About Rampage

Rampage was built in the 1980s by Pearson Yachts in Rhode Island, one of the brands in the Tillotson Pearson group alongside Freedom and J Boats, and the boats were drawn for offshore fishing in New England water. The luxury tax of the early 1990s pushed the division into bankruptcy. KCS International, the Wisconsin company that owns Cruisers Yachts, bought the name out of that bankruptcy and restarted production from new molds in 1999, first in Wisconsin and then at a 344,000 square foot plant on the Cape Fear River at Navassa, North Carolina, before consolidating back to Oconto, Wisconsin. The line settled at express boats from about 30 to 41 feet plus a 45 Convertible.

MarineMax bought KCS International in 2021 for $63 million, but the deal was announced as a Cruisers Yachts purchase, Rampage does not appear in the Cruisers lineup today, and the Rampage website no longer answers, so a buyer should treat the brand as out of production. In practice that is a manageable problem. Most Rampages on the market are 1999 onward hulls with conventional shaft driven diesels, so the engines, gears and running gear are serviceable at any yard, and the boats were built plainly enough that a competent glass shop can look after the rest. They suit an owner who wants a genuine fishing boat under 45 feet without paying Carolina custom prices. Put the survey money into engine hours and records, the cockpit sole and stringers, and the fuel tanks, and ask the broker to establish what is still available for anything brand specific, because that is where an out of production name actually costs you.