Polaris buys Bennington Pontoons and three other companies

Polaris Industries, which makes ATVs, side-by-sides and other vehicles has purchased Boat Holdings, which includes Bennington Pontoons, Godfrey, Hurricane and Rinker.

Bennington founder Steve Vogel will stay on as a consultant, and son Jacob Vogel will remain as CEO. The companies will continue to operate as separate entities at their current manufacturing facilities.

Bennington manufactures six different model lines of pontoon boats ranging from value-oriented offerings to wide-beam luxury boats and is considered among the leaders in marketshare in the pontoon segment. Godfrey Marine has five brands of pontoon boats under its umbrella and has long been recognized as one of the premier builders of the popular aluminum craft. Hurricane was one of the originators of fiberglass deck boats and offers them in stern drive and outboard models. Rinker’s lineup includes runabouts and cruisers in outboard and stern drive power configurations. Rinker has a reputation for building runabouts that get the most performance out of a given propulsion system at a reasonable price.

Polaris is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange and last year purchased Transamerican Auto Parts.

Boat Holdings acquired Godfrey, Hurricane and Rinker in 2015 from the former owners, Nautic Global Group. The Vogels said they have focused on separating the brands and creating dedicated teams for each company. Dealer networks will remain separate.