Yar-Craft
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Yar-Craft Boat Co., Inc.
1300 30th Ave.
Menominee, Michigan
John Dallman left Thompson Boats to start Yar-Craft Boats. His new company began business on May 22, 1969 (The Past with Remembrance- the Future with Longing, 1883-1983: History of the City of Menominee, Michigan).
History by Andreas Jordahl Rhude
Trouble struck in 1997 when Thompson, once again, closed down. By 1998 they were back in business and making boats in limited production. They even brought back the old 1950s-1960s company logo, to distance themselves from the tumultuous mid 1990s. Two years later Yar-Craft of Menominee, Michigan was using the St. Charles facility to mold their models. There were rumors that Yar-Craft was in negotiations to purchase the assets of Thompson with the idea of keeping the Thompson “Fisherman” lines and abandoning the remainder of the models. The alleged deal never materialized and by late 2001 Thompson was closed down. The phone lines were disconnected and the facility was locked up.
The Yar-Craft association with Thompson in 2000-2001 is quite interesting. Yar-Craft was formed in 1969 by Jack Dallman at Menominee. He had been employed as vice – president and general manager of Thompson from 1967 to 1969 during the Saul Padek regime.
