One boating company that is respected around the world and has been in business for decades is Ranger® Boats. Ranger Boats was founded in 1968 by Forrest L. Wood with the help of his wife Nina. This company has a rich history when it comes to boats, so if you want to learn more about boats, don’t hesitate to stop by Cookeville RV and Marine in Cookeville, Tennessee. We serve the areas of Nashville, Knoxville and Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
How Forrest L. Wood Started it All
Before Ranger Boats became a prominent figure in the boating world, Forrest Wood and his high school sweetheart Nina started a business partnership and would do local jobs in their town. Together, they would run a popular fishing guide service in a few different places such as Crooked Creek, Bull Shoals Lake, and the White River.
This led them to begin building their own boats, and eventually they entered into a tournament to see if anyone was interested in buying some of their boats, which people were. After this, they co-founded Ranger Boats in 1968 and by 1970, they had already manufactured over one thousand boats.
Randy Hopper and the Ranger Boat
Randy Hopper is one of the main reasons why the Ranger Boats’s bass boat was so special. Hopper was obsessed with creating the perfect bass boat, and one of the problems that they were dealing with is that the transom wasn’t strong enough to handle the newer, bigger engines that these boats were being manufactured with. This led to him creating a pultruded fiberglass transom in 1987 that was stronger and more consistent than the typical materials of the time.
Other Special Features of Their Boats
The pultruded fiberglass transom isn’t the only thing that makes Ranger Boats special, there are many other special features that made these boasts stand out. One of the most unique features of a Ranger Boat is the fact that they use foam as the main flotation material, and they stuff this foam into almost every part of the boat. This gives the entire design of the boat a cohesive feeling that they refer to as a “one-piece feel.” Other cool features include the creation of a VS engine setback design that has the ability to improve engine performance, and a steering system that is fluid-driven instead of the traditional cable steering.
Ranger Boats is a special company that has affected the boating industry and boating fanatics alike. If you are interested in learning more about Ranger Boats, visit us at Cookeville RV and Marine in Cookeville, Tennessee, serving Nashville, Knoxville and Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
