Bayliner - a career as dynamic as the boats themselves
Edson sold his own racing boat in a parking lot in Seattle, Washington under the name Advanced Outboard Marine (AOM). In 1957 AOM sold its first Bayliner, a wooden boat manufactured by Al Koffel and his brother in Tacoma, Washington. By 1958, Edson's business had grown so much that he opened a Bayliner showroom. What began as a marketplace for used boats - as Bayliner - soon blossomed into an exclusive dealership for various brands offering a well balanced range of new and used motor boats. Besides the boats, Edson also sold outboard motors and eventually became the official dealer for the Mercury Marine.
Bayliner: From used boat dealer to yacht manufacturer
Once he had established a competitive and profitable boat dealership, Edson turned his hand to boat manufacturing. He bought the Bayliner name for $100 from his long-time supplier and friend Al Koffel (note that the Brunswick Cooperation bought Bayliner in 1986 for around 400 million US dollars). Production began in a barn at the Liefer Berry Farm in Marysville, Washington. In 1968 Bayliner expanded production into a rented World War II hanger in Arlington, Washington. By this point, Bayliner had nearly one hundred dealers in the United States and Canada. A year later, in 1969, the first Bayliner assembly plant was built. This site was to remain Bayliner's manufacturing base for over 40 years.
Bayliner joins the Brunswick Cooperation
In 1986 Bayliner joined the Brunswick Corporation and is now one of the world's largest maritime organisations, with distributors and dealerships in over fifty countries around the globe. In 1998 Bayliner hit an all-time high, selling more than 49,857 boats in one year.
