Rinker’s Boat World demonstrated its ‘95 line on February 25-26 at Del Lago Marina. The show was open to the public and boaters came from Houston, Dallas and New Orleans to see what the boat dealer is offering this year. Twelve of Rinker’s boats were shown from the 14’ 7” Rinker Rocket to the 28’ Cruiser. J.C. Pontoons from 20’-30’ were demo’d as was the Rinker Bullet, the bass boat. The Rinker Bullet is available in a 20’ boat and a 21’ 10” boat. The latter sells for $21,995 with a Bass 150 Suzuki and is the most popular size. New to the line this year is the Rinker 212 Bow-Rider and the Rinker Rocket. Also shown was the Rinker Flotilla, the J.C. 203 Fishing Pontoon, the 22 Tri-Toon with a 150 fuel-injected Suzuki and the 20’ Bullet Bass Boat with a 150 fuel-injected Suzuki. Expected at the show were 28-30 clients from the Gulf Coast area. Most were follow-ups from Houston’s January ‘95 Boat Show who wanted to see the boats perform. Jerry Rinker of Rinker’s Boat World said he hoped “to show the quality and performance of the Rinker line” while the company celebrates its 50th year of building boats. The Rinker line of boats is built in Syracuse, Indiana, by Rinker Boat Company, a company started by Jerry’s father, Lossie Rinker, in 1945. Bobby Schields, Jerry Rinker’s future son-in-law, was on hand to show the boats to clients. He said he wanted “to show the versatility of the J.C. Pontoons and the high performance J.C. Tri-Toons powered by up to 250 HP. I want to show everyone the great performance and handling of Rinker boats and that they are the best value on the market.” This is apparently an opinion shared by Rinker’s clients as well. Rick Hague is a pilot for United Airlines and the owner of a Rinker 212 21’ Open-bow. He found working with Jerry Rinker in the purchase of his boat to be a very rewarding experience. “You are working with a gentleman who is personally involved with his product.” He has been so pleased with Rinker’s Boat World that he has purchased a total of four boats from Jerry. “He didn’t try to gouge me,” Hague went on to say. “The reason I deal with Jerry is he’s as straight as an arrow. If he misquotes a price, he’ll stick with it. He’s got an awful lot of character. He wants repeat business – and he’ll get it, too.” One Rinker boat you’re sure to see on the lake was purchased by Constable Don Chumley’s Office for its Lake Patrol on Feb. 17. Sgt. Greg Gibson operates a crane or davit from the vessel for lifting injured persons, boat parts or underwater debris from the water.

– Texas Saltwater Fishing Guide