Something for Everyone

Quality boats for recreation or hardcore fishing, Apex Marine has

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

By Qwest Pontoons

Mark Dupuie probably never thought that playing softball in a local tavern league could lead to owning three brands of boats right here in Michigan. Apex Marine proudly offers Qwest, Angler Qwest, and Polar Kraft brands being built in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that now covers 120,000 square feet.

Softball player Mark Dupuie really ended up swinging for the fence.

“I had been working at Playbuoy Pontoons (currently known as Avalon/Tahoe brands) since 1984,” Dupuie said. “I come from an accounting background and worked in several capacities but ended up as the director of sales. I played softball with a guy, and he asked me to come take a look at a new concept he had in pontoon boats.”

Dupuie arrived at the barn of Doug Mellinger, a man known locally as one of the best welders in the area.

“These were small, six- and sevenfoot-wide pontoon boats that Doug called the Gillgetter series,” he said. “As a favor, I brought dealers I knew to Doug’s facility, and nearly every one of them ordered Gillgetters.”

Dupuie ended up buying the small brand in 2003 with yearly sales of the pontoons at about 230 units. Today, they move around 3,500, but the success of the Gillgetter was just scratching the surface of the growing company.

Even though the Gillgetter was small, he loved how stable they were, and how much room that had to offer compared to deep V’s and flat bottoms of the same length. He knew that the market for a “mini” pontoon was finite. So, after a lot of R&D, late nights and endless pots of coffee, Dupuie brought Qwest Pontoon Boats to life in 2005.

He wanted something that wasn’t already on the market.

“I wanted stability and the tritoons proved awesome for that in rough water,” he said. “But I wanted something that an entire family could enjoy, even with a couple friends, and if they wanted to fish or simply cruise they all could be happy.”

Mission accomplished, and with class to boot. The Qwest line was not developed to be entry level. It might even be considered a rig that someone “moves up” to after

figuring out what they’re missing and what was skimped on by an entry-level vessel.

In 2005, Dupuie made another move by bringing on his brother, Brad, who had been an engineer in the automobile industry. Both brothers were angling fanatics and wanted to take the pontoon boats to the next level in terms of having rigs that were specifically designed for anglers - even tournament anglers.

“We had the advantage of having owned glass boats, aluminum boats, of varying hull types and found out how they ran in rough water, shallow water, and rivers,” he said. “We wanted something that did all of the above, with more space and safety, while STILL being family-friendly.”

Angler Qwest wasn’t just a new fishing pontoon, it was a new category. They were so innovative that Angler Qwest won the Innovation Award in the pontoon segment at the 2015 Miami International Boat Show. These boats weren’t standard pontoons with a fishing seat and a skimpy livewell; they were actually designed for specific species, and even to some degree, regions.

“We have models that are for trolling, stripers down south, catfish, panfish, crappie, and hybrids that can work out for about anything,” he said. “They have been very well received.”

Done yet? Nope. It was time to add a conventional fishing line to Apex.

“Polar Kraft has been around since 1951”, he said. “I was familiar with the brand and knew they were financially distressed. What sold me were the people who worked there in the trenches. Some had been there for decades and took pride in their work. I knew we could fix the management problems. It was the workers and the brand’s tough reputation that attracted me.”

With the buying power of three brands Apex has the ability to buy raw materials at better prices and has the clout to GET materials when inventory among the industry is scarce.

“We strive not to become complacent in our engineering, our equipment, or our manufacturing processes,” Dupuie said. “If we need new CNC machinery or robotics, we invest in these technologies because, in the long run, it pays for itself.”

LS 822 SPLASH BAR

ANGLER QWEST PRO TROLL