Winner Boats
 

Articles: Winner Boats of Dickson



Saturday, April 26, 2003 - 05:01 PM, (8258 Reads)


Mr. Andreas Jordahl Rhude of Minneapolis is researcng and
writing about this boat builder. If you have recollections of Winner,
Wizard, and Thompson Boats, get in touch with him via email:
Dickson, Tennessee was the home of a boat builder for
many years. Winner Boat came into being at Trenton, New Jersey prior to
World War II. In 1947, they were one of the earliest producers of all
fiberglass boats in a regular production operation.

Around 1958, Wizard Boats of Costa Mesa, CA built a branch
manufacturing plant at Dickson. Soon afterwards, they purchased WInner Boats
at Trenton and moved its operation to Dickson. For a short period the
combined operation was known as Wizard-Winner Boats. The Wizard name was
dropped not too long afterwards, however, and she became known as Winner
Boat. Her line of fiberglass pleasure boats expanded to inlcude runabouts,
small fishing boats, and cabin cruisers.

In November 1977 Winner Boat was purchased by Thompson
Boat, Inc. of Peshtigo, Wisconsin. The Dickson plant at First and Pickert
became known as "Winner by Thompson." By the summer of 1978 Thompson decided
to close down the plant. They moved molds and other production equipment to
Wisconsin and auctioned off the remaining assets in June or July 1978.

Thompson continued to use the WInner name to describe
those products that originally came from Dickson for a number of years. In
fact, Thompson continually registered the name "Winner Boat" up through
circa 1991.

In the meantime, Ned Momany revived the Winner Boat name
at Dickson in 1980. He had been employed by the original Winner at Dickson
previously. The "new" Winner Boat operated at Dickson throughout the 1980s
before sucumbing to hard economic times. It is not known how two companies
were able to use the "Winner Boat" name simultaniously; Winner Boats owned
by Thompson and Winner Boats of Dickson.

Mr. Andreas Jordahl Rhude of Minneapolis is researcng and
writing about this boat builder. If you have recollections of Winner,
Wizard, and Thompson Boats, get in touch with him via email:



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