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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025
OR
For the transition period to
Commission file number: 001-36290
MALIBU BOATS, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
(Registrant’s telephone number,including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 MBUU Nasdaq Global Select Market
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yesþ No ̈
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ̈Noþ
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yesþ No ̈
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yesþ No ̈
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:
Large accelerated filer ☑ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐
As of December 31, 2024, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates was approximately $732.9 million, based on the number of shares of Class A common stock held by non-affiliates as of December 31, 2024 and the closing price of the registrant’s Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on December 31, 2024. Shares held by each executive officer, director and by each person who owns 10% or more of the outstanding Class A common stock have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes. The number of outstanding shares of the registrant’s Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and Class B common stock, par value $0.01, as of August 25, 2025 was 19,245,009 and 12, respectively.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement for the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K where indicated. Such proxy statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the registrant’s fiscal year ended June 30, 2025.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
PART I 1
Item 1. Business 1
Item 1A. Risk Factors 14
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 33
Item 1C. Cybersecurity 33
Item 2. Properties 34
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 35
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 35
Item 6. [RESERVED] 38
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 58
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 59
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 104
Item 9B. Other Information 104
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 104
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 105
Item 11. Executive Compensation 105
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 105
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 106
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Form 10-K are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding demand for our products and expected industry trends, impact of macroeconomic conditions on our results of operations and financial condition, our business strategy and plans, and management’s objectives for future operations. In particular, many of the statements under the headings “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Item 1. Business” constitute forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” the negative of these terms, or by other similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions, involving known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry’s actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products; our large fixed-cost base; our ability to execute our manufacturing strategy; increases in the cost of, or unavailability of, raw materials, component parts and transportation costs; disruptions in our suppliers’ operations; our reliance on third-party suppliers for raw materials and components; our reliance on certain suppliers for our engines and outboard motors; climate events in areas where we operate; our ability to meet our manufacturing workforce needs; our dependence on key management employees; our ability to grow our business through acquisitions and integrate such acquisitions to fully realize their expected benefits; our growth strategy which may require us to secure significant additional capital; our ability to enhance existing products and develop and market new or enhanced products; our ability to protect our intellectual property; compromises or disruptions to our network and information systems; risks related to operating in foreign jurisdictions, including tariffs; general economic conditions; the continued strength and positive perception of our brands; increased consumer preference for used boats, alternative fuel-powered boats or the supply of new boats by competitors in excess of demand; the seasonality of our business; competition within our industry and with other activities for consumers’ scarce leisure time; inflation and heightened interest rates; our reliance on our network of independent dealers and increasing competition for dealers; the financial health of our dealers and their continued access to financing; our obligation to repurchase inventory of certain dealers; our exposure to risks associated with litigation, investigation and regulatory proceedings; an impairment in the carrying value of goodwill, trade names and other long-lived assets; risks inherent in changes to U.S trade policy, tariffs and import/export regulations, significant repair or replacement costs due to warranty claims, any failure to comply with laws and regulations including environmental, workplace safety and other regulatory requirements; covenants in our credit agreement governing our revolving credit facility which may limit our operating flexibility; our obligation to make certain payments under a tax receivable agreement; and any failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting or disclosure controls or procedures.
We discuss many of these factors, risks and uncertainties in greater detail under the heading “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Form 10-K. These factors expressly qualify as forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf.
You should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Actual results may differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements for various reasons, including those discussed under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this Form 10-K to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations.
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SUMMARY OF RISK FACTORS
Our business involves significant risks and you are urged to carefully consider the risks discussed under Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K prior to making an investment in our common stock. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:
Risks Related to our Business and Operations
•We have a large fixed-cost base that will affect our profitability when our sales decrease.
•We may not be able to execute our manufacturing strategy successfully, which could cause the profitability of our products to suffer.
•We may not be able to accurately forecast demand for our products, which could impact our ability to manage our inventory and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
•Our financial results may be adversely affected by our third-party suppliers’ increased costs, including due to tariffs, or inability to adjust for our required production levels due to changing demand or global supply chain disruptions.
•For some of the components used in production, we depend on a small group of suppliers and the loss of any of these suppliers could affect our ability to obtain components timely or at competitive prices, which would decrease our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.
•Termination or interruption of informal supply arrangements could have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations.
•Climatic events, including hurricanes, tornadoes, or other disruptions, may adversely impact our operations and financial condition, disrupt the business of our suppliers, and may not be adequately covered by insurance.
•Our ability to meet our manufacturing workforce’s needs is crucial to our results of operations and future sales and profitability.
•The nature of our business exposes us to workers' compensation claims and other workplace liabilities.
•We are dependent on attracting and retaining key management employees.
•We have grown our business through acquisitions; however, we may not be successful in completing future acquisitions or integrating future acquisitions in a way that fully realizes their expected benefits to our business.
•Our growth strategy may require us to secure significant additional capital, the amount of which will depend upon the size, timing, and structure of future acquisitions or vertical integrations and our working capital and general corporate needs.
•If we are unable to continue to enhance existing products and develop and market new or enhanced products that respond to customer needs and preferences, we may experience a decrease in demand for our products and our business could suffer.
•If our information technology systems or those of third parties with whom we work or our data, are or were compromised, we could experience adverse consequences resulting from such compromise, including but not limited to regulatory investigations or actions; litigation; fines and penalties; disruptions of our business operations; reputational harm; loss of revenue or profits; loss of customers or sales; and other adverse consequences.
Risks Related to Our Markets and the Recreational Powerboat Industry
•Weak general economic conditions, particularly in the United States, can negatively impact our industry, demand for our products, and our business and results of operations.
•Our continued success is dependent on the positive perception of our brands, which, if impaired, could adversely affect our sales.
•Our sales may be adversely impacted by increased consumer preference for used boats, electric boats, alternative fuel-powered boats, or the supply of new boats by competitors in excess of demand.
•An increase in energy and fuel costs may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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•Retail demand for our boats is seasonal and unfavorable weather conditions just before and during spring and summer can have a negative effect on our revenues.
•Our industry is characterized by intense competition, which affects our sales and profits.
•We compete with a variety of other activities for consumers’ scarce leisure time.
•Inflation and heightened interest rates could adversely affect our financial results.
Risks Related to our Dealers
•We depend on our network of independent dealers, face increasing competition for dealers and have limited control over their activities.
•Our success depends, in part, upon the financial health of our dealers and their continued access to financing.
•We may be required to repurchase inventory of certain dealers or provide promotional incentives to sell through inventory.
Risks Related to Litigation and our Regulatory, Accounting and Tax Environment
•The nature of our business exposes us to risks associated with litigation, investigation and regulatory proceedings and a significant adverse determination with respect to any material claim against us could adversely affect our operating results or financial condition.
•An impairment in the carrying value of goodwill, trade names, and other long-lived assets could negatively affect our consolidated results of operations and net worth.
•Significant product repair and/or replacement costs due to product warranty claims or product recalls could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.
•Changes to U.S. trade policy, tariffs, and import/export regulations may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
•We must comply with environmental laws and regulations as a boat manufacturer that could increase the costs of our products and reduce consumer demand.
•In addition to environmental regulations, we must also comply with product safety, workforce and other laws and regulations that may increase our costs and could result in harm to our reputation if we fail to comply with such regulations.
Risks Related to our Capital Structure
•The only material asset of Malibu Boats, Inc. is our interest in the LLC, and therefore Malibu Boats, Inc. is dependent upon distributions from the LLC for any cash obligations of Malibu Boats, Inc.
•The credit agreement governing our revolving credit facility contains restrictive covenants which may limit our operating flexibility and may impair our ability to access sufficient capital to operate our business.
•Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.
•We will be required to pay the pre-IPO owners (or any permitted assignee) for certain tax benefits pursuant to our tax receivable agreement with them, and the amounts we may pay could be significant.
•In certain cases, payments under the tax receivable agreement to the pre-IPO owners (or any permitted assignees) of LLC Units may be accelerated or significantly exceed the actual benefits we realize in respect of the tax attributes subject to the tax receivable agreement.
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PART I.
Item 1. Business
Unless otherwise expressly indicated or the context otherwise requires, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K:
•We use the terms “Malibu Boats,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” or similar references to refer (1) prior to the consummation of our initial public offering, or "IPO" on February 5, 2014, to Malibu Boats Holdings, LLC, or the LLC, and its consolidated subsidiaries and (2) after our IPO, to Malibu Boats, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries;
•We use the term "Boats, LLC" to refer to the LLC's subsidiary Malibu Boats, LLC;
•We refer to the owners of membership interests in the LLC immediately prior to the consummation of the IPO, collectively, as our “pre-IPO owners”;
•We refer to owners of membership interests in the LLC (the "LLC Units"), collectively, as our “LLC members”;
•References to “fiscal year” refer to the fiscal year of Malibu Boats, which ends on June 30 of each year;
•We refer to our Malibu branded boats as "Malibu", our Axis Wake Research branded boats as "Axis", our Pursuit branded boats as "Pursuit", our Maverick, Cobia, Pathfinder and Hewes branded boats as "Maverick Boat Group", and our Cobalt branded boats as "Cobalt";
•We use the term “recreational powerboat industry” to refer to our industry group, which includes performance sport boats, sterndrive and outboard boats;
•We use the term “performance sport boat category” to refer to the industry category, consisting primarily of fiberglass boats equipped with inboard propulsion and ranging from 19 feet to 26 feet in length, which we believe most closely corresponds to (1) the inboard ski/wakeboard category, as defined and tracked by the National Marine Manufacturers Association, or NMMA, and (2) the inboard ski boat category, as defined and tracked by Statistical Surveys, Inc., or SSI;
•We use the terms “sterndrive” and “outboard” to refer to the industry category, consisting primarily of sterndrive and outboard boats ranging from 20 feet to 40 feet, which most closely corresponds to the sterndrive and outboard categories, as defined and tracked by NMMA, and the sterndrive and outboard propulsion categories, as defined and tracked by SSI; in some instances, we provide market information based on specific boat lengths or boat types within the sterndrive or outboard categories to reflect our performance in those specific markets in which we offer products; and
•References to certain market and industry data presented in this Form 10-K are determined as follows: (1) U.S. boat sales and unit volume for the overall powerboat industry and any powerboat category during any calendar year are based on retail boat market data from the NMMA and (2) U.S. market share and unit volume for the overall powerboat industry and any powerboat category during any fiscal year ended June 30 or any calendar year ended December 31 are based on comparable same-state retail boat registration data from SSI, for which data was available for all 50 states as of the date of this Form 10-K.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes our trademarks, such as “ Monsoon,” “Surf Gate,” “Wakesetter,” “Surf Band,” and “Swim Step,” which are protected under applicable intellectual property laws and are the property of Malibu Boats, Inc. This Form 10-K also contains trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this Form 10-K may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the right of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names.
