our customers.

Some manufacturers are planning on introducing larger center consoles, as we speak. Do you think that manufacturers should move in that direction, or do you think enough is enough?

I think manufacturer’s should provide their customer’s with whatever they want. Our job is to satisfy a need in the marketplace, not necessarily create one. Today, our largest offerings are the 35 Tournament and Sport models. While we don’t currently have a larger Scarab model on the drawing boards, we would certainly consider a larger Scarab if our customers asked for one.

The Southern Kingfish Association has a Class of 23, where boats 23 feet and less compete for another prize. Would you like to see the FLW adopt a stronger division like this?

We are very proud of our relationship with the FLW Outdoors organization. Scarab is a sponsor of the FLW Kingfish Tour and the FLW Kingfish Series. Scarab owner’s can earn bigger prizes by fishing a Scarab. If the FLW creates a new division, we will certainly work to provide more Scarab models to support more anglers that want to fish a Scarab.

As a very prominent member of one of Genmar's flagship companies, have you been satisfied with the growth of the FLW Kingfish Tour and Series?

Absolutely! As a sponsor, we have been thrilled with the exposure that the FLW Series and Tour have brought to our brands. We believe that the best way for us to support our customers is to provide contingency awards for those captains that purchase and fish our boats. We prefer this over factory sponsored boats that only benefit a few select anglers.

Have you noticed a difference in sales after the FLW announced that they would enter the realm of kingfish tournaments?

Well first, the product has to stand on its own merits, and Scarab is certainly doing that. Our boats are performing very well for our competitive and recreational anglers, and we are seeing growth in Scarab sales due to happy customers, exciting new products, and strong dealer support. Of course, FLW sponsorship continues to build our market exposure, and the chance to win serious contingency money by fishing a Scarab doesn’t hurt either!

Initially you must have thought that the arena of king mackerel fishing would be a place of great growth for your company. Do you still feel that, two years into it?

We have always had fishing boats that were appropriate for competitive fishing. Several past National Champions, like two-time winner Rick Smith, have fished Wellcraft or Scarab products for years, so competing in the king mackerel segment is not something new to us. By focusing our efforts through Scarab and building our presence with the FLW Outdoors sponsorship, we feel that this market segment will continue to grow, and our share of that market will continue to increase.

Some have criticized the FLW, saying that it may just be a glorified owner's tournament. As an executive with Wellcraft, would you like to see it end up like that?

We would like to see it remain open to everyone and for the fields to keep getting larger. Let everyone come to compete. We are proud of our Scarab products, and our customers welcome the competition from other anglers, as well as competing brands. Over time, we believe that captains will migrate to the brands that provide the best support to their winning efforts and provide them with the greatest opportunity to win the largest rewards…and recognition. Scarab plans to be that brand, and as a result, we expect to continue to see more teams fishing from a Scarab in the years ahead.