PRADCO Acquires Kent Outdoors and Expands Into Marine Safety

PRADCO enters watersports and marine safety through Kent Outdoors

PRADCO Outdoor Brands has acquired Kent Outdoors, adding a portfolio of watersports and marine-safety businesses to its consumer-brands operation. The transaction is PRADCO’s first investment in these two categories.

Kent Outdoors traces its history to 1959 and owns brands including BOTE, HO Sports, Hyperlite, O’Brien, Connelly, Liquid Force, Onyx, Full Throttle, Kent Safety Products, Aquaglide, FatSac, Barefoot International and Seipel Marine. The portfolio spans tow sports, paddlesports, flotation, safety equipment and other water-focused consumer products.

Kent leadership remains in place through the transition

PRADCO says the existing leadership team will remain in place. Chief executive Randy Hales will oversee the transition through 2026, while president CJ Vlahovich will continue to lead the business.

The buyer says it intends to support product development and further acquisitions in watersports and marine safety. That gives Kent’s brands access to a broader consumer-products platform while preserving the specialist management already operating the marine portfolio.

Acquisition brings several yacht-adjacent brands under one owner

Products from BOTE, Aquaglide, Liquid Force and related brands regularly appear around yachts, tenders, marinas and charter operations even though the transaction itself is broader than the superyacht sector. Marine-safety brands in the group also serve recreational and professional users across a wide range of craft.

For the marine industry, the deal is another example of consolidation around established specialist brands. The important test will be whether PRADCO’s long-term ownership model accelerates product investment without weakening the technical identity and dealer relationships that made those businesses valuable in the first place.