History of Winner Boats Inc.
Please note that the following is edited from partial research resources. Comments, additions and corrections would be appreciated.
Winner Boats, Inc., originally located at 104, Railroad Avenue, West Trenton, New Jersey, began building boats and related water sports equipment in the early nineteen thirties. Initially, all work was in wood, with the boats made in the traditional manner, upside down on a wooden "jig”. But wood left much to be desired. Not only was this slow going, but wood couldn't be formed to the special hull shapes with which Winner engineers wanted to experiment. The search for a "better way” was on. It wasn't until late 1946 that Winner had what it felt was a satisfactory production fibreglass hull with which it could go to the public. Winner had helped develop a new marine material which in the short space of twenty years was to revolutionize an industry.
As a result, early in the 1940's Winner started a search for a better marine material. Eventually this search led to plastics, for if a resin plastic could be made strong enough to hold together under constant shocks, the advantages for both the boat builder and the consumer were almost limitless — nothing to rot, no seams to caulk, low maintenance and low cost. Reinforcing the resin was the key — like steel rods reinforce concrete — but early experiments went nowhere. No reinforcement material Winner tried made the resin durable enough to withstand the constant beatings required of a planing hull.
Learning that Owens-Corning Glass Company had developed a new, strong "glass-fibre", Winner started experimenting with it, It worked best of all, but then there were the problems of getting the new material into economical production, getting it to release from the mold, hiding its natural colouring (a dirty yellow), and answering the basic translucence of glass which tended to make consumers wary. Eventually all these problems were licked. The result was an unbelievably strong, durable, easily moulded, non-porous, light-weight raw material, called “fiberglass” which, within the short space of 20 years, revolutionized the entire marine industry.
Even so it took until January 1947 before Winner engineers were satisfied and the first production fibreglass boat was introduced (to the public at the New York National Motorboat Show. Marketed under the brand name “Plasti-Craft”, the world’s first fibreglass boat had a traditional wooden deck, wooden seats and wooden interior structure. Only the hull shell was fibreglass. As so often is the case with anything really new, the response was not overwhelming. Acceptance grew however, and three years later Winner offered a complete fibreglass boat with both the hull and deck made of the new miracle marine material.
In 1960 Winner introduced the first version of its “Modified-V" or "Gull-Hull" design. "Gull-Hull" was a significant advancement in hull design by a small boat manufacturer. By bringing the centre keel section of the hull deeper in the water, Winner was able to provide greater stability, a softer ride, yet good medium horse-power speed without sacrificing top end performance. Success with "Gull-Hull" accelerated Winner's research efforts. Winner named a new Deep-V hull design "Quadralift" and built an 18" prototype just in time for the torturous Orange Bowl Nine Hour Marathon in 1964. “Quadralift" was one of 11 finishers out of a field of 81.
Parallel to Winner's effort at improved hull design, the Company also researched a better way to strengthen the fibreglass hull from the inside. One that they could manufacture without adding extra weight to the boat. Winner found a way and called its new hull reinforcement unit a "Grillage."
In 1965 Ryan Aeronautical asked for help in designing a boat that could run in the open ocean as a remote controlled target boat for the U.S. Navy. Firefish, a standard 16' hull and deck, was the result. Firefish compiled an enviable record, in open ocean running, sea states 2 and 3. By actual Navy accelerometer instrument measure, Firefish withstood impact "6" forces in excess of 35 G's.
The U.S. Coast Guard also became interested. It asked Winner to design and engineer a “grillage" unit for two of its newest small boats — a 17' Utility (ML) and a 19' TICWAN (Trailerable Intra Coastal Waterway Aids to Navigation.) Two TICWANs were delivered, but a further contract was stopped by the US Government Accountability Office. [see Ref: B-161515, 6 June 1967 ]
Winner engineers improved on safety flotation. A "Safety-Collar Flotation System" meant that should the unlikely happen, and a Winner boat became full of water, it would still tend to float level and stable. A Winner boat was therefore unlike any other boat made. Pound for pound, it offered more quality materials, more pride of workmanship and greater care in construction than any other boat made, regardless of cost for the manufacturer.
On November 9, 1977, Winner Boats of Nevada, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Thompson Boat, Inc., purchased all assets of Winner Boat Company of Dickson, Tennessee. These assets included the Winner name, all moulds, the patent rights and the inventory of Winner Boat Corporation. It was Winner of Nevada's intentions to keep Winner Boats and the Winner name a major boat line within the marine industry and to offer the Winner Dealer Organization the highest quality possible and engineering excellence that Winner Dealers could expect.
Saul Padek, President of Thompson and Winner Boats, pledged to maintain the same skilled hand craftsmanship in each Winner boat that had made Thompson truly outstanding — unequalled in boat building quality — [writing that] :
". . . from yesteryear's wood to today's gleaming fibreglass boats. For 1979, Winner will be offering one of the most complete product lines in the industry with boats ranging in size from 15" to 31". Regardless of how other manufacturers cut corners in order to build a “price” boat, we at Winner strive for quality at a competitive price.
"We recommend to all of our dealers that you allow Winner to show and explain our entire line of boats in order that you may better understand our product line. Because of the number of models we offer, Winner is able to completely cover the boating public's demands for various boating models and concepts to meet the retail customers requirements. We believe that with the Winner line you sould be able to become the leading marine dealer in your area. Ya Gotta Wanna!"
The subsequent history of Winner requires further research.