Our Company
We are a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a diverse range of recreational powerboats, including performance sport boats, sterndrive and outboard boats under eight brands—Malibu, Axis, Pursuit, Maverick, Cobia, Pathfinder, Hewes and Cobalt. As of June 30, 2025, we are among the market leaders in the United States in the 24’-29’ segment of the sterndrive category through our Cobalt brand, we are among the market leaders in the United States in the performance sport boat category through our Malibu and Axis brands and we are among the market leaders in the fiberglass outboard fishing boat market with our Pursuit and Maverick Boat Group brands. Our product portfolio of premium brands is used for a broad range of recreational boating activities including, among others, water sports such as water skiing,
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wakeboarding and wake surfing, as well as general recreational boating and fishing. Our passion for consistent innovation, which has led to proprietary technology such as Surf Gate, has allowed us to expand the market for our products by introducing consumers to new and exciting recreational activities. We design products that appeal to an expanding range of recreational boaters and water sports enthusiasts whose passion for boating and water sports is a key aspect of their lifestyle and provide consumers with a better customer-inspired experience. With performance, quality, value and multi-purpose features, our product portfolio has us well positioned to broaden our addressable market and achieve our goal of increasing our market share in the recreational boating industry.
Our flagship Malibu boats are designed for consumers seeking a premium performance sport boat experience and offer our latest innovations in performance, comfort and convenience. Our Axis boats appeal to consumers who desire a more affordable performance sport boat product but still demand high performance, functional simplicity and the option to upgrade key features. Our Pursuit boats expand our product offerings into the saltwater outboard fishing market and include center console, dual console and offshore models. Our Maverick Boat Group family of boats, including Maverick, Cobia, Pathfinder and Hewes, are highly complementary to Pursuit and its saltwater outboard offerings with a focus in length segments under 30 feet. Our Cobalt boats consist of mid to large-sized luxury cruisers and bowriders that we believe offer the ultimate experience in comfort, performance and quality.
Our boats are constructed of fiberglass, available in a range of sizes, hull designs, and propulsion systems (i.e., inboard, sterndrive and outboard). We employ experienced product development and engineering teams that enable us to offer a range of models across each of our brands while consistently introducing innovative features in our product offerings. Our engineering teams closely collaborate with our manufacturing personnel in order to improve product quality and process efficiencies. The results of this collaboration are reflected in our receipt of numerous industry awards.
We sell our boats through a dealer network that we believe is among the strongest in the recreational powerboat industry. As of June 30, 2025, our distribution channel consisted of over 325 dealer locations globally. Our dealer base is an important part of our consumers’ experience, our marketing efforts and our brands. We devote significant time and resources to find, develop and improve the performance of our dealers and believe our dealer network gives us a distinct competitive advantage.
Competitive Market
The recreational powerboat industry, including the performance sport boat, sterndrive and outboard categories, is highly competitive for consumers and dealers. Competition affects our ability to succeed in the markets we currently serve and new markets that we may enter in the future. We compete with several large manufacturers that may have greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do. We compete with large manufacturers who are represented by dealers in the markets in which we now operate and into which we plan to expand. We also compete with a wide variety of small, independent manufacturers. Competition in our industry is based primarily on brand name, price, and product performance.
During calendar year 2024, retail sales of new recreational powerboats in the United States totaled $15.5 billion. Of the recreational powerboat categories defined and tracked by the NMMA, we serve three of the top four categories consisting of outboard, sterndrive and performance sport boat representing an addressable market of nearly $12.6 billion in retail sales through our Malibu, Axis, Pursuit, Maverick Boat Group brands and Cobalt brands. The following table illustrates the size of our addressable market in units and retail sales for calendar year 2024:
Recreational Powerboat Category Unit Sales Retail Sales
(Dollars in millions)
Our Products and Brands
We design, manufacture and sell recreational powerboats, including performance sport boats, sterndrive and outboard boats across eight brands: Malibu, Axis, Pursuit, Maverick, Cobia, Pathfinder, Hewes, and Cobalt. We believe that we deliver
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superior performance for general recreational purposes with a significant focus on water sports, including wakeboarding, water skiing and wake surfing as well as general recreational boating and fishing. In addition, we also offer various accessories and aftermarket parts. The following table provides an overview of our product offerings by brand as of June 30, 2025:
Innovative Features
In addition to the standard features included on all of our boats, we offer consumers a full selection of innovative optional features designed to enhance performance, functionality and the overall boating experience. We believe our innovative features drive our high average selling prices. Among our most successful and most innovative has been Surf Gate. Introduced in July 2012 and initially patented in September 2013, Surf Gate is available as an optional feature on all Malibu, Axis and certain Cobalt models. Surf Gate has revolutionized the increasingly popular sport of wake surfing. Prior to Surf Gate, boaters needed to empty ballast tanks on one side of the boat and shift passengers around to lean the boat to create a larger, more pronounced surf-quality wake. By employing precisely engineered and electronically controlled panels, Surf Gate alleviates this time-consuming and cumbersome process, allowing boaters to easily surf behind an evenly weighted boat without the need to wait for ballast changes. We have also developed our patented Surf Band technology that allows the rider to remotely control the surf wave, shape, size and side. Some of our other notable innovations include the Malibu Monsoon Engine, Power Wedge III, G5 and the power actuated G10+ Tower, Electronic Dashboard Controls, Flip Down Swim Step, Tower Mister, Splash and Stow and Cobalt's TruWave Technology. Pursuit also has introduced the industry first Electric Sliding Entertainment Center and sliding second row center console seating. Maverick Boat Group has introduced first of its kind "Hybrid" and "Open" Bay Boat designs in recent years. We won the Boating Industry Magazine's "Top Product" award for the Pursuit S 358 Sport in 2022. Malibu Trailers took the coveted NMMA Innovation Award at the Miami International Boat Show in 2022. The Malibu Wakesetter 23 LSV has won Wakeworld “Readers Choice” Wakeboard and Wakesurf Boat of the Year five years running in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020.
We also offer an array of less technological but nonetheless value-added boat features such as gelcoat upgrades, upholstery upgrades, engine drivetrain enhancements (such as silent exhaust tips, propeller upgrades and closed cooling engine
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configuration), sound system upgrades, bimini tops, boat covers and trailers which further increase the level of customization afforded to consumers.
Our Dealer Network
We rely on independent dealers to sell our products. We establish performance criteria that our dealers must meet as part of their dealer agreements to ensure our dealer network remains the strongest in the industry. As a member of our network, dealers may qualify for floor plan financing programs, rebates, seasonal discounts and other allowances. We believe our dealer network is the most extensive in the market.
North America
As of June 30, 2025, our dealer network consisted of over 300 dealer locations servicing markets strategically located throughout North America. Our top ten dealers represented 42.8%, 40.4% and 41.1%, of our net sales for fiscal year 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The top ten dealers for each of the Malibu, Saltwater Fishing and Cobalt segments represented approximately 50.9%, 66% and 53.9%, respectively, of net sales in fiscal year 2025. The top ten dealers for each segment are not the same across all segments. Sales to our dealers under common control of OneWater Marine, Inc. represented approximately 24.7%, 23.7% and 17.2% of consolidated net sales in fiscal years 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively, including approximately 9.7%, 42.9% and 20.9% of consolidated sales in fiscal year 2025 for Malibu, Saltwater Fishing and Cobalt, respectively.
We consistently review our distribution network to evaluate the financial health of our dealers, identify opportunities to expand our geographic footprint and improve our coverage of the market. We believe that our diverse product offering and strong market position in each region of the United States helped us capitalize on growth opportunities as our industry recovered from the economic downturn. We have the ability to opportunistically add new dealers and new dealer locations to previously underserved markets and use data and performance metrics to monitor dealer performance. We believe our outstanding dealer network allows us to distribute our products more efficiently than our competitors.
International (Outside of North America)
We have an extensive international distribution network for our Malibu, Axis, Pursuit, Maverick Boat Group and Cobalt brands. As of June 30, 2025, our dealer network consisted of over 25 dealer locations servicing markets strategically located internationally.
Dealer Management
Our relationships with our dealers are governed by dealer agreements. Each dealer agreement has a finite term lasting between one and three years, with most dealer agreements having a one year term. Our dealer agreements also are typically terminable without cause by the dealer with 60 days prior notice and by us for a dealer failing to meet performance criteria. We also may terminate these agreements immediately for cause upon certain events. Pursuant to our dealer agreements, the dealers typically agree to, among other things:
•represent our products at specified boat shows;
•market our products only to retail end users in a specific geographic territory;
•promote and demonstrate our products to consumers;
•meet or exceed mutually agreed performance standards during the term of the agreement in exchange for rebate or discount eligibility that varies according to the level of volume they commit to purchase;
•provide us with regular updates regarding the number and type of our products in their inventory;
•maintain a service department to service our products, and perform all appropriate warranty service and repairs; and
•indemnify us for certain claims.
Our dealer network, including all additions, renewals, non-renewals or terminations, is managed by our sales personnel. Our sales teams operate using a semi-annual dealer review process involving our senior management team. Each individual dealer is reviewed semi-annually with a broad assessment across multiple key elements, including the dealer’s geographic region, market share, customer service ratings, and financial health to identify underperforming dealers for remediation and to manage the transition process when non-renewal or termination is a necessary step.
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We have developed a system of financial incentives for our dealers based on customer satisfaction and achievement of best practices. Our brands employ dealer incentive programs that have been refined through decades of experience at each brand and may, from time to time, include the following elements:
•Rebates and discounts. Our domestic dealers agree to volume commitments that are used to determine applicable rebates and discounts. The structure of the dealer incentive depends on the brand represented. If a dealer meets its volume commitments as well as other terms of the dealer performance program, the dealer is entitled to the specified amounts subject to full compliance with our programs. Failure to meet the commitment volume or other terms of the program may result in partial or complete forfeiture of the dealer’s rebate or discount.
•Free flooring. Our dealers that take delivery of current model year boats in the offseason, typically July through April, are entitled to have us pay the interest to floor the boat until the earlier of (1) the retail sale of the unit or (2) a date near the end of the current model year. This program is an additional incentive to encourage dealers to order in the offseason and helps us balance our seasonal production.
Our dealer incentive programs are structured to promote more evenly distributed ordering throughout the fiscal year, which allows us to achieve better level-loading of our production and thereby generate plant operating efficiencies. In addition, these programs may offer further rewards for dealers who are exclusive to our brands.
Floor Plan Financing
Our North American dealers often purchase boats through floor plan financing programs with third-party floor plan financing providers. During fiscal year 2025, approximately 80% of our North American shipments were made pursuant to floor plan financing programs which our dealers participate in. These programs allow dealers across our brands to establish lines of credit with third-party lenders to purchase inventory. Under these programs, a dealer draws on the floor plan financing facility upon the purchase of our boats and the lender pays the invoice price of the boats. As is typical in our industry, we have entered into repurchase agreements with certain floor plan financing providers to our dealers. Under the terms of these arrangements, in the event a lender repossesses a boat from a dealer that has defaulted on its floor plan financing arrangement and is able to deliver the repossessed boat to us, we are obligated to repurchase the boat from the lender. Our obligation to repurchase such repossessed products for the unpaid balance of our original invoice price for the boat is subject to reduction or limitation based on the age and condition of the boat at the time of repurchase, and in certain cases by an aggregate cap on repurchase obligations associated with a particular floor plan financing program.
