# Wellcraft

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{{Short description|Powerboats manufacturer in America}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2026}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}}
'''Wellcraft''' is a brand of American [powerboats](/source/Motorboat). It was founded in 1955, making wooden [runabouts](/source/runabout_(boat)).<ref name=Mknew>{{cite book|last1=McKnew|first1=Ed|title=2008 PowerBoat Guide|date=November 2007|publisher=American Marine Publishing|isbn=978-0977353941|page=469}}</ref> The company is owned by [Groupe Beneteau](/source/Groupe_Beneteau), part of its Rec Boat subsidiary. 

==Acquisitions==
In 1982, Wellcraft purchased California Yachts from the Marshall Boat Company and in 1987 sold it back to them.<ref>{{cite book|last1=McKnew|first1=Ed|title=2008 PowerBoat Guide|date=November 2007|publisher=American Marine Publishing|isbn=978-0977353941|page=46|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7K1jVSAfQX8C&dq=%22Wellcraft%22%20-wikipedia&pg=PA46}}</ref>

In 2014, [Groupe Beneteau](/source/Groupe_Beneteau) acquired Rec Boat Holdings (Wellcraft, [Four Winns](/source/Four_Winns), [Scarab](/source/Scarab_(boat)), and [Glastron](/source/Glastron)).{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

==Education programs==
Wellcraft created the Wellcraft Saltwater [Fishing](/source/Fishing) School to teach new Wellcraft owners how to become better fishermen. It also created Wellcraft's High Performance [Boot Camp](/source/Training_camp) to teach new Wellcraft owners how to get "maximum thrills" out of their new purchase while operating them safely.<ref name="academy">{{cite book |last1=Kovach |first1=Brad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4fh6rZTY9UgC&dq=%22Wellcraft%22%20-wikipedia&pg=PA81 |title=Angling Academy |date=April 2001 |publisher=MotorBoating |page=81 |access-date=30 August 2015}}</ref>

==Product line==
Its [Scarab line of boats](/source/Scarab_(boat)), specifically, the ''Scarab 38 KV'' was featured on ''[Miami Vice](/source/Miami_Vice)''. The Wellcraft Scarab 38 KVs were a 28-hued, twin 440-[hp](/source/Horsepower) boat that sold for $130,000 in 1986. As a result of the publicity the show gave Wellcraft, the company received "an onslaught of orders", increasing sales by 21 percent in one year.<ref name="boatsofmiamivice">{{Cite journal |last=Davis |first=Chris |date=June 1986 |title=The Boats of Miami Vice |journal=Motor Boating and Sailing |volume=157 |issue=6 |pages=36–40}}</ref>

In appreciation, Wellcraft gave [Don Johnson](/source/Don_Johnson) an exact duplicate of the boat featured on the show.<ref name=boatsofmiamivice/> Altogether, one hundred copies of the boat (dubbed the "Scarab 38KV Miami Vice Edition") were built by Wellcraft.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Benoit |first=Ellen |title=Just Like On TV |journal=[Forbes](/source/Forbes) |page=106 |date=1986-04-07 }}</ref> The ''Miami Vice'' graphics and color scheme, which included turquoise, aqua, and orchid, was available by special order on any model Scarab from 20–38 feet.<ref name=popularmechanics>{{Cite journal|last=Cole |first=Tim |title=The Machines of Miami Vice: The car, the boats, the guns that make it TV's hottest show |journal=[Popular Mechanics](/source/Popular_Mechanics) |volume=152 |issue=5 |pages=89–91 |publisher=Hearst Corp. |date=May 1986 }}</ref>

Don Johnson also designed the Scarab Excel 43&nbsp;ft, Don Johnson Signature Series (DJSS), and [raced](/source/Boat_racing) a similar one. The Don Johnson Signature Series was powered by twin 650-hp [Lamborghini](/source/Lamborghini) V-12's, which caused some problems to the design of the boat due to their size. Overall the boat cost $300,000 with each engine amounting to between $60–$70,000.<ref name="starshipvice">{{Cite journal |last=Schryver |first=Doug |date=February 1988 |title=Don Johnson's new Scarab gets all the bells and whistles Wellcraft can muster, plus a few new tricks. You can own one, too – for a price. |journal=Starship |pages=116–119, 202–203}}</ref>

==Starwind division==
{{Redirect-distinguish|Starwind|Star Wind|StarWind Software}}
In the 1980s, Wellcraft started a [sailboat](/source/sailboat) division, called Starwind. The division operated until about 1984, producing a line of small sailboats, including the [Starwind 19](/source/Starwind_19), [Starwind 22](/source/Starwind_22), [Starwind 223](/source/Starwind_223) and [Buccaneer 18](/source/Buccaneer_18) [centerboard](/source/centerboard) boats.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=95|title = Starwind 223 sailboat specifications and details|access-date = 25 July 2018|last = Browning|first = Randy|work = sailboatdata.com|year = 2018|archive-date = 25 July 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180725183846/http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=95|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url =http://sailboatdata.com/view_builder.asp?builder_id=573|title =Starwind (USA)  |access-date = 25 July 2018|last= Browning| first = Randy |work = sailboatdata.com|year = 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/buccaneer-18|title= Buccaneer 18 sailboat |access-date= 7 October 2020|last= McArthur| first= Bruce |work= sailboatdata.com|year= 2020|archive-url= https://archive.today/20201007170033/https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/buccaneer-18|archive-date= 7 October 2020 |url-status= live}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official website|www.wellcraft.com}}

{{Starwind}}

Category:Wellcraft

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Wellcraft](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellcraft) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellcraft?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.