Wahoo! (company)

Wahoo!

Company type	Private
Industry	Boat manufacturing
Founded	1985
Founder	Ray Curry
Defunct	1996
Fate	Sold to Brunswick Corporation
Headquarters	Ashland, Virginia , United States
Products	Fiberglass recreational boats

Wahoo! (occasionally presented as WAHOO!) was an American company specializing in the production of fiberglass recreational boats between 1985 and 1996. The manufacturing facility for Wahoo! vessels was situated within Hanover Industrial Park, close to Ashland, Virginia.

History

Established in 1985 by Ray Curry, who also owned Reliance Marine in Richmond, Virginia, Wahoo! was launched as a competitor to Boston Whaler following Curry's separation from that firm. In 1996, upon Curry’s retirement, Wahoo! was sold to Brunswick Corporation, which recognized the value of Wahoo!'s hull molds and its distinctive European-style transom configurations. These hull designs were subsequently incorporated into Brunswick’s Robalo line. The Wahoo! brand name was later acquired by Marine Products Corporation when it bought Robalo from Brunswick in June 2001.

Features

Wahoo! boats were distinguished by self-draining hulls, integrated fuel tanks, and drainable designs—features that were innovative within their market segment at the time. Unlike the foam-filled hulls typical of comparable models, Wahoo! employed a foam-lined hull featuring a space between the hull liner foam and cap foam that facilitated moisture drainage from inside the hull. Fiberglass served as the main construction material, complemented by wooden reinforcement in the transom and certain other structural areas.

Marketing

The company promoted its vessels as unsinkable, using brochures that displayed images of a Wahoo! boat segmented into three floating sections, each capable of supporting passengers independently.