Playcraft Boats Founder Jim Dorris Dies At 75

Jim Dorris, well-known in the boating world as the founder of Playcraft Boats, has died at age 75. Dorris was a familiar face at Lake of the Ozarks powerboating events, including the annual Shootout races.

Dorris' obituary is below.

Jimmie Darrell "Jim" Dorris, son of Darrell and Mary Scales Dorris, was born in Morton, Mississippi, on April 25, 1944, and departed this life on December 9, 2022, in Kissimmee, Florida, at the age of seventy-eight years.

Jim graduated from high school in Morton, Mississippi and continued his education by briefly attending a junior college. He soon joined the Army National Guard and proudly served our country until his Honorable Discharge in 1969. In 1968, he started building MonArk boats in Arkansas and in 1972, relocated to Missouri to work for Appleby Aluminum Boats. Jim officially started his own boat building company building Playcraft and Charger Boats, in 1974. After twenty years of building boats, Jim began brainstorming on combining the comfort of a pontoon boat with performance. Thus the Hydrotoon was developed, later known as PowerToon. His claim to fame will always be speed and his legacy in the pontoon industry really began in 1995, with the PowerToon design that changed the pontoon industry. Simply said, Jim Dorris loved boating.

On July 23, 1977, Jim was united in marriage with the love of his life and forever best friend, Carolyn Merritt, and together they have shared forty-five years, of love, laughter and precious memories together.

Jim is survived by his wife Carolyn Dorris; two sons, Joe Dorris and his wife Kim of Lebanon, MO and David Dorris of Camdenton, MO; his daughter-in-law, Betty Dorris of Springfield, MO; seven grandchildren, J.T. Dorris and his wife Melissa, Nicholas Dorris, Kaylee Dorris and fiancée Devante Chew, Kyle Dorris and his wife Ally, Kolby Dorris, Paige Dorris, Chance DeVos, and two step-grandchildren, Chris Thomas and his wife Jenny and Carrie Smallwood and her husband Billy; five great-grandchildren, Ava, Jemma, Adara, Amiah and Creedence and three step-grandchildren, Makenzie, Ian and Liam; his brother, Tom Dorris and sister, Bev Orich and her husband Rick, of the state of Indiana; father and mother-in-law, George and Beverly Merritt of Kissimmee, Florida; sister-in-law, Marilyn McIntyre and her husband Bill of Kissimmee Florida; several nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and many dear neighbors and friends.

Those preceding him in death include his parents, two sons, Jimmie Darrell “Bo” Dorris, Jr. and Vince DeVos.

Funeral service for Jimmie Dorris, will be at 2:00 P.M., Friday, December 16, 2022, at First Baptist Church, 311 N. Madison, Lebanon, Missouri, with Pastor Matt Taylor, officiating. Visitation will begin at 12:00 P.M., until service time at 2:00 P.M., also at the First Baptist Church, burial will follow in the Mt. Rose Memorial Park Cemetery.

Memorials have been suggested in memory of Jim to the First Baptist Church, Lebanon, Missouri. Donations may be left at or mailed to Shadel’s Colonial Chapel, P.O. Box 948 or 1001 N. Lynn, Lebanon, MO 65536.