With a dedicated team behind the Missouri-based brand, Black Thunder Offshore is poised to make a sizable comeback.

https://www.offshoreonly.com/article...-black-thunder

Great "comeback story" but I really can't see anyone lining up to buy one. The I/O offerings are a dead end, the minute you add the 350K in Mercury powertrain you instantly realize the idea is off to a bad start. The people that owned new BT's back in the day have moved on from that style of boating so while they might have BT fans, they don't have BT buyers signing on the dotted line! Just to put it in perspective, there are 4 Apaches in the OSO classifieds right now and only 3 BTs.

The OB stuff might get some traction but you are still selling a 20+ year old hull design. After adding 4-5 400s then you get stuck in the same rut, the boat is going to cost way too much. Look at the Fountain "come back," even with Reggie back at the factory they aren't selling I/O stuff in any significant numbers. I do see a lot of CC's being advertised at dealers.

I hope they come back , it will be nice to have another powerboat manufacture producing boats again.

x2

Always the optimist
I guess that Cig isn't going to sell any of their 17 year old hull designs either

I say good luck to Black Thunder and hope they do well

Always loved the 32 flat deck. Not sure they even have that mold anymore. Best of luck to them. Good to see not one mention of a Bravo 43 or 46!

Wishing them much success! Nice to see them jumping back in. I like the 43 flat deck!

Can't believe I am saying this but I like the looks of the 471 HS sport.

Why wouldn't a semi go fast with outboards and a huge cabin sell? Yes the cost is high but so are the tons of multi engine CC's. I mean what does a new Mystic sell for?
Everyone keeps saying how they want OB's,,,,,,,, well not everyone wants them on a CC.

A. Cig isn't keeping the doors open by building I/O anything! Just like Nortech/Sunsation, their core business is building OB powered stuff.
B. No one is updating old vee hull designs except OL as it is their sole business right now.
C. Let's say the hey day of I/O sport boats was 2004-2006, even then Black Thunder wasn't killing it. Go back and look at FPC poker run photos from that era and start counting how many BT's are in the shots. Now compare that to any other sportboat company that was producing boats in 2004-06. BT might beat out Profile in popularity.


Remember this thread from 2014:
Market Analysis Game.......500K to spend

500K to spend (free money).........can't remember a single person saying they would buy a black thunder! If they won't spend free money on a BT then what chance to they have spending real money on one?

With all due respect, I have to disagree with much of what you are spewing... Cig is absolutely selling I/O setups. They may not be in your back yard but they are being shipped all over the world. I have hauled a number of them for paint. I am not saying Blenders are not the more popular at the moment, but they are still selling enough I/O's to "keep the doors open" just fine.

Black Thunder has a couple of readout bill boards running non stop at LOTO. They have pictures of the many different models they are introducing. They DO NOT look like the old hull designs.Granted they are a digital bill board looking to get your attention w/TONS of color, but the lines look much more fluid than the older square box design. Give them a chance. It's not your money taking a chance so give them some credit for trying...