Our exposure under repurchase agreements with third-party lenders is mitigated by our ability to reposition inventory with a new dealer in the event that a repurchase event occurs. Historically, the primary cost to us of a repurchase event has been margin loss on the resale of a repurchased unit but we have generally been able to resell repurchased boats at an amount that exceeds our cost. We repurchased 22 units under our repurchase agreements during fiscal year 2025, including 19 units that were subject to our repurchase agreement with M&T Bank, the lender under the floor plan financing for Tommy's Boats, a former dealer that filed for bankruptcy protection in 2024. Of those 22 units, 20 of the units were subsequently resold during fiscal year 2025 above their cost. For fiscal year 2024, we repurchased 17 boats under our repurchase agreements. We had no repurchases under our repurchase agreements in fiscal year 2023.
Marketing and Sales
We believe that providing a high level of service to our dealers and end consumers is essential to maintaining our reputation. Our sales personnel receive training on the latest Malibu, Axis, Pursuit, Maverick Boat Group and Cobalt products and technologies, as well as training on our competitors’ products and technologies, and attend trade shows to increase their market knowledge. This training is then passed along to our dealers to ensure a consistent marketing message and leverage our marketing expenditures. Malibu, Axis, Pursuit, Maverick Boat Group and Cobalt enjoy strong brand awareness, as evidenced by our substantial market share in their respective categories.
Our marketing strategy focuses on building brand awareness and loyalty in the performance sport boat market with Malibu and Axis brands and the outboard and sterndrive markets with Pursuit, Maverick Boat Group and Cobalt brands. Activating the marketing strategy involves creating custom content to be utilized in outbound marketing campaigns and social media to engage owners and prospects. In addition to retail websites developed for each of those brands and their unique consumers, the brands also manage all other aspects of marketing including traditional print advertising and trade shows.
Product Development and Engineering
We are strategically and financially committed to innovation, as reflected in our dedicated product development and engineering teams located in Tennessee, Kansas, California, and Florida and evidenced by our track record of new product
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introduction. As of June 30, 2025, our product development and engineering team consisted of approximately 123 professionals. These individuals bring to our product development efforts significant expertise across core disciplines, including boat design, trailer design, computer-aided design, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. They are responsible for execution of all aspects of our new product strategy, including identifying industry trends, designing new and refreshed boat models and new features, engineering these designs for manufacturing and integrating new features into our boats.
Our product development strategy consists of a two-pronged approach. First, we seek to introduce new boat models to target unaddressed or underserved segments of the recreational powerboat industry, while also updating and refreshing our existing boat models regularly. Second, we seek to develop and integrate innovative new or enhanced optional feature offerings into our boats. We intend to release new products and features each model year, which we believe enhances our reputation as a leading innovator in boat manufacturing and provides us with a competitive advantage.
We take a disciplined approach to the management of our product development strategy. We use a formalized phase gate process, overseen by a dedicated project manager, to develop, evaluate and implement new product ideas for both boat models and innovative features. Application of the phase gate process requires management to establish an overall timeline that is sub-divided into milestones, or “gates,” for product development. Setting milestones at certain intervals in the product development process ensures that each phase of development occurs in an organized manner and enables management to become aware of and address any issues in a timely fashion, which facilitates on-time, on-target release of new products with expected return on investment. Extensive testing and coordination with our manufacturing group are important elements of our product development process, which we believe enable us to minimize the risk associated with the release of new products. Our phase gate process also facilitates our introduction of new boat models and features each model year, which we believe provides us with a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Finally, in addition to our process for managing new product introductions in a given fiscal year, we also engage in longer-term product life cycle and product portfolio planning.
Manufacturing
We have eight manufacturing facilities located in four U.S. states and Australia. We produce performance sport boats through our Malibu and Axis brands at our Tennessee and Australia manufacturing facilities; we produce sterndrive and outboard boats through our Cobalt brand at our Kansas and Tennessee manufacturing facilities; and we produce saltwater outboard boats under our Pursuit and Maverick Boat Group brands, as well as tooling parts, in Fort Pierce, Florida. We completed expansion projects at one of our Florida facilities (Maverick Boat Group) in fiscal year 2022 and at our other Florida facility (Pursuit Tooling) in fiscal year 2023. We also purchased a 260,000 square foot manufacturing facility near our Tennessee campus that we completed construction of in fiscal year 2024. For our Malibu and Axis brands, we manufacture towers, tower accessories and stainless steel and aluminum billet at our California facility and engines and trailers at our Tennessee facility.
Our boats are built through a continuous flow manufacturing process that encompasses fabrication, assembly, quality management and testing. Each boat is produced on an established cycle depending on model that includes the fabrication of the hull and deck through gelcoat application and fiberglass lamination, grinding and hole cutting, installation of components, rigging, finishing, detailing and on-the-water testing. Production of cruisers occurs on a dedicated line that allows for the increased time needed to add the additional content required for production of larger boats.
We have vertically integrated key components of our manufacturing process, including the manufacturing of our own engines, boat trailers, towers and tower accessories, machined and billet parts, soft grip flooring, and most recently, wiring harnesses. We began including our engines, branded as Malibu Monsoon engines, in our Malibu and Axis boats for model year 2019, and in fiscal year 2024, we began offering Monsoon sterndrive engines to our Cobalt dealers and customers. We believe our engine marinization initiative reduces our reliance on our previous engine suppliers for our Malibu, Axis and Cobalt brands while also reducing the risk that a change in cost or production from any engine supplier for such brands could adversely affect our business. Our trailers are produced in a continuous flow manufacturing process involving cutting and bending of the main frame from raw top grade carbon steel, painting using our state-of-the-art system and installation of components. Our tower-related manufacturing in California uses multiple computer-controlled machines to cut all of the aluminum parts required for tower assembly. We are the only performance sport boat company that manufactures towers in-house. In fiscal year 2022, we acquired a facility to begin manufacturing our own wiring harnesses. In fiscal year 2024, we relocated manufacturing of our own wiring harnesses to our Roane County, Tennessee facility. As a result of this acquisition, we reduced the risk of production delays due to delays in receipt of wiring harnesses from third-party suppliers. Vertical integration of key components of our boats also gives us the ability to increase incremental margin per boat sold by reducing our cost base and improving the efficiency of our manufacturing process. Additionally, it allows us to have greater control over design, consumer customization options, construction quality, and our supply chain. We continually review our manufacturing process to identify opportunities for additional vertical integration investments across our portfolio of premium brands. We procure other components, such as electronic controls, from third-party vendors and install them on the boat.
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Suppliers
We purchase a wide variety of raw materials from our supplier base, including resins, fiberglass, and steel, as well as product parts and components, such as engines and electronic controls, through a purchase order process. The most significant component used in manufacturing our boats, based on cost, are engines. For model year 2019, we began equipping our Malibu and Axis brand boats with our own Monsoon engines through our vertical integration initiative to marinize our own engines. We adopted this vertical integration strategy for our engines to more directly control product path (design, innovation, calibration and integration) of our largest dollar procured part, to differentiate our product from our competitors, and to increase our ability to respond to ongoing changes in the marketplace. We have an engine supply agreement with General Motors LLC ("General Motors") for the supply of engine blocks to use in our Malibu and Axis brand boats through model year 2026.
Pursuant to our engine supply agreement with General Motors, General Motors will deliver engines to us as we submit purchase orders. No minimum amount of engines is required to be ordered by us. The engine supply agreement will expire at the end of production of model year 2026, unless terminated earlier by either party as permitted under the terms of the agreement, including by General Motors due to market conditions with at least eighteen (18) months’ advanced written notice.
We also have a marketing agreement with Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., or Yamaha, that requires us to equip a significant percentage of our Pursuit, Cobalt and Maverick Boat Group branded boats that are pre-rigged for outboard motors with Yamaha outboard motors in exchange for certain incentives. The agreement expires on June 30, 2027. In addition, we obtain engines and sterndrive assemblies from Volvo for our Cobalt branded boats.
During fiscal year 2022, we experienced supply chain disruptions that we believe were driven by numerous factors, including labor shortages, ongoing domestic logistical constraints, and rising prices for our suppliers, in part due to inflationary pressures. These supply chain disruptions continued into fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2024. We believe that the systemic supply chain disruptions have been largely rectified during fiscal year 2025.
Insurance and Product Warranties
We carry various insurance policies, including policies to cover general products liability, workers’ compensation, director and officer liability, and other casualty and property risks, to protect against certain risks of loss consistent with the exposures associated with the nature and scope of our operations. Our policies are generally based on our safety record as well as market trends in the insurance industry and are subject to certain deductibles, limits and policy terms and conditions.
Our Malibu and Axis brand boats have a limited warranty for a period up to five years. Our Cobalt brand boats have (1) a structural warranty of up to ten years which covers the hull, deck joints, bulkheads, floor, transom, stringers, and motor mount, and (2) a five year bow-to-stern warranty on all components manufactured or purchased (excluding hull and deck structural components), including canvas and upholstery. Gelcoat is covered up to three years for Cobalt and one year for Malibu and Axis. Pursuit brand boats have a (1) limited warranty for a period of up to five years on structural components such as the hull, deck and defects in the gelcoat surface of the hull bottom, and (2) a bow-to-stern warranty of two years (excluding hull and deck structural components). Maverick, Pathfinder and Hewes brand boats have (1) a limited warranty for a period of up to five years on structural components such as the hull, deck and defects in the gelcoat surface of the hull bottom and (2) a bow-to-stern warranty of one year (excluding hull and deck structural components). Cobia brand boats have (1) a limited warranty for a period of up to ten years on structural components such as the hull, deck and defects in the gelcoat surface of the hull bottom and (2) a bow-to-stern warranty of three years (excluding hull and deck structural components). For each boat brand, there are certain materials, components or parts of the boat that are not covered by our warranty and certain components or parts that are separately warranted by the manufacturer or supplier (such as the engine). Our Malibu Monsoon engines that we manufacture for Malibu and Axis models have a limited warranty of up to five years or five-hundred hours.
Strategic Acquisitions
One of our growth strategies is to drive growth in our business through targeted acquisitions that add value while considering our existing brands and product portfolio. We acquired Maverick Boat Group in December 2020, Pursuit in October 2018 and Cobalt in July 2017. The primary objectives of our acquisitions are to expand our presence in new or adjacent categories, to expand into other product lines that may benefit from our operating strengths, and to increase the size of our addressable market. When we identify potential acquisitions, we attempt to target companies with a leading market share, strong cash flows, and an experienced management team and workforce that provide a fit with our existing operations. After completing an acquisition, we focus on integrating the company with our existing business to provide additional value to the combined entity through cost savings and revenue synergies, such as the optimization of manufacturing operations, improved
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processes around product development, enhancement of our existing dealer distribution network, accelerated innovation, administrative cost savings, shared procurement, vertical integration and cross-selling opportunities.
Intellectual Property
We rely on a combination of patent, trademark and copyright protection, trade secret laws, confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to protect our rights in our brand, products and proprietary technology. This is an important part of our business and we intend to continue protecting our intellectual property. By law, our patent rights have limited lives and expire periodically. Our boat patent rights relate to boat design, features and components that we feel are important to our competitive position in our business. Some of our well-known patents include our Surf Gate system and Swim Step for our Malibu and Cobalt segments and Power Wedge for our Malibu segment.
