News & Events

Westbrook Boat Show (Tanger Outlets, CT) - July 12-14th 2013
Newport International Boat Show (Newport, RI) - Sept 12-15 2013
Norwalk International Boat Show (Norwalk, CT) - Sept 19-22 2013
Hartford Boat Show (CT Convention Center, CT) - Jan 23-26 2014
New England International Boat Show (Boston Convention Center, MA) - Feb 22-March 2 2014

Annapolis, MD, June 29, 2012 – Jeanneau America announces the addition of Louis Marine, Ltd. of Westbrook, CT to the growing list of dealers representing the Jeanneau powerboat brands in North America.

“A key component of Jeanneau’s success in North America is a strong network of the most knowledgeable and customer-centered dealers possible throughout the continent. The Northeast is especially crucial to our growth since we’ve focused our product development towards versatile boats that are well suited to the demanding climate conditions of this region. We are both thrilled and honored to have a well-established partner like Louis Marine on our side,” said René Julien, sales manager for Jeanneau America’s powerboats division.

The Bassett Family has Served New England’s Boating Community for Over 68 years. Today, Lou and Carol Bassett’s sons Mike and Tim are truly “third generation” boat dealers. Such extensive industry history and boating experience translate into an extremely knowledgeable and family-oriented dealership…..a legacy that will continue for years and years to come.

“While Jeanneau’s powerboats have long established a leading position in Europe and other markets throughout the world, the Leader and New Concept ranges were only recently introduced to North America. We look forward to seeing Louis Marine (www.louismarine.com) represent our newest products at the Newport (Sept. 13-16) and Norwalk (Sept. 20-23) boat shows this fall”, added Julien.

“We are confident that these Jeanneau product lines well complement our existing portfolio of powerboats,” said President and owner Louis Bassett. “These very innovative Jeanneau Yachts offer a perfect mix of Euro-styling, quality craftsmanship and superior seaworthiness. Their design team continues to deliver on new products that will keep our northeast clients excited about new boat purchases. Our focus on customer service keeps our clients happy and returning for newer and bigger boats every few years.”

Today, Jeanneau is proud to rely on 2,500 employees and our network of over 300 distributors. Our customers help drive the innovation and quality that are the hallmarks of Jeanneau. As experienced sailors, their input enables our design and production teams to quickly implement new ideas and enhance proven ones. The result is a way of creating boats of extraordinary quality, value and timeless beauty. From the first artisan-crafted runabout to today’s precision-manufactured sail and power boats, our passion and commitment continue to spread world-wide.

Jeanneau Power Boats CT

Louis Marine has been awarded “Dealer of the Year” from Larson Boats for the 2011 Model Year!
We would like to personally thank the entire team in Little Falls, MN for all of their hard work manufacturing the American Dream! We promise to continue the success of our great partnership! Cheers!….To an outstanding 2012.

Louis Marine is proud to announce the addition of Striper walkarounds to our already popular lineup. While Key West concentrates more on center and dual consoles, the Seaswirl Striper brand focuses more on the walkaround variety. They are built to deliver a smooth, comfortable ride. Versatile cabin spaces make them both capable family cruisers and hardcore fishing machines with ample room for shipmates, gear and casting a line. Our first load of 2012 models should arrive late August.

In 1954 in a Milwaukee garage, Charlie Carter and George Verhagen began building mahogany-planked, high-speed runabouts. What started as a hobby soon turned into a business as word quickly spread, and the two fledgling boat builders began selling boats to friends. By combining the first three letters of their last names, the Carver Boat Corporation was born, and the Carver Yacht Group witnessed its humble beginnings.

Today, Carver Yachts continues to lead the industry in creating world-class cruising vessels. The future promises new and exciting developments to enhance the ultimate cruising experience that only a Carver can deliver.

Boats built by fishermen, for fishermen.

*Completely Foam injected (like a BOSTON WHALER)
*No-Wood Construction
*Fastest Growing Fishing Boat line in the Country

Since 1986, KEY WESTs goal has been to provide high quality, high value products enhanced by our commitment to customer service giving you the best value on the water. That same commitment to satisfaction is as deep today as ever. We have a very solid and stable dealer network located throughout the United States and abroad. These dealers understand and share our commitment to customer satisfaction. Key West has maintained skilled employees through an employee ownership program giving each employee pride in building a quality product. With two locations and over 160,000 square feet of operational facilities for design, manufacturing, sales, marketing, and customer service, we can maintain our leading edge on quality, technology, and value today.
About Key West
In 1986 two partners, Dale Martin and Hutch Holseberg, came together with a common dream; to build a high quality, value priced mid sized fishing boat, and to do it on their own. It took years of long hours and hard work but the dream has been realized with one of the largest selling mid sized fishing boats on the market today. A few years ago Dale decided to retire and was bought out by Hutch, who stands alone today as president and CEO of Key West Boats Inc., and is carrying on that dream still today.

The best way to learn about a Key West boat is to ask an owner. An owner enjoying his boat is the best advertisment in the world. We strive to keep a direct line of communication open to our dealers and our boat owners. We provide our customers with answers to their boating questions as well as an attentive ear to their suggestions.

