In order to understand why the new Triton Boats TR Series is so far ahead of their competition in design, one must look at the life of the boat company’s owner, Earl Bentz. Though known throughout the boating industry as a fair, compassionate, but extremely innovative entrepreneur, Bentz actually became famous as a member of the Mercury Racing Team, where he won nine national and two world championships as a boat racing driver.

Long before the fame, however, Earl Bentz paid his dues by working as a teenager in his uncle’s boat dealership, and after his racing days, he shifted his interests into the fledgling bass boat industry. He quickly became one of the innovative leaders, and was the first driver to ever pilot a boat with a V-6 outboard while helping Hydra-Sports Boats develop high-performance bass boats.

In 1983, Earl Bentz formed the Stratos Boat Company, which he later sold to Outboard Marine Corporation (Johnson and Evinrude). He was then hired as the president of the OMC Fishing Boat Group (Stratos, Javelin, Hydra-Sports, and Quest fresh and saltwater boats), and vice-president of OMC.

Though tremendously successful as a top industry executive, the pioneer spirit that had led Earl Bentz to the pinnacle of the boating business began to itch again. So, he left OMC and formed Triton Boats in 1996 with a mission to build the finest high performance fishing boats in the world.

Bentz assembled a staff of experts with more than 1,700 years of experience in the boating industry. This unique group of innovative engineers has built boats using technology that was formerly only found in stealth bombers. In fact, they completely eliminated the use of wood in any of their new fiberglass boats. Instead, all Triton boats rely heavily on composite materials for both light weight and extra strength.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the new 2001 Tr-Series bass boat is its radical "floating" console design. In a traditional bass boat, the console is molded to the deck as a single unit. This requires extensive fiberglass cutting around the sides and floor during the manufacturing and rigging process, which can weaken the structural integrity of the boat. The 2001 Triton Tr-Series, however, features consoles that are totally separate molded units. This new console is both bolted to deck and floor and attached with industrial-strength 3M 5200 adhesive for a super-strong, waterproof bond.

When sitting behind the wheel of one of Triton’s new Tr-Series bass boats, the advantages of the radically-new modular console design become immediately evident. Entrance and exit have been greatly enhanced because the consoles literally float out from the deck rather than jut up from the floor, thereby eliminating side pillars (and bumped knees). The console’s molded floor is covered with non-skid mat and features a foot rest that literally locks the driver into his seat for greater security in rough water. Because no cutout exists beneath the console, carpet is not necessary to hide rough edges and splinters. Also, Triton’s floating console design is not only more functional and stylish, it is far more structurally rigid than a conventional bass boat console.

Instrumentation has also been enhanced for 2001. All gauges and controls have been repositioned to the console face so that the driver need not divert his eyes to the side for even a second while making a high-speed run to his fishing hole. On Dual Console models, Triton’s floating console design benefits the passenger as well. Passenger legroom and ease of entry are far superior to those of traditional twin-console boats. Passengers have two molded footrests for unparalleled security and a convenient glove box, positioned where wind and rain can’t get in.

Many smart boaters are already using some of the first of these new boats to hit the market, and orders seem to be coming quickly for this latest Earl Bentz design. The quiet man from Nashville, Tennessee has again proven to be the first with the best, and we who use his products appreciate the effort.

Find out more about Bill Vanderford on his website http://www.fishinglanier.com, or drop him an email at [email protected]