Our trademarks, many of which are registered in the U.S. and various countries around the world, generally may endure in perpetuity on a country-by-country basis, provided that we comply with all statutory maintenance requirements, including continued use of each trademark in each such country. Some of our well-known trademarks include: (i) for our Malibu segment, Malibu, Axis, Monsoon, Power Wedge, Surf Band, Surf Gate, and Wakesetter; (ii) for our Saltwater Fishing Segment, Pursuit, Cobia, Maverick, and Redfisher; and (iii) for our Cobalt segment, Cobalt and Splash & Stow.
Seasonality
Our dealers experience seasonality in their business. Retail demand for boats is seasonal, with a significant majority of sales occurring during peak boating season, which coincides with our first and fourth fiscal quarters. In order to minimize the impact of this seasonality on our business, we manage our manufacturing processes and structure dealer incentives to tie our annual volume rebates and discounts program to consistent ordering patterns, encouraging dealers to purchase our products throughout the year. In this regard, we may offer free flooring incentives to dealers from the beginning of our model year through April 30 of each year. Further, in the event that a dealer does not consistently order units throughout the year, such dealer’s rebate is materially reduced. We may offer off-season retail promotions to our dealers in seasonally slow months, during and ahead of boat shows, to encourage retail demand.
Safety and Regulatory Matters
Our operations and products are subject to extensive environmental and health and safety regulation under various federal, commonwealth, state, and local statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations in the United States and Australia where we manufacture our boats, and in other foreign jurisdictions where we sell our products. We believe that we are in material compliance with those requirements. However, we cannot be certain that costs and expenses required for us to comply with such requirements in the future, including for any new or modified regulatory requirements, or to address newly discovered environmental conditions, will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, or cash flow. The regulatory programs to which we are subject include the following:
Hazardous Materials and Waste
Certain materials used in our manufacturing, including the resins used in production of our boats, are toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive and are classified as hazardous materials by the national, state and local governments in those jurisdictions where we manufacture our products. The handling, storage, release, treatment, and recycling or disposal of these substances and wastes from our operations are regulated in the United States by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), and state and local environmental agencies. In the United States, handling, storage, release, treatment, and recycling or disposal of hazardous materials is regulated under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”). The EPA works with state regulatory agencies to implement a compliance monitoring program with the goal of evaluating compliance with RCRA obligations. Our manufacturing facilities can be subject to on-site compliance evaluation inspections (CEIs) or targeted enforcement actions. The handling, storage, release, treatment and recycling or disposal of these substances and wastes from our operations are regulated in Australia by the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, the New South Wales Environmental Protection Authority and other state and local authorities. Failure by us to properly handle, store, release, treat, recycle or dispose of our hazardous materials and wastes could result in liability for us, including fines, penalties, or obligations to investigate and remediate any contamination originating from our operations or facilities. We are not aware of any material contamination at our current or former facilities for which we could be liable under environmental laws or regulations, and we currently are not undertaking any remediation or investigation activities in connection with any contamination. Future spills or accidents or the discovery of currently unknown conditions or non-compliance could, however, give rise to investigation and remediation obligations or related liabilities.
Air Quality
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In the United States, the federal Clean Air Act (“CAA”) and corresponding state and local laws and rules regulate emissions of air pollutants. Because our manufacturing operations involve molding and coating of fiberglass materials, which involves the emission of certain volatile organic compounds, hazardous air pollutants, and particulate matter, we are required to maintain and comply with a CAA operating permit requirements under Title V of the CAA (“Part 70 Permits”) for our Tennessee, Kansas and Florida facilities and local air permits for our California facilities. Our air permits generally require us to monitor our emissions and periodically certify that our emissions are within specified limits. To date, we have not had material difficulty complying with those limits.
The EPA and the California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) have, under the CAA, adopted regulations stipulating that many marine propulsion engines and watercraft meet certain air emission standards. Some of these standards require fitting a catalytic converter to the engine. These regulations also require, among other things, that engine manufacturers provide a warranty that their engines meet EPA and CARB emission standards. The engines used in our products are subject to these regulations. CARB has adopted an evaporative emissions regulation that applies to all spark-ignition marine watercraft with permanently installed fuel tanks sold in California (the Spark-Ignition Marine Watercraft Program). This regulation requires subject boat manufacturers to use specific CARB-certified components for the fuel systems in their boats, or to certify the boat meets a related performance standard. While we believe that our boats meet all applicable emission standards, the USEPA and CARB emissions regulations have increased the cost to manufacture our products.
OSHA
In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) standards address workplace safety generally, and limit the amount of emissions to which an employee may be exposed without the need for respiratory protection or upgraded plant ventilation. Our facilities are regularly inspected by OSHA and by state and local inspection agencies and departments. Our California facilities are also subject to California indoor air quality regulations, overseen by California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health. We believe that our facilities comply in all material aspects with these regulations. Although capital expenditures related to compliance with environmental and safety laws are expected to increase, we do not currently anticipate any material expenditure will be required to continue to comply with existing OSHA environmental or safety regulations in connection with our existing manufacturing facilities.
At our New South Wales, Australia (“NSW”) facility, employee health and safety is regulated by SafeWork NSW, which also has requirements that limit the amount of certain emissions to which an employee may be exposed without the need for respiratory protection or upgraded plant ventilation. In addition, SafeWork NSW provides licensing and registration for potentially dangerous work, investigates workplace incidents, and enforces work health and safety laws in NSW. Our NSW facilities can be routinely inspected by SafeWork NSW. We believe that our facilities comply in all material aspects with these requirements.
Boat Design and Manufacturing Standards
In the United States, the U.S. Coast Guard promulgates regulations related to the minimum construction and safety requirements for recreational boats. In addition, boats manufactured for sale in the European Community must be certified to meet the requirements of the applicable laws and standards, including Directive 2013/53/EU on recreational craft and personal watercraft. These certifications specify standards for the design and construction of powerboats. We believe that all of our boats meet these standards. In addition, safety of recreational boats in the United States is subject to federal regulation under the Boat Safety Act of 1971, which requires boat manufacturers to recall products for replacement of parts or components that have demonstrated defects affecting safety. We have instituted recalls for defective component parts produced by certain of our third-party suppliers, including recalls on third party supplied steering columns during fiscal year 2023 and fuel pumps during fiscal year 2019. None of our recalls have had a material adverse impact on us.
Human Capital Management
Employee Profile
As of June 30, 2025, we had approximately 2,200 employees worldwide.
None of our team members are party to a collective bargaining agreement. We believe in working diligently to establish ourselves as an employer of choice.
Talent Retention and Development
We recognize that employees are the heart of our organization and support them by offering a range of competitive pay, recognition and benefit programs. We provide market-competitive pay and benefits to encourage performance that creates sustainable and long-term employment. Additionally, we have numerous initiatives to support employee development,
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including annual performance evaluations and supervisor training programs, along with training programs for new employees (and those who are internally promoted) to learn new skills in boat production, such as gel coat application and fiberglass repair. We believe in internal promotion where possible and are committed to developing our current team members to become the next generation of leaders throughout the organization. Approximately 88% of our production leaders are internal promotions. We provide tuition assistance programs and take advantage of leadership development where possible. We partner with several colleges and universities to hire students from across the country in our Engineering Internship Program and many come to work for us after attaining their degree.
Employee Well-Being
Safety is a core value of our organization and we are committed to fostering a culture where safety is a number one priority. The success of our business depends, in part, upon the prevention of accidents, the reduction and/or prevention of occupational injuries and illnesses, and compliance with established safety and health policies and requirements. Dependent upon job tasks, some personnel will be required to have OSHA training and/or documentation to satisfy job requirements. Workplace safety is a fundamental organization-wide value, and we are committed to running an efficient program. We remain focused on ensuring a safe workplace for our employees and will continue to work toward an injury-free workplace through the implementation of training and other safety initiatives.
Culture and Values
Our mission statement is a formal summary of our core purpose and focus and clearly communicates who we are. Our mission is to create the ultimate on-the-water lifestyle. Our core values are the guiding principles that dictate how we make decisions and interact with each other daily. We are committed to our core values of Safety, Integrity, People, Quality, Innovation, Customer Focus, and Continuous Improvement. We design products that appeal to an expanding range of recreational boaters, fishermen and water sports enthusiasts whose passion for boating is a key component of their active lifestyle. With our many awards and honors, we cultivate a culture of excellence and premier boat building.
We conducted our first annual engagement survey of all employees in 2023 and again in 2024 and 2025 as an opportunity to gather feedback from employees on their experience and overall satisfaction to identify areas for organizational improvement. Outside of formal surveys, we encourage employees to continuously share any comments, questions or concerns with our leadership team, which are addressed as needed by our executive team.
We are committed to maintaining an employee-first culture. We are dedicated to protecting the well-being of our employees and creating a healthy culture. We promote an inclusive workforce and the opportunity for career growth for all employees. We seek to hire the best-qualified individuals and do not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and similar classification. We value our team and are committed to treating all employees with dignity and respect.
Community Involvement
We continually strive to make an impact on our local communities and serve them with gratitude. Each year, we partner with community organizations where our facilities are located and support local schools. In Tennessee, we have partnered with Toys for Tots, Angel Tree and local food banks to help families within the community during the holiday season. Our corporate sponsorship with the local Kiwanis Club has allowed us to give back to children with disabilities while also helping students prepare for the upcoming school year. We partner with the local Family Resources center each year to assist local students with cold-weather clothing fund and participate in additional local school initiatives to promote manufacturing trade jobs. In Kansas, we support our community through recreational leagues as well as donations to local foundations, events and school fundraisers, among other initiatives. In Florida, we give back to our local communities through the Treasure Coast Food Bank, Pet Food Drive for the Humane Society, Ready to Work Boot Camp, Everglades Foundation, Recreational Fishing Alliance and Coastal Conservation Association. Additionally, we are proud participants in and sponsors of the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. We are proud of our partnerships with these outstanding organizations, and of the funds raised by our employees for children and families in the communities within which we operate.
Organizational Structure
Malibu Boats, Inc. was incorporated as a Delaware corporation on November 1, 2013 in anticipation of our IPO to serve as a holding company that owns only an interest in Malibu Boats Holdings, LLC. Immediately after the completion of our IPO and the recapitalization we completed in connection with our IPO, Malibu Boats, Inc. held approximately 49.3% of the economic interest in the LLC, which has since increased to approximately 98.6% of the economic interest in the LLC as of June 30, 2025.
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The certificate of incorporation of Malibu Boats, Inc. authorizes two classes of common stock, Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock. Holders of our Class A Common Stock and our Class B Common Stock have voting power over Malibu Boats, Inc., the sole managing member of the LLC, at a level that is consistent with their overall equity ownership of our business. In connection with our IPO and the recapitalization we completed in connection with our IPO, Malibu Boats, Inc. issued to each pre-IPO owner, for nominal consideration, one share of Class B Common Stock of Malibu Boats, Inc., each of which provides its owner with no economic rights but entitles the holder to one vote on matters presented to stockholders of Malibu Boats, Inc. for each LLC Unit held by such holder. Pursuant to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, each share of Class A Common Stock entitles the holder to one vote with respect to each matter presented to our stockholders on which the holders of Class A Common Stock are entitled to vote. Each holder of Class B Common Stock is entitled to the number of votes equal to the total number of LLC units held by such holder multiplied by the exchange rate specified in the exchange agreement with respect to each matter presented to our stockholders on which the holders of Class B Common Stock are entitled to vote. Accordingly, the holders of LLC Units collectively have a number of votes that is equal to the aggregate number of LLC Units that they hold. As the LLC members sell LLC Units to us or subsequently exchange LLC Units for shares of Class A Common Stock of Malibu Boats, Inc. pursuant to the exchange agreement described below, the voting power afforded to them by their shares of Class B Common Stock is automatically and correspondingly reduced. Subject to any rights that may be applicable to any then outstanding preferred stock, our Class A and Class B Common Stock vote as a single class on all matters presented to our stockholders for their vote or approval, except as otherwise provided in our certificate of incorporation or bylaws or required by applicable law. In addition, subject to preferences that may apply to any shares of preferred stock outstanding at the time, the holders of our Class A Common Stock are entitled to share equally, identically and ratably in any dividends or distributions (including in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs) that our board of directors may determine to issue from time to time, while holders of our Class B Common Stock do not have any right to receive dividends or other distributions.
