Catchercraft is Retiring

[BDD]

Catchercraft will be retiring at the end of 2023, after 12 years and a great run. Ken Rambow built his first boat frame in 1988, the year I graduated from high school. Close to two thousand boat frames 35 years later, Ken will (mostly) be hanging up his welding mask to pursue other endeavors. There were two guys who were very interested in keeping the Catchercraft name going, but one had to decline for health reasons and the other because his financial backing fell through.

Ken and I are proud of the business we built together. We tried our best to provide high-value, quality products at a reasonable price and excellent customer service to go along with it. Our fishing and family time definitely took a cut, but we hope our customers appreciated the sacrifice. In the close to 800 boats we sold under the Catchercraft name, I can only recall two, maybe three customers who were not fully satisfied with their product and asked for a refund, which we happily returned.

With the extra time that will be available to us, Ken plans to fish more and perhaps even pick up the shot gun again to renew his love for bird hunting. I hope to do the same, in addition to finishing a new place we just started building in Ellensburg and spending more time with grandchildren. What a blessing those little ones have been!

We are cancelling our phone number and closing other business aspects at the end of the month but may have a few final specials to list. In addition, we may have some accessories available in small quantities (oars, straps, seats, etc.) if anyone is interested.

Thanks for your support, we hope you have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and a safe boating and fishing season in 2024 and beyond.

David Duvall and Ken Rambow

 

[Buzzy]

Catchercraft will be retiring at the end of 2023, after 12 years and a great run. Ken Rambow built his first boat frame in 1988, the year I graduated from high school. Close to two thousand boat frames 35 years later, Ken will (mostly) be hanging up his welding mask to pursue other endeavors. There were two guys who were very interested in keeping the Catchercraft name going, but one had to decline for health reasons and the other because his financial backing fell through.

Ken and I are proud of the business we built together. We tried our best to provide high-value, quality products at a reasonable price and excellent customer service to go along with it. Our fishing and family time definitely took a cut, but we hope our customers appreciated the sacrifice. In the close to 800 boats we sold under the Catchercraft name, I can only recall two, maybe three customers who were not fully satisfied with their product and asked for a refund, which we happily returned.

With the extra time that will be available to us, Ken plans to fish more and perhaps even pick up the shot gun again to renew his love for bird hunting. I hope to do the same, in addition to finishing a new place we just started building in Ellensburg and spending more time with grandchildren. What a blessing those little ones have been!

We are cancelling our phone number and closing other business aspects at the end of the month but may have a few final specials to list. In addition, we may have some accessories available in small quantities (oars, straps, seats, etc.) if anyone is interested.

Thanks for your support, we hope you have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and a safe boating and fishing season in 2024 and beyond.

David Duvall and Ken Rambow

Dave - I guess "congratulations" are in order (that's what I heard and appreciated when I retired). Good luck to both of you* and to your families. Yup, grandkids are a real blessing. /Pat

* (I'm guessing you are still working that other job.)

 

[Kado]

Congrats! I’ve been very happy with my raft. I would definitely be interested in an extra oar! : )

 

[Guy Gregory]

Thanks for running a great business and producing a great product. Best wishes to you both!

 

[cole_p]

I've loved my freestone single man raft and it always gets comments at the boat ramp. Thanks for answering my questions even though I bought it second hand (from another member here, per your recommendation). Best of luck in retirement, enjoy it!

 

[Yard Sale]

I gave you your flowers on the other site, but will say you guys built a river specific rig that was needed and nobody else provided. Looks like the industry is still catching up

 

[BDD]

Thanks for the comments and feedback. I was able to meet a lot of nice folks and fish a lot of cool areas I otherwise would never have done. For the record, only Ken and Catchercraft are retiring. I'll still be working on hatchery and habitat issues for salmon and steelhead in the upper Columbia for a number of years still. Ken will probably build a few more boats for family and friends on occasion and we have a small number of pontoon and rafts available, some with NRS frames. Once we get passed the holidays, I may be posting a couple boats.

 

[Sam Roffe]

happy retirement Ken. David, looking forward to following your new adventures. Always enjoy your post, and hope to run into you on the River this year..