Key Takeaways:
- A hunting and fishing company is entering watersports.
- Kent Outdoors’ leadership team stays in place.
- Kent’s recent history includes a private equity deal, a headquarters relocation, and a new credit facility.
Pradco Outdoor Brands, a subsidiary of privately held, family-owned Ebsco Industries, Inc., has acquired Kent Outdoors, the watersports and marine safety company behind HO Sports, Hyperlite, Bote, O’Brien, Connelly, and Liquid Force, Pradco announced Oct. 1. The announcement did not include financial terms.
Kent Outdoors represents Pradco’s first investment in the watersports and marine safety categories. Pradco’s existing portfolio is made up of hunting and fishing brands including Moultrie, Summit, Whitetail Institute, Heddon, Booyah, Yum, and Bobby Garland.
Established in 1959, Kent Outdoors also owns Onyx, Full Throttle, Kent Safety Products, Aquaglide, FatSac, Barefoot International, and Seipel Marine.
Kent will retain its leadership team, with Pradco supporting product development and additional brand acquisitions in the watersports and marine safety categories. Kent Outdoors CEO Randy Hales will oversee the transition through 2026. President CJ Vlahovich, who has more than 30 years of experience at Kent, will remain and lead the business.
“Pradco’s long-term investment philosophy and proven approach to building consumer brands aligns perfectly with Kent’s mission to create products that provide more opportunities in, on and around the water,” Vlahovich said in a statement. “Together, we are positioned to accelerate growth, expand our reach across our diverse customer network, and invest even more deeply in creating the very best branded products in watersports.”
Robert Schoenvogel, President of Pradco Outdoor Brands, also commented on the acquisition.
“Pradco’s investment and brand management approach is grounded in a long-term, generational view,” Schoenvogel said in a statement. “Kent Outdoors is managed by a talented and dedicated team, and the brands represented in the Kent portfolio are trusted across a wide spectrum of watersport activities.”
Kent’s Recent History
Seawall Capital, a middle-market private equity firm, announced in January 2021 that it had acquired Kent Water Sports Holdings, LLC for an undisclosed amount. The transaction closed Dec. 31, 2020. Kent was based in New London, Ohio, at the time and its portfolio included more than 15 brands.
With its 2021 acquisition of Bote, the company rebranded from Kent Watersports to Kent Outdoors. In October 2023, Seawall announced that Kent would relocate its headquarters to Summit County, Utah, and projected adding 84 jobs over five years.
In 2024, Kent opened a lakeside water ski production and innovation facility in Arlington, Wash., serving HO Sports and Connelly. Dave Wingerter, Vice President of Product Management and Global Brand Director at HO Sports Company, said at the time that the lake allows the team to test new designs immediately after production. He also said Kent was investing in automation for water ski manufacturing, all of which would be managed domestically.
In December 2025, Kent secured a $90 million asset-based revolving credit facility from PNC Business Credit.
“This financing gives Kent the resources to manage seasonal demand, maintain partnerships with vendors and retailers, and continue supporting its outdoor brands,” Hales said in a statement at the time.