As noted above, Malibu Boats, Inc. is a holding company with a controlling equity interest in the LLC. Malibu Boats, Inc., as sole managing member of the LLC, operates and controls all of the business and affairs and consolidates the financial results of the LLC. The limited liability company agreement of the LLC provides that it may be amended, supplemented, waived or modified by the written consent of Malibu Boats, Inc., as managing member of the LLC, in its sole discretion without the approval of any other holder of LLC Units, except that no amendment may materially and adversely affect the rights of a holder of LLC Units, other than on a pro rata basis with other holders of LLC Units, without the consent of such holder (unless more than one holder is so affected, then the consent of a majority of such affected holders is required). Pursuant to the limited liability company agreement of the LLC, Malibu Boats, Inc. has the right to determine when distributions (other than tax distributions) will be made to the members of the LLC and the amount of any such distributions. If Malibu Boats, Inc. authorizes a distribution, such distribution will be made to the members of the LLC (including Malibu Boats, Inc.) pro rata in accordance with the percentages of their respective LLC Units.
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The diagram below depicts our current organizational structure, as of June 30, 2025:
Our organizational structure allows the LLC members to retain their equity ownership in the LLC, an entity that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in the form of LLC Units. Holders of Class A Common Stock, by contrast, hold their equity ownership in Malibu Boats, Inc., a Delaware corporation that is a domestic corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in the form of shares of Class A Common Stock. The holders of LLC Units, including Malibu Boats, Inc., will incur U.S. federal, state and local income taxes on their proportionate share of any taxable income of the LLC. Net profits and net losses of the LLC will generally be allocated to the LLC’s members (including Malibu Boats, Inc.) pro rata in accordance with the percentages of their respective limited liability company interests. The limited liability company agreement provides for cash distributions to the holders of LLC Units if Malibu Boats, Inc. determines that the taxable income of the LLC will give rise to taxable income for its members. In accordance with the limited liability company agreement, we intend to cause the LLC to make cash distributions to the holders of LLC Units for purposes of funding their tax obligations in respect of the income of the LLC that is allocated to them. Generally, these tax distributions will be computed based on our estimate of the taxable income of the LLC allocable to such holder of LLC Units multiplied by an assumed tax rate equal to the highest effective marginal combined U.S. federal, state and local income tax rate prescribed for an individual or corporate resident in Los Angeles, California (taking into account the nondeductibility of certain expenses and the character of our income). For purposes of determining the taxable income of the LLC, such determination will be made by generally disregarding any adjustment to the taxable income of any member of the LLC that arises under the tax basis adjustment rules of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code and is attributable to the acquisition by such member of an interest in the LLC in a sale or exchange transaction.
Exchanges and Other Transactions with Holders of LLC Units
In connection with our IPO and the recapitalization we completed in connection with our IPO, we entered into an exchange agreement with the pre-IPO owners of the LLC under which (subject to the terms of the exchange agreement) each pre-IPO owner (or its permitted transferee) has the right to exchange its LLC Units for shares of our Class A Common Stock on a one-
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for-one basis, subject to customary conversion rate adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends and reclassifications, or, at our option, except in the event of a change in control, for a cash payment equal to the market value of the Class A Common Stock. The exchange agreement provides, however, that such exchanges must be for a minimum of the lesser of 1,000 LLC Units, all of the LLC Units held by the holder, or such amount as we determine to be acceptable. The exchange agreement also provides that an LLC member will not have the right to exchange LLC Units if Malibu Boats, Inc. determines that such exchange would be prohibited by law or regulation or would violate other agreements with Malibu Boats, Inc. to which the LLC member may be subject or any of our written policies related to unlawful or insider trading. The exchange agreement also provides that Malibu Boats, Inc. may impose additional restrictions on exchanges that it determines to be necessary or advisable so that the LLC is not treated as a “publicly traded partnership” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In addition, pursuant to the limited liability company agreement of the LLC, Malibu Boats, Inc., as managing member of the LLC, has the right to require all members of the LLC to exchange their LLC Units for Class A Common Stock in accordance with the terms of the exchange agreement, subject to the consent of the holders of a majority of outstanding LLC Units other than those held by Malibu Boats, Inc.
As a result of exchanges of LLC Units into Class A Common Stock and purchases by Malibu Boats, Inc. of LLC Units from holders of LLC Units, Malibu Boats, Inc. will become entitled to a proportionate share of the existing tax basis of the assets of the LLC at the time of such exchanges or purchases. In addition, such exchanges and purchases of LLC Units are expected to result in increases in the tax basis of the assets of the LLC that otherwise would not have been available. These increases in tax basis may reduce the amount of tax that Malibu Boats, Inc. would otherwise be required to pay in the future. These increases in tax basis may also decrease gains (or increase losses) on future dispositions of certain capital assets to the extent tax basis is allocated to those capital assets. We have entered into a tax receivable agreement with the pre-IPO owners (or their permitted assignees) that provides for the payment by Malibu Boats, Inc. to the pre-IPO owners (or their permitted assignees) of 85% of the amount of the benefits, if any, that Malibu Boats, Inc. is deemed to realize as a result of (1) increases in tax basis and (2) certain other tax benefits related to our entering into the tax receivable agreement, including tax benefits attributable to payments under the tax receivable agreement. These payment obligations are obligations of Malibu Boats, Inc. and not of the LLC.
Available Information
Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to reports filed or furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act are available on our web site at www.malibuboats.com, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after the electronic filing of these reports with, or furnishing of these reports to, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. In addition, the SEC maintains a web site at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including us.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
The following describes the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those presented in our forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face but do represent those risks and uncertainties that we believe are material to us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also harm our business.
Risks Related to our Business and Operations
We have a large fixed-cost base that will affect our profitability when our sales decrease.
The fixed cost levels of operating a recreational powerboat manufacturer can put pressure on profit margins when sales and production decline. Our profitability depends, in part, on our ability to spread fixed costs over a sufficiently large number of products sold and shipped, and if we reduce our rate of production or otherwise experience lower revenues, gross margins will be negatively affected. For instance, in fiscal year 2024 our net sales decreased at a greater percentage than our expenses were reduced and, as a result, our gross margin and net income decreased. Consequently, decreased demand or the need to reduce production can lower our ability to absorb fixed costs and materially impact our financial condition or results of operations.
We may not be able to execute our manufacturing strategy successfully, which could cause the profitability of our products to suffer.
Our manufacturing strategy is designed to produce high quality products, while reducing costs and increasing flexibility to respond to ongoing changes in the marketplace. To implement this strategy, we must be successful in our continuous improvement efforts, which depend on the involvement of management, production employees and suppliers. Any inability to achieve our objectives under our manufacturing strategy could adversely impact the profitability of our products and our ability to deliver desirable products to our consumers.
In addition, we have made strategic capital investments in capacity expansion activities to successfully capture growth opportunities and enhance product offerings, including plant expansions. For example, we purchased a production facility in Roane County, Tennessee and moved production of certain models of our Cobalt boats from Kansas to Tennessee. Moving production to a different plant and expanding capacity at an existing facility involves risks, including difficulties initiating production within the cost and timeframe estimated, supplying product to customers when expected, integrating new products, and attracting sufficient skilled labor to handle additional production demands. If we fail to meet these objectives, it could adversely affect our ability to meet customer demand for products and increase the cost of production versus projections, both of which could result in a significant adverse impact on our operating and financial results. Additionally, plant expansion can result in manufacturing inefficiencies, additional expenses, including higher wages or severance costs, and cost inefficiencies, which could negatively impact financial results.
We may not be able to accurately forecast demand for our products, which could impact our ability to manage our inventory and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
We forecast demand for our products to manage our production of boats. In forecasting demand and setting production levels, we consider dealer inventory levels and anticipated consumer demand. In addition to the seasonal nature of our business, demand for our products can fluctuate due to the impacts of macroeconomic conditions on dealers and consumers, such as tariffs, heightened interest rates and inflation. Our forecasting also considers possible production delays that could result from supply chain disruptions, adverse weather events and labor shortages, among other factors. Consequently, forecasting future demand for our products can be challenging due to the many uncertainties that could impact expected dealer and consumer demand or create unanticipated production delays. If we are not able to forecast accurately and must change production levels quickly, our business may be adversely impacted. For instance, if we need to increase production of boats because we underestimated demand or suffered unanticipated production delays, our suppliers may not be able to deliver sufficient quantities of parts and components to match our increased production levels and we may not be able to recruit or maintain sufficient skilled labor to meet our increased production needs. As a result, our dealers may experience inventory shortages while we work to replenish inventory levels, resulting in missed sales and/or lost revenues. Alternatively, if we overestimate demand and our dealers reduce their inventories in response to weakness in retail demand, we could be required to reduce our production, resulting in lower rates of absorption of fixed costs in our manufacturing and therefore lower margins. Additionally, if we overestimate demand, our dealers will incur additional costs as a result of increased promotional activities to sell their inventory.
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Our financial results may be adversely affected by our third-party suppliers’ increased costs or inability to adjust for our required production levels due to changing demand or global supply chain disruptions.
We rely on a global supply chain of third parties to supply raw materials used in our manufacturing process, including resins, fiberglass, and vinyl, as well as parts and components. The prices for these raw materials, parts, and components fluctuate depending on market conditions and, in some instances, tariffs, commodity prices or trade policies. Substantial increases in the prices of raw materials, parts, and components would increase our operating costs, and could reduce our profitability if we are unable to recoup the increased costs through higher product prices or improved operating efficiencies. For instance, during fiscal years 2024 and 2025, we experienced rising prices for our suppliers, in part due to inflationary pressures and heightened interest rates. Our profitability in recent years has been, and in the future may be, affected by significant fluctuations in the prices of the raw materials and commodities that we use in our products and in the cost of freight and shipping of source materials, commodities, and other component parts necessary to assemble our products.
Our ability to maintain production is dependent upon our suppliers delivering sufficient amounts of components, raw materials and parts on time to manufacture our products and meet our production schedules. Supply chain disruptions could occur for any number of factors, including facility closures due to labor disruptions, weather events, natural disasters, cyber intrusions, the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness, contractual or other disputes, unfavorable economic or industry conditions including tariffs, political instability, global conflicts, delivery delays, performance problems, or financial difficulties of suppliers. These events could disrupt our suppliers’ operations and lead to uncertainty in our supply chain or cause supply disruptions for us, which could, in turn, disrupt our operations. For example, we experienced supply chain disruptions from fiscal year 2020 through first half of fiscal 2023 related to numerous factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, severe weather events, labor shortages, ongoing domestic logistical constraints, and West Coast port challenges.
