One of the biggest names in Lake of the Ozarks boating just got… well, bigger.
Wake Effects owner Rusty Rahm has announced that he has sold the company to Big Thunder Marine. Rahm purchased Wake Effects five years ago, but told SpeedOnTheWater.com he needs to focus on his family and on other business ventures. He says he didn’t put the company out to any other potential buyers, but wanted Big Thunder to take Wake Effects to the next level. The business will now be called “Wake Effects by Big Thunder.” SpeedOnTheWater.com reported the business will stay in the same location at least through 2018 and the current employees will be retained.
The acquisition brings what is arguably the local powerhouse in wakesports to the fast-growing Big Thunder brand. Wake Effects is the Lake area’s MasterCraft dealer.
photo courtesy Big Thunder Marine
Big Thunder began years ago with partners Bob Morgan and JT Tillman, but the men’s untimely death in a boat crash off the Florida Keys in 2011 left the company and brand in limbo. But in the past few years, Big Thunder has been purchased and is being quickly revitalized.
Glencove Marina, Tritoon Town, and Lake Ozarks Marine were quickly brought under the Big Thunder brand. The company is constructing a huge showroom in Lake Ozark that is expected to open early in 2018.
The new showroom will display a wide selection of new boats for all marine activities including: Pontoon and Tritoon by Manitou, South Bay and JC Tritoon, Monterey Sport Boats and Cruisers, as well as Baja, Fountain and Donzi high performance boats. And now, there will be MasterCraft boats too.
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In an interview with SpeedOnTheWater.com, Big Thunder General Manager Jeremy Anderson said, “From Big Thunder’s standpoint, we want to own your dock, meaning we want 100 percent of the boats on your dock to come from and be cared for by one of our brands. Between the marinas, the showrooms, the pro shops and the wide range of boats—both new and pre-owned—you don’t need to go anywhere else.”
Rahm reportedly plans on retaining Wake Effects Offshore Racing, and plans to run the 48-foot catamaran he bought from Bob Bull’s Team CMS at future powerboat races.
Lake Shots photo
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