Our line of outstanding boats are designed primarily for saltwater use both inshore and offshore, but will serve very well for rivers and the largest lakes. They are designed by fishermen, for fishermen, but can serve a family for any recreational activity on the water from skiing and tubing, to a peaceful cruise to be with nature. Each hull from 15′ to 29′ is designed and built for a smooth, fast ride with positive control and fuel efficiency. Every Key West boat meets or exceeds US Coast Guard Standards. Many Key West models are CE certified meeting some of the most stringent standards for safety, structural integrity, and stability in the world today. Starting with 2004 models, we back every boat with a TEN YEAR “TRANSFERABLE” STRUCTURAL HULL WARRANTY. We can back our boats better because we build them better. Introduced in 1992 with the 172 series, our time proven NO WOOD/NO ROT CONSTRUCTION will provide you with years of dependable service. Key West is your KEY to performance and quality, and “The Best Value on the Water Today”

Experience is Everything
The new Larson family of boats. Designed with your family in mind.
Through nearly a century of building better boats, we’ve learned a thing or two about the boating experience your family desires. Ever since Paul Larson built his first boat in 1913 in Little Falls, Minnesota, we’ve always delivered superior performance, style, technology and safety. But discovering your dream boat is about more than that. It’s about getting exactly what you want. Because when you find the right boat, it just feels right. Thanks to almost 100 years on the water, we’ve not only perfected the science behind giving you the best performance possible, we’ve perfected the art of offering you the best value. Take the Larson Five Point Promise for a test drive and experience it for yourself. Because experience is everything.

HOW DO YOU BUILD AN AMERICAN DREAM?
You start with an inkling of an opportunity. Lucky, then, for some to be born near the water. For they know the potential of things that float. Building little experiments out of balsa wood and paper, they stand at water’s edge for hours on end. They peer into the water, and scan the horizon, imagining themselves winding away from the shore, the wind in their hair, all childhood troubles left behind. Never mind the mosquitoes and the hot summer sun and a mother’s insistence on coming in to dinner. The lure of the water is a siren song that calls them back day after day…only to tear themselves away, reluctantly, when the late-night sun has finally set over the cattails and the trees over yonder. It is a song that rings in their ears even as adults. And when they dream, they still dream of sleek, fast boats that cut through the water like a diamond through glass. And, for the very lucky, sometimes that dream becomes a reality that lives on and on and on. Like Larson Boats.
1913
In rural Little Falls, Minnesota, the lure of the water was strong for young Paul Larson. At eleven, this son of poor Swedish immigrants built his first boat, a rough scow for fishing, with whatever he could find. In his own words, he used “…old lumber on the farm and rusty nails picked up from a burned down house.” By 1913, at just nineteen, Larson sketched a design for a duck hunting boat. Soon, others who saw the finished double-end craft wanted one “just like it.” With money from trapping, Paul bought a woodworking machine and founded the first Larson boat works on the east side of the Mississippi River. As one-cylinder outboards became popular, his business grew, serving the “cottage boom” on nearby Lake Alexander. From such humble beginnings, the Larson experience was born. Design was Paul Larson’s passion, and anyone who ever piloted a Larson boat could sense the careful hand of the designer. His creative legacy lives on in the thriving business that still bears his name.
1920s
Larson became the first Johnson dealer in Minnesota in 1922. To handle growing demand, a new boat factory was under construction by mid-decade. In his spare time, Paul became an avid boat racer. He won enough races to garner a fine collection of trophies and acclaim for his growing company. The company’s archives feature news clippings from the glamorous new pastime of full-tilt powerboat racing, from events held on the lakes and rivers of the Upper Midwest.
1930s

By mid-decade, purchases of lakeshore property increased. Larson, still selling directly to resorts and private buyers, accommodated increased demand with a line of wooden boats for the masses. New models had windshields, running lights, and “fancy upholstering.” At the end of the decade, the boat plant doubled its space. Distribution expanded beyond the Little Falls area, and a network of dealers grew. The stage was set to accommodate a life-changing development for the little company. A radical new boat, the Falls Flyer, appeared in the 1938 catalog and would soon take the boating world by storm.
1940s

In 1940, Paul Larson patented an idea for a boat that would capture the American heart: the Falls Flyer. This “new, original and ornamental Design for Boats” was a sleek, stylish, modern, wooden wonder with an airplane-like body and cockpit. Most notable was its abbreviated transom, surrounded by a rear deck that sloped to the waterline — still the industry standard for high-performance recreational outboards. But this craft had something more. Rendered in wood and later, aluminum, the boat always had that intangible quality that arouses a boat-lover’s passion. Today, collectors reminisce about buying an early original, seeing one for the first time, or saving one from a snow bank. “I guess if you wish hard enough, your dreams can indeed come true,” wrote one collector. A lovingly restored Falls Flyer still can turn heads — and steal hearts — today. Although the Falls Flyer was designed to emulate aircraft of its day, the compact shape, rounded lines, and responsive handling suggest a vintage roadster or sports car.
1950s