Also, decisions by our suppliers to decrease production of their components or parts, production delays of such suppliers, work stoppages by the employees of such suppliers, or price increases could also have a material adverse effect on our ability to produce our products and ultimately, on our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows. For example, in fiscal year 2020 we experienced interruption to our engine supply as a result of the United Auto Workers’ strike against General Motors. During the UAW strike, General Motors suspended delivery of engine blocks to us and we incurred $2.6 million in costs by entering into purchase agreements with two suppliers for additional engines to supplement our inventory of engine blocks for Malibu and Axis boats.
For some of the components used in production, we depend on a small group of suppliers and the loss of any of these suppliers could affect our ability to obtain components timely or at competitive prices, which would decrease our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.
In some instances, we purchase components, raw materials and parts that are ultimately derived from a single source or geographic area or a limited number of suppliers and we may therefore be at an increased risk for supply disruptions. It may be difficult to find a replacement supplier for a limited or sole source raw material, part, or component without significant delay or on commercially reasonable terms, and as a result, an exclusive supplier of a key component could potentially exert significant bargaining power over price, quality, warranty claims, or other terms. Some components used in our manufacturing processes, including engines, boat windshields, certain electrical components and gel coats are available from a sole supplier or a limited number of suppliers. We currently purchase engines from General Motors LLC, or General Motors, that we then prepare for marine use for certain Malibu, Axis and Cobalt boats. Our agreement with General Motors will continue through model year 2026. We purchase outboard engines from Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., or Yamaha, for a significant percentage of our Cobalt, Pursuit and Maverick Boats Group branded boats that are pre-rigged for outboard motors. Our agreement with Yamaha is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2027. We also purchase inboard engines from Volvo. We have agreements with Yamaha for the supply of outboard motors that expires on June 30, 2027. If we are required to replace General Motors, Yamaha or Volvo as an engine supplier for any reason, it could cause a decrease in boats available for sale or an increase in our cost of sales, either of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We were advised in fiscal 2025 by one of our suppliers that we would receive fewer engines than originally anticipated in the second half of fiscal 2025. While the reduction in engine supply did not have a material impact on us in fiscal 2025, if in the future, we receive less engines from any of our suppliers than our expectations and are unable to mitigate the reduction in supply, it could impact our production levels and boats available for sale, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Termination or interruption of informal supply arrangements could have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations.
Historically, we have not entered into long-term agreements with suppliers of our raw materials and components other than for our engines, outboard motors and inboard motors. Instead, we have informal supply arrangements with many of our suppliers of components, raw materials and parts. In the event of a termination of the supply arrangement, there can be no
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assurance that alternate supply arrangements will be made on satisfactory terms. If we need to enter into supply arrangements on unsatisfactory terms, or if there are any delays to our supply arrangements, it could adversely affect our business and operating results.
Climatic events, including hurricanes, tornadoes, or other disruptions, may adversely impact our operations and financial condition, disrupt the business of our suppliers, and may not be adequately covered by insurance.
Climatic events in the areas where we operate have caused, and future climatic events may cause, disruptions and in some cases delays or suspensions in our operations that may adversely impact our business. We rely on the continuous operation of our facilities in Tennessee, Florida, Kansas, California, and Australia. Any natural or environmental disaster to our facilities due to fire, flood, hurricanes, earthquake, or other severe climatic events could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, we have plants located in regions of the United States, such as Florida and Kansas, that have been and may be exposed to extreme weather, such as tropical storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes. An increased frequency and/or severity of storms, hurricanes, or tornadoes could impair our ability to operate by severely damaging our facilities and restricting our ability to deliver products to our customers. The occurrence of any disruption at any of our facilities, even for a short period of time, may have an adverse effect on our productivity and profitability, during and after the period of the disruption, including by causing delays in receiving supplies from our vendors and creating logistical challenges for delivery of our product to our dealers and customers. These disruptions may also cause personal injury and loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property and equipment and environmental damage. Although we maintain property, casualty and business interruption insurance of the types and in the amounts that we believe are customary for the industry, we are not fully insured against all potential natural disasters or other disruptions to our facilities.
Our ability to meet our manufacturing workforce’s needs is crucial to our results of operations and future sales and profitability.
We rely on the existence of a sufficient available hourly workforce to manufacture our boats. We may not be able to attract and retain qualified employees to meet current or future manufacturing needs at a reasonable cost, or at all. For instance, even when there are high unemployment rates in the regions where we have manufacturing facilities, we have had difficulty retaining skilled employees and could experience such difficulties in the future. Although none of our employees are currently covered by collective bargaining agreements, there can be no assurance that our employees will not elect to be represented by labor unions in the future. Additionally, competition for qualified employees could require us to pay higher wages to attract a sufficient number of employees. Significant increases in manufacturing workforce costs could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
The nature of our business exposes us to workers' compensation claims and other workplace liabilities.
Certain materials that we use require our employees to handle potentially hazardous or toxic substances. While our employees who handle these and other potentially hazardous or toxic materials receive specialized training and wear protective clothing, there is still a risk that they, or others, may be exposed to these substances. Exposure to these substances could result in significant injury to our employees and damage to our property or the property of others, including natural resource damage. Our personnel are also at risk for other workplace-related injuries. We have in the past been, and may in the future be, subject to fines, penalties, and other liabilities in connection with any such injury or damage. While we have implemented safety precautions at our facilities to mitigate contagious diseases, such as a pandemic, we may also be subject to possible lawsuits or regulatory actions or suffer from reputational risk if we experience spread in our workplace. We may be unable to maintain insurance for these potential liabilities on acceptable terms or such insurance may not provide adequate protection against potential liabilities.
We are dependent on attracting and retaining key management employees.
Our success depends in significant part upon the continued service of our senior management and our continuing ability to attract, assimilate, and retain highly qualified and skilled managerial, product development, manufacturing, marketing and other personnel. The loss of services of any members of our senior management or key personnel or the inability to hire or retain qualified personnel in the future could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Management transition may also create uncertainty among employees, suppliers and customers or impact public or market perception, any of which could negatively impact our ability to operate effectively or execute on our strategies and result in an adverse impact on our business.
We have grown our business through acquisitions; however we may not be successful in completing future acquisitions or integrating future acquisitions in a way that fully realizes their expected benefits to our business.
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A key part of our growth strategy, as shown by our acquisition of Maverick Boat Group in 2020, Pursuit in 2018, and Cobalt in 2017, has been to acquire other companies that expand our consumer base, enter new product categories or obtain other competitive advantages. We expect to continue to acquire companies as an element of our growth strategy; however, we may not be able to identify future acquisition candidates or strategic partners as part of our growth strategy that are suitable to our business, or we may not be able to obtain financing on satisfactory terms to complete such acquisitions.
Acquisitions include a number of risks, including our ability to project and evaluate market demand, realize potential synergies and cost savings, and make accurate accounting estimates, as well as diversion of management attention. Uncertainties exist in assessing the value, risks, profitability, and liabilities associated with certain companies or assets, negotiating acceptable terms, obtaining financing on acceptable terms, and receiving any necessary regulatory approvals. As we continue to grow, in part, through acquisitions, our success depends on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these risks. Our failure to successfully do so could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. For example, we determined that our estimated fair value for the Maverick Boat Group reporting unit was less than its carrying value as of March 31, 2024 and we recognized an impairment charge of $88.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 related to our Maverick Boat Group reporting unit.
Further, our inability to successfully integrate future acquisitions within the intended time frames or at all could impede us from realizing all of the benefits of those acquisitions and could severely weaken our business operations. The integration process with any acquisition may disrupt our business and, if implemented ineffectively, may preclude the realization of the full benefits expected by us and could harm our results of operations. In addition, the overall integration of the combining companies may result in unanticipated problems, expenses, liabilities and competitive responses and may cause our stock price to decline. Even if the operations of an acquisition are integrated successfully, we may not realize the full benefits of the acquisition, including the synergies, cost savings or growth opportunities that we expect.
Our growth strategy may require us to secure significant additional capital, the amount of which will depend upon the size, timing, and structure of future acquisitions or vertical integrations and our working capital and general corporate needs.
Our growth strategy includes the possible acquisition of other businesses and the potential integration of new product lines or related products to our boats, such as our initiatives to integrate the production of engines and trailers for our Malibu and Axis models, our Monsoon engines into some of our Cobalt models and our new Tooling Design Center. These actions may require us to secure significant additional capital through the borrowing of money or the issuance of equity. Any borrowings made to finance future strategic initiatives could make us more vulnerable to a downturn in our operating results, a downturn in economic conditions, or increases in interest rates on borrowings that are subject to interest rate fluctuations. If our cash flow from operations is insufficient to meet our debt service requirements, we could then be required to sell additional equity securities, refinance our obligations or dispose of assets in order to meet our debt service requirements. Adequate financing may not be available if and when we need it or may not be available on terms acceptable to us. The failure to obtain sufficient financing on favorable terms and conditions could have a material adverse effect on our growth prospects.
Further, we could choose to finance acquisitions or other strategic initiatives, in whole or in part through the issuance of our Class A Common Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for our Class A Common Stock. If we do so, existing stockholders will experience dilution in the voting power of their Class A Common Stock and earnings per share could be negatively impacted. The extent to which we will be able and willing to use our Class A Common Stock for acquisitions and other strategic initiatives will depend on the market value of our Class A Common Stock and the willingness of potential third parties to accept our Class A Common Stock as full or partial consideration. Our inability to use our Class A Common Stock as consideration, to generate cash from operations, or to obtain additional funding through debt or equity financings in order to pursue our strategic initiatives could materially limit our growth.
If we are unable to continue to enhance existing products and develop and market new or enhanced products that respond to customer needs and preferences, we may experience a decrease in demand for our products and our business could suffer.
Market acceptance of our products depends on our technological innovation and our ability to implement technology in our boats. Our failure to introduce new technologies and product offerings that our customers desire could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, we believe that we have been able to achieve higher margins in part as a result of the introduction of new features or enhancements to our existing boat models. If we fail to introduce new features or those we introduce fail to gain market acceptance, our margins may suffer.
In addition, some of our direct competitors and indirect competitors may have significantly more resources to develop and patent new technologies. Our competitors have developed and patented similar technologies and products that compete with ours. We cannot be certain that our products or technologies have not infringed or will not infringe on the proprietary rights of others, including our competitors. They may assert these patents against us and we may be required to license these patents on
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unfavorable terms or cease using the technology covered by these patents, either of which would harm our competitive position and may materially adversely affect our business.
Our reliance upon patents, trademark laws and contractual provisions to protect our proprietary rights may not be sufficient to protect our intellectual property from others who may sell similar products and may lead to costly litigation. We have in the past, and may be in the future, party to lawsuits and other intellectual property rights claims that are expensive and time-consuming.
