From
http://www.tennessean.com/sports/loc...nt_ID=49198220

B.A.S.S. tabs Triton: Classic boat produced in Ashland City


By CHARLES SEARCY
For The Tennessean

The folks over at Triton Boats in Ashland City are smiling maybe their
widest grins since that very first boat rolled off the assembly line.

The reason?

Triton officially has become the exclusive boat for B.A.S.S. and that means
the highly popular BassMaster Classic, too, where the Tr21 X-Series will be
showcased this summer.

Another change is Mercury is returning as the exclusive motor, back after
several years of being out of the loop.

For Triton and its employees, however, it's a big step to show off the
product to the international market through ESPN's coverage of the
BassMaster Classic.

''Yes, we are very happy to be the exclusive boat sponsor of B.A.S.S. now,''
said Neal Hart, vice president of marketing for Triton. ''It has a great
deal of value to us to be the exclusive boat.''

And all this got even better last weekend when one of Triton's pro anglers,
Gerald Swindle of Hayden, Ala., won the 2004 CITGO-Bassmaster Angler of the
Year title during the B.A.S.S. tournament on Santee Cooper.

''Triton, Mercury and B.A.S.S. share a powerful vision and passion for our
sport and natural resources that make this a dynamic collaboration,'' said
Dean Kessel, vice president and general manager of B.A.S.S.

Triton President Earl Bentz, who had a share of the boat business with the
Classic last year, along with Skeeter and G3 boats, said he is excited over
what has occurred.

''We're truly proud and honored to join forces with B.A.S.S. as the
exclusive boat sponsor of the CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail and the
B.A.S.S. organization itself,'' Bentz said in a release.

''Since ESPN joined forces with B.A.S.S., bass fishing is finally on a par
with other professional sports in terms of prestige, payouts and popularity.
At Triton, we feel our new alliance with B.A.S.S. complements our shared
vision to positively change and grow the bass fishing industry even
further.''

Bentz, a former world champion boat racer, has had a good working
relationship with Mercury dating to the early 1970s when he cranked up the
Mercury outboards to power his tunnel-hull boats.

The Classic boats for 2004 will be Tr21 X-Series models and will be powered
by the new four-stroke, supercharged Mercury 250HP Verado outboard.

''That's an awesome combo,'' Hart said.

Also in the Classic boats will be the Res-Q ladder, a built-in, retractable,
boarding ladder that remains hidden until the operator removes a pin and
unfolds the three-step ladder.

The National Safe Boating Council awarded Triton the Safe Boating Award for
the innovative safety addition.

The Classic boats will be for sale through Triton Boat dealers around the
country. Many dealers already are putting in their orders because a limited
number is available.

''It's terrific for all parties involved,'' said Pat Mackey, president of
Mercury Marine. ''We are convinced that B.A.S.S. and ESPN Outdoors are
focused on growing and strengthening tournament fishing - which is vitally
important to our whole industry.''

Mercury will introduce its new four-stroke Verado engines through extended
ESPN coverage - up to 13 hours live - of Classic.

Verado is the first production outboard to feature a supercharger. Its
torque and acceleration are results of a supercharged induction system with
charge-air cooling and electronic boost pressure control.



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