The new, space-age material — fiberglass — was stronger, lighter, and more watertight than wood. It could be molded into any shape the designer desired. In other words, it was perfect for Larson boats. The company stepped forward as a leader in applying fiberglass technology to pleasure boat manufacturing with the patented Rand Gun. And Larson emerged as a hot national brand name. In the 1950s, Larson introduced numerous flamboyant new designs, including the Cruisemaster, the Pla-Boy, and the Thunderhawk — a two-toned streak with a swooping sheerline and trademark tailfins. Larson also launched the fiberglass All-American line, undoubtedly the largest selling runabout model ever produced in the world. Although Larson stopped making the All-American in the 1990s, the memories it created for thousands of families will live forever. With its open rear cockpit and flat floor, the first 16-foot, fiberglass Larson All-American suggested the recreational roominess of today’s popular deck boats.
1960s

In 1967, the Little Falls Daily Transcript announced, “The future of the boat industry looks very bright as more lakes are opened, better accessible highways are completed and more families discover the pleasure of the outdoors.” The boom in recreation led to an increased interest in boating. In this decade, the Larson All-American line was expanded, and several new hulls were introduced, including the lapline hull with its cushiony “Million-Bubble Ride,” the deep V lapline, and the tri-hull. By 1969, Larson was the largest fiberglass runabout manufacturer in the world. The boom, and Paul Larson’s retirement, led the company into also manufacturing skis, hockey sticks, snowmobiles, travel trailers, even pool tables and other home entertainment equipment. One Larson boat catalog happily exclaimed, “This year… have some fun!” The secret of Larson’s success lay, in part, underwater. Sales literature emphasized the speed and smoothness of the ride, on uniquely designed Larson hulls.
1970s

In the 1970s, Larson held onto its prominent position in the marine market, thrilling boat buyers with stylish details. Runabouts flashed onto the scene with metallic finishes. The new Cruiser Home featured a beautifully styled hardtop and “posh interior appointments.” A 1972 day cruiser listed an 8-track stereo tape cartridge player as optional equipment. The “biggest and boldest” 1972 Larson of all, the Volero 217, boasted characteristic Larson qualities: “the response of a runabout, the comfort of a cruiser.” Following its forays into other recreational markets, the company regained its focus on its historic strengths: boat design and manufacturing. This enabled Larson, by the end of the decade, to make a run toward the trailerable cruiser market, an important, growing segment of the recreational boating market. Boats from the 1970s illustrate the simplicity of design, the importance of color, and fold-down sunlounger seats, as well as the addition of large cabin cruisers to the line.
1980s

The Delta-Conic hull was a dream for cruisers. It had a deep-V forward section for sharp entry into rough waters. But its aft area had two large, delta-shaped sections for fast planing performance and significantly more stability. The new Delta-Conic line of cruisers, outboards, and runabouts was immediately successful, and ensured a record-breaking sales year in 1985. Larson continued production of the All-American, and debuted more trailerable cruisers, sportabouts, and an expanded line of runabouts, including the high-style Senza V-hull series. Larson reached a further milestone with its first wide-body, nontrailerable cruiser, the luxurious 30-foot Contempra. Also in this decade, Larson was purchased by Minnesota investor Irwin Jacobs, and joined a conglomerate that became Genmar Industries.
1990s
The booming economy meant people wanted it all — luxury, speed, and versatility. A new ad slogan summed up Larson’s well-deserved reputation: “A Little Bit of Legend. A Whole Lot of Fun.” And Larson delivered, introducing new models and styling changes every year that reflected consumers’ confidence, as well as Larson’s mastery of recreational boat building. Large Cabrio cruisers were added to the line in 1991. New Escapade daycruisers were equipped for entertaining dockside or while underway. The SEi outboard boats were created as serious performance runabouts. While heart-pounding styling remained a priority, dependable Larson quality never faltered. A catalog description for the SEi line invited boat buyers to check the underside of the bow-seat cushions! Every surface was covered, every staple was hidden, and every fastener was stainless steel. From its founder, Paul Larson, the company learned early on that such attention to detail was what made a legend. The Larson LXi runabout series, was billed as “the lap of luxury.” Of course, it also featured the get-up-and-go built into every Larson boat.
TODAY

Small wonder that this experienced little boat company from Little Falls should recently have a big impact on the industry. Again. After nearly a century of firsts, Larson Boats continues its heritage of pride and integrity in design and workmanship. In the year 2000, Larson began producing boats using a revolutionary new fiberglass technology. It’s called VEC™. And its innovative, closed-mold approach results in boats built all in one piece — for a fiberglass part that’s consistent and uniform throughout. Larson boats made using the VEC process are more durable, perform better, look better, and hold their value better. Explore this year’s new Larson models, and see what a difference 90 years of experience can make. Of course as always, every detail is crafted to perfection. And the performance offers exactly what a Larson pleasure boat always has. Inimitable styling. Confidence. Speed. Ease. Comfort. In a Larson, the ride around the lake never felt smoother. Or more exhilarating. Welcome aboard the American dream, twenty-first century style.

What is the VEC process?