We hold patents and trademarks relating to various aspects of our products and believe that proprietary technical know- how is important to our business. Proprietary rights relating to our products are protected from unauthorized use by third parties only to the extent that they are covered by valid and enforceable patents or trademarks or are maintained in confidence as trade secrets. We cannot be certain that we will be issued any patents from any pending or future patent applications owned by or licensed to us or that the claims allowed under any issued patents will be sufficiently broad to protect our technology. In the absence of enforceable patent or trademark protection, we may be vulnerable to competitors who attempt to copy our products, gain access to our trade secrets and know-how or diminish our brand through unauthorized use of our trademarks, all of which could adversely affect our business. Accordingly, we may need to engage in future litigation to enforce intellectual property rights, to protect trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights of others.
We also rely on unpatented proprietary technology. It is possible that others will independently develop the same or similar technology or otherwise obtain access to our unpatented technology. To protect our trade secrets and other proprietary information, we require employees, consultants, advisors and collaborators to enter into confidentiality agreements. We cannot assure you that these agreements will provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets, know-how, or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use, misappropriation, or disclosure of such trade secrets, know-how, or other proprietary information. If we are unable to maintain the proprietary nature of our technologies, we could be materially adversely affected.
In addition, others may initiate litigation or other proceedings to challenge the validity of our patents, or allege that we infringe their patents, or they may use their resources to design comparable products that do not infringe our patents. We may incur substantial costs if our competitors initiate litigation to challenge the validity of our patents, or allege that we infringe their patents, or if we initiate any proceedings to protect our proprietary rights. If the outcome of any litigation challenging our patents is unfavorable to us, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We and the third parties with whom we work are subject to stringent and evolving U.S. and foreign laws, regulations, rules, and rules, contractual obligations, industry standards, policies and other obligations related to data privacy and security. Our (or the third parties with whom we work) actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could lead to regulatory investigations or actions; litigation (including class claims) and mass arbitration demands; fines and penalties; disruptions of our business operations; reputational harm; loss of revenue or profits; loss of customers or sales and other adverse business consequences.
In the ordinary course of business, we collect, receive, store, process, generate, use, transfer, disclose, make accessible, protect, secure, dispose of, transmit, and share (collectively, process) personal data and other sensitive information, including proprietary and confidential business data, trade secrets, intellectual property, and sensitive third-party data (collectively, sensitive information).
Our data processing activities subject us to numerous data privacy and security obligations, such as laws, regulations, guidance, industry standards, external and internal privacy and security policies, contractual requirements, and other obligations relating to data privacy and security. In the United States, federal, state, and local governments have enacted numerous data privacy and security laws, including data breach notification laws, personal data privacy laws, consumer protection laws (e.g., Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act), and other similar laws (e.g., wiretapping laws).
In the past few years, numerous U.S. states have enacted comprehensive privacy laws that impose certain obligations on covered businesses, including providing specific disclosures in privacy notices and affording residents with certain rights concerning their personal data. As applicable, such rights may include the right to access, correct, or delete certain personal data, and to opt-out of certain data processing activities, such as targeted advertising, profiling, and automated decision-making. Certain states also impose stricter requirements for processing certain personal data, including sensitive information, such as conducting data privacy impact assessments. These state laws allow for statutory fines for noncompliance. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, ( “CCPA”) applies to personal data of consumers, business representatives, and employees who are California residents, and requires businesses to provide specific disclosures in privacy notices and honor requests of such individuals to exercise certain privacy rights. The CCPA provides for fines of up to $7,500 per intentional violation and allows private litigants affected by certain data breaches to recover significant statutory damages. Similar laws are
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being considered in several other states, as well as at the federal and local levels, and we expect more states to pass similar laws in the future.
Outside the United States, an increasing number of laws, regulations, and industry standards govern data privacy and security. For example, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“EU GDPR”), the United Kingdom’s GDPR (“UK GDPR”) (collectively, “GDPR”), and Australia’s Privacy Act impose strict requirements for processing personal data. For example, under the GDPR, companies may face temporary or definitive bans on data processing and other corrective actions; fines of up to 20 million Euros under the EU GDPR, 17.5 million pounds sterling under the UK GDPR or, in each case, 4% of annual global revenue, whichever is greater.
In the ordinary course of business, we may transfer personal data from Europe and other jurisdictions to the United States or other countries. Europe and other jurisdictions have enacted laws requiring data to be localized or limiting the transfer of personal data to other countries. In particular, the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom (UK) have significantly restricted the transfer of personal data to the United States and other countries whose privacy laws it generally believes are inadequate. Other jurisdictions may adopt or have already adopted similarly stringent data localization and cross-border data transfer laws. Although there are currently various mechanisms that may be used to transfer personal data from the EEA and UK to the United States in compliance with law, such as the EEA standard contractual clauses, the UK’s International Data Transfer Agreement / Addendum, and the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and the UK extension thereto (which allows for transfers to relevant U.S.-based organizations who self-certify compliance and participate in the Framework), these mechanisms are subject to legal challenges, and there is no assurance that we can satisfy or rely on these measures to lawfully transfer personal data to the United States.
If there is no lawful manner for us to transfer personal data from the EEA, the UK or other jurisdictions to the United States, or if the requirements for a legally-compliant transfer are too onerous, we could face significant adverse consequences, including the interruption or degradation of our operations, the need to relocate part of or all of our business or data processing activities to other jurisdictions (such as Europe) at significant expense, increased exposure to regulatory actions, substantial fines and penalties, the inability to transfer data and work with partners, vendors and other third parties, and injunctions against our processing or transferring of personal data necessary to operate our business. Additionally, companies that transfer personal data out of the EEA and UK to other jurisdictions, particularly to the United States, are subject to increased scrutiny from regulators, individual litigants, and activist groups. Some European regulators have ordered certain companies to suspend or permanently cease certain transfers out of Europe for allegedly violating the GDPR’s cross-border data transfer limitations.
Additionally, under various privacy laws and other obligations, we may be required to obtain certain consents to process personal data. For example, some of our data processing practices may be challenged under wiretapping laws, if we share consumer information with third parties through various methods, including chatbot and session replay providers, or via third-party marketing pixels. These practices may be subject to increased challenges by class action plaintiffs. Our inability or failure to obtain consent for these practices could result in adverse consequences, including class action litigation and mass arbitration demands.
Our employees and personnel use generative artificial intelligence (“AI”) technologies to perform their work, and the disclosure and use of personal data in generative AI technologies is subject to various privacy laws and other privacy obligations. Governments have passed and are likely to pass additional laws regulating generative AI. Our use of this technology could result in additional compliance costs, regulatory investigations and actions, and lawsuits. If we are unable to use generative AI, it could make our business less efficient and result in competitive disadvantages.
In addition to data privacy and security laws, we are, or may be contractually subject to industry standards adopted by industry groups and, we are, or may become subject to such obligations in the future. For example, we are or may be subject to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (“PCI DSS”). The PCI DSS requires companies to adopt certain measures to ensure the security of cardholder information, including using and maintaining firewalls, adopting proper password protections for certain devices and software, and restricting data access. Noncompliance with PCI-DSS can result in penalties ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 per month by credit card companies, litigation, damage to our reputation, and revenue losses.
We are also bound by contractual obligations related to data privacy and security, and our efforts to comply with such obligations may not be successful. We publish privacy policies, marketing materials and other statements, regarding data privacy and security. Regulators in the United States are increasingly scrutinizing these statements, and if these policies, materials or statements are found to be deficient, lacking in transparency, deceptive, unfair, or misrepresentative of our practices, we may be subject to investigation, enforcement actions by regulators or other adverse consequences.
Obligations related to data privacy and security (and consumers’ data privacy expectations) are quickly changing, becoming increasingly stringent, and creating uncertainty. Additionally, these obligations may be subject to differing applications and interpretations, which may be inconsistent or conflict among jurisdictions. We may at times fail (or be
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perceived to have failed) in our efforts to comply with our data privacy and security obligations. Moreover, despite our efforts, our personnel or third parties with whom we work may fail to comply with such obligations, which could negatively impact our business operations. If we or the third parties with whom we work fail, or are perceived to have failed, to address or comply with applicable data privacy and security obligations, we could face significant consequences, including but not limited to: government enforcement actions (e.g., investigations, fines, penalties, audits, inspections, and similar); litigation (including class-action claims) and mass arbitration demands; additional reporting requirements and/or oversight; bans or restrictions on processing personal data; and orders to destroy or not use personal data.
In particular, plaintiffs have become increasingly more active in bringing privacy-related claims against companies, including class claims and mass arbitration demands. Some of these claims allow for the recovery of statutory damages on a per violation basis, and, if viable, carry the potential for monumental statutory damages, depending on the volume of data and the number of violations. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, or financial condition, including but not limited to: loss of customers; interruptions or stoppages in our business operations; inability to process personal data or to operate in certain jurisdictions; limited ability to develop or commercialize our products; expenditure of time and resources to defend any claim or inquiry; adverse publicity; or changes to our business model or operations.
If our information technology systems or those of third parties with whom we work or our data, are or were compromised, we could experience adverse consequences resulting from such compromise, including but not limited to regulatory investigations or actions; litigation; fines and penalties; disruptions of our business operations; reputational harm; loss of revenue or profits; loss of customers or sales; and other adverse consequences.
In the ordinary course of our business, we and the third parties with whom we work, process sensitive information, including intellectual property; our proprietary business information and that of our dealers, suppliers, and other business partners; and personal information of consumers and employees. Cyber-attacks, malicious internet-based activity, online and offline fraud, and other similar activities threaten the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our sensitive information and information technology systems, and those of the third parties with whom we work. Such threats are prevalent and continue to rise, are increasingly difficult to detect, and come from a variety of sources, including traditional computer “hackers,” threat actors, “hacktivists,” organized criminal threat actors, personnel (such as through theft or misuse), sophisticated nation states, and nation-state-supported actors.
Some actors now engage and are expected to continue to engage in cyber-attacks, including without limitation nation-state actors for geopolitical reasons and in conjunction with military conflicts and defense activities. During times of war and other major conflicts, we, the third parties with whom we work, and our customers, may be vulnerable to a heightened risk of these attacks, including retaliatory cyber-attacks, that could materially disrupt our systems and operations, supply chain, and ability to produce, sell and distribute our products.
We and the third parties with whom we work are subject to a variety of evolving threats, including but not limited to social-engineering attacks (including through deep fakes, which may be increasingly more difficult to identify as fake, and phishing attacks), malicious code (such as viruses and worms), malware (including as a result of advanced persistent threat intrusions), denial-of-service attacks, credential stuffing attacks, credential harvesting, personnel misconduct or error, ransomware attacks, supply-chain attacks, software bugs, server malfunctions, software or hardware failures, loss of data or other information technology assets, adware, telecommunications failures, attacks enhanced or facilitated by AI, and other similar threats. We have in the past been targeted by such attacks and likely will continue to be targeted in the future. In particular, severe ransomware attacks are becoming more prevalent – particularly for companies like ours that are engaged in critical infrastructure or manufacturing – and can lead to significant interruptions in our operations, ability to provide our products, loss of sensitive information and income, reputational harm, and diversion of funds. Extortion payments may alleviate the negative impact of a ransomware attack, but we may be unwilling or unable to make such payments due to, for example, applicable laws or regulations prohibiting such payments.
