KCS International, Inc., the parent company of Cruisers Yachts and Rampage Sport Fishing Yachts, announced it has hired back 100 of its employees to work on new orders for both brands, and to help complete the 2011 prototype of the 470 Cruisers Yachts Sports Coupe. The new model, set to debut this summer, will come standard with Volvo Penta IPS, Cruisers Yachts’ signature walk-through windshield and other features set to be announced later this year.
“Although the past year has been pretty rough on the boating industry, our unwavering commitment to the Cruisers Yachts and Rampage Sport Fishing Yachts brands is what has carried us through these tough economic times,” said Mark Pedersen, president of KCS International, Inc. “Our future looks quite bright as our engineering and marketing departments continue to explore every opportunity to grow both brands, and to reestablish ourselves as one of the world’s leading yacht manufacturers.”
Since November, employees have been brought back to finish production on several assembly lines as well as start production on a number of newly ordered Cruisers Yachts and Rampage Sport Fishing Yachts. The first model 34 Rampage built with a Volvo Penta IPS engine featuring the revolutionary new DPS (Dynamic Positioning System), is currently under construction at the Oconto, Wis. facility. And, on most 2010 Cruisers Yachts models, production lines are now installing new luxurious dark Wenge wood interiors which will be accented by new chrome hardware.
Pedersen believes the Oconto facility could running at full speed by the fall of 2010.