American marine retailer Outdoor Network has acquired NauticStar Boats, with plans to establish manufacturing in North Carolina and create 179 jobs.
Outdoor Network has added boatbuilding to its marine retail and parts business, acquiring American powerboat manufacturer NauticStar Boats in August 2026.
The company plans to spend more than US$6 million establishing production at Chocowinity, North Carolina. The 19,700 square metre facility sits near the Pamlico River, with 179 new jobs anticipated as manufacturing develops.
What will NauticStar build?
Bay boats, hybrids, deck boats and offshore centre consoles are all on the production list.
Outdoor Network also intends to upgrade manufacturing equipment and develop new models. Exactly when production will begin, and which boats will come off the line first, remains unannounced.
The acquisition takes Outdoor Network beyond its existing retail operations, which include Boats.net, Partzilla.com and six Boater's World Marine Centers. Those businesses already serve American boat owners and dealers through boat sales and replacement parts.
NauticStar's dealer network will be important to the new operation. The company has promised attention to boat availability, parts supply and warranty support, although it has yet to explain how existing warranty obligations will be managed.
North Carolina is supporting the factory project with a conditional US$375,000 grant. Payments depend on employment and investment targets, along with matching local government participation.
A third owner in nine years
NauticStar was based in Amory, Mississippi, when MasterCraft purchased the company for approximately US$79.8 million in October 2017.
Five years later, in September 2022, MasterCraft sold the business to affiliates of Iconic Marine Group.
Outdoor Network has not disclosed the price of its August 2026 acquisition. Annual production capacity and a timetable for the first completed boats have also not been announced.
Sources: NauticStar Boats, 27 October 2026 and North Carolina Department of Commerce, 26 August 2026.