It may be difficult and/or costly to detect, investigate, mitigate, contain, and remediate a security incident. Our efforts to do so may not be successful. Actions taken by us or the third parties with whom we work to detect, investigate, mitigate, contain, and remediate a security incident could result in outages, data losses, and disruptions of our business. Threat actors may also gain access to other networks and systems after a compromise of our networks and systems. Future or past business transactions (such as acquisitions or integrations) could expose us to additional cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities, as our systems could be negatively affected by vulnerabilities present in acquired or integrated entities’ systems and technologies. Furthermore, we may discover security issues that were not found during due diligence of such acquired or integrated entities, and it may be difficult to integrate companies into our information technology environment and security program.
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We rely on third parties to operate critical business systems to process sensitive information in a variety of contexts, including, without limitation, commercial transactions, customer interactions, manufacturing, branding, employee tracking, and other functions. We also rely on third parties to provide other products, services, parts, to sell our products or otherwise to operate our business. Our ability to monitor these third parties’ information security practices is limited, and these third parties may not have adequate information security measures in place. If the third parties with whom we work experience a security incident or other interruption, we could experience adverse consequences. While we may be entitled to damages if the third parties with whom we work fail to satisfy their privacy or security-related obligations to us, any award may be insufficient to cover our damages, or we may be unable to recover such award. In addition, supply-chain attacks have increased in frequency and severity, and we cannot guarantee that third parties’ infrastructure in our supply chain or that of the third parties with whom we work have not been compromised.
While we have implemented security measures designed to protect against security incidents, there can be no assurance that these measures will be effective. We take steps designed to detect, mitigate, and remediate vulnerabilities in our information systems (such as our hardware and/or software, including that of third parties with whom we work). We have not and may not in the future, however, detect and remediate all such vulnerabilities on a timely basis. Further, we have and may in the future experience delays in deploying remedial measures and patches designed to address identified vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities could be exploited and result in a security incident.
Any of the previously identified or similar threats have in the past and may in the future cause a security incident or other interruption that have in the past and may in the future result in unauthorized, unlawful, or accidental acquisition, modification, destruction, loss, alteration, encryption, disclosure of, or access to our sensitive information or our information technology systems, or those of the third parties with whom we work. A security incident or other interruption could disrupt our ability (and that of third parties with whom we work) to provide our products. Additionally, if we experience a security incident impacting the electronic components embedded into our products, such as the navigation or operating systems, this could prevent or cause customers to stop using our products, deter new customers from using our products, adversely affect the reputation of our business, or cause us to experience other similar harms.
We expend significant resources or modify our business activities to try to protect against security incidents. Certain data privacy and security obligations have required us to implement and maintain specific security measures or industry-standard or reasonable security measures to protect our information technology systems and sensitive information. Applicable data privacy and security obligations may require us, or we may voluntarily choose, to notify relevant stakeholders, including affected individuals, customers, regulators, and investors, of security incidents, or to take other actions, such as providing credit monitoring and identity theft protection services. Such disclosures and related actions can be costly, and the disclosure or the failure to comply with such applicable requirements could lead to adverse consequences.
If we (or a third party with whom we work) experience a security incident or are perceived to have experienced a security incident, we may experience adverse consequences, such as government enforcement actions (for example, investigations, fines, penalties, audits, and inspections); additional reporting requirements and/or oversight; litigation (including class claims); indemnification obligations; negative publicity; reputational harm; monetary fund diversions; diversion of management attention; interruptions in our operations (including availability of data); financial loss; and other similar harms. Security incidents and attendant consequences may prevent or cause customers to stop using our products, deter new customers from using our products, and negatively impact our ability to grow and operate our business.
Our contracts may not contain limitations of liability, and even when they do, there can be no assurance that limitations of liability in our contracts are sufficient to protect us from liabilities, damages, or claims related to our data privacy and security obligations. We cannot be sure that our insurance coverage will be adequate or sufficient to protect us from or to mitigate liabilities arising out of our privacy and security practices, that such coverage will continue to be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or that such coverage will pay future claims.
Our operations and sales in international markets require significant management attention, expose us to difficulties presented by international economic, political, legal, and business factors, and may not be successful or produce desired levels of sales and profitability.
We currently sell our products throughout the world and we manufacture boats internationally in Australia. Several factors, including weakened international economic conditions and the strength of the U.S. dollar, could adversely affect our international operation and growth. Expansion in our existing international markets and entry into new international markets require significant management attention. Some of the countries in which we market and our distributors sell our products are, to some degree, subject to political, economic or social instability. Our international operations expose us and our representatives, agents and distributors to risks related to operating in foreign jurisdictions.
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Doing business on a worldwide basis also requires us to comply with the laws and regulations of various foreign jurisdictions. These laws and regulations place restrictions on our operations, trade practices, partners and investment decisions. In particular, our operations are subject to U.S. and foreign anti-corruption and trade control laws and regulations, such as the FCPA, export controls and economic sanctions programs, including those administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or the OFAC. As a result of doing business in foreign countries and with foreign partners, we are exposed to a heightened risk of violating anti-corruption and trade control laws and sanctions regulations.
Actual or potential public health emergencies, epidemics, or pandemics, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition.
The impact of actual or potential public health emergencies, epidemics, or pandemics on us, our suppliers, dealers, and consumers, and the general economy could be wide-ranging and significant, depending on the nature of the issue, governmental actions taken in response, and the public reaction. The impact of such events could include employee illness, quarantines, cancellation of events and travel, business and school shutdowns, reduction in economic activity, widespread unemployment, and supply chain interruptions, which collectively could cause significant disruptions to global economies and financial markets.
In addition, these events could result in future significant volatility in demand, positively or negatively, for our products. Demand volatility may be caused by, among other things: the temporary inability of consumers to purchase our products due to illness, quarantine, or other travel restrictions; dealership closures due to illness or government restrictions; a reduction in boating activity as a result of governmental actions or self-quarantine measures; shifts in demand away from discretionary products; and reduced options for marketing and promotion of products. If such events occur over a prolonged period, they could increase our costs and difficulty of operating our business, including accurately planning and forecasting for our operations and inventory levels, which may adversely impact our results.
Risks Related to Our Markets and the Recreational Powerboat Industry
Weak general economic conditions, particularly in the United States, can negatively impact our industry, demand for our products, and our business and results of operations.
Demand for new recreational powerboats can be negatively influenced by weak economic conditions, including high inflation and interest rates, low consumer confidence and high unemployment, especially in the United States, and by increased market volatility worldwide. In times of economic uncertainty and contraction, consumers tend to have less discretionary income and defer or avoid expenditures for discretionary items, such as boats. Sales of our products are highly sensitive to personal discretionary spending levels, and our success depends on general economic conditions and overall consumer confidence and personal income levels, especially in the United States and in the specific regional markets where we sell our products. Any deterioration in general economic conditions that diminishes consumer confidence or discretionary income is likely to reduce our sales and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, fiscal and monetary policy, including tariffs, could have a material adverse impact on worldwide economic conditions, the financial markets, and availability of credit and, consequently, may negatively affect our industry, businesses, and overall financial condition. Consumers often finance purchases of our boats, and as interest rates rise, as they have over the last few years, the cost of financing the purchase also increases. If credit conditions worsen, and adversely affect the ability of consumers to finance potential purchases at acceptable terms and interest rates, it could result in a decrease in sales or delay improvement in sales of our products.
Our continued success is dependent on the positive perception of our brands, which, if impaired, could adversely affect our sales.
We believe that our brands are significant contributors to the success of our business and that maintaining and enhancing our brands are important to expanding our consumer and dealer base. The value of our brands is based in large part on perceptions and opinions, and broad access to social media makes it easy for anyone to provide public feedback that can influence perceptions of our Company. It may be difficult to control negative publicity, regardless of whether it is accurate. Negative incidents, such as quality and safety concerns, product recalls, severe incidents or injuries related to our products or actions, or statements or actions of our employees or dealers or the athletes associated with our products, could lead to tangible adverse effects on our business, including lost sales or employee retention and recruiting difficulties. Also, public concerns about the environmental impact of our products, or our environmental, social and governance practices generally, could result in diminished public perception of our brands. Government, media, or activist pressure to limit emissions could also negatively impact consumers’ perceptions of our boats. Any decline in the public acceptance of our boats could negatively impact their sales or lead to changes in laws, rules and regulations that prevent access to certain locations or restrict use or manner of use in certain areas or during certain times, which could also negatively impact sales. If the popularity of the sports and activities for
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which we design, manufacture and sell our boats were to decrease as a result of these risks or any negative publicity, sales of our products could decrease, which could have an adverse effect on our net revenue, profitability and operating results.
Our sales may be adversely impacted by increased consumer preference for used boats, electric boats, alternative fuel-powered boats, or the supply of new boats by competitors in excess of demand.
In the past, and during this recent economic cycle, we have observed a shift in consumer demand toward purchasing more used boats during economic downturns, primarily because prices for used boats are typically lower than retail prices for new boats. If consumer demand shifts toward purchasing more used boats, it could have the effect of reducing demand among retail purchasers for our new boats. Also, while we have taken steps designed to balance production volumes for our boats with demand, our competitors could choose to reduce the price of their products, which could have the effect of reducing demand for our new boats. In addition, a shift from traditional fuel-powered boats to electric boats, alternative fuel-powered boats, or other technologies could reduce demand for our boats. Reduced demand for new boats could lead to reduced sales by us, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.
An increase in energy and fuel costs may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Prices for crude oil, natural gas and other energy supplies have been increasing and have been subject to high volatility, including as a result of geopolitical factors or otherwise. Further, the global clean energy movement may also reduce the availability of fossil fuels, which may in turn cause increases to energy costs. Higher energy costs result in increases in operating expenses at our manufacturing facilities and in the expense of shipping products to our dealers. In addition, increases in energy costs may adversely affect the pricing and availability of petroleum based raw materials, such as resins and foams, that are used in our products. Higher fuel prices may also have an adverse effect on demand for our boats, as they increase the operating costs associated with boat ownership and possibly affect product use.
Retail demand for our boats is seasonal and unfavorable weather conditions just before and during spring and summer can have a negative effect on our revenues.
Adverse weather conditions in any year in any particular geographic region may adversely affect sales in that region, especially during the peak boating season. Sales of our products are generally stronger just before and during spring and summer, which represent the peak boating months in most of our markets, and favorable weather during these months generally has a positive effect on consumer demand. Conversely, unseasonably cool weather, excessive rainfall, reduced rainfall levels, or drought conditions during these periods may close area boating locations or render boating dangerous or inconvenient, thereby generally reducing consumer demand for our products. Our annual results would be materially and adversely affected if our net sales were to fall below expected seasonal levels during these periods. We may also experience more pronounced seasonal fluctuation in net sales in the future as we continue to expand our businesses. Additionally, to the extent that unfavorable weather conditions are exacerbated by global climate change or otherwise, our sales may be affected to a greater degree than we have previously experienced. There can be no assurance that weather conditions will not have a material effect on the sales of any of our products.
Our industry is characterized by intense competition, which affects our sales and profits.
In recent years, we have lost market share in certain of our segments because of increased competition in our industry. The recreational powerboat industry, and in particular the performance sport boat category, is highly competitive for consumers and dealers. Competition affects our ability to succeed in the markets we currently serve, including the saltwater outboard fishing boat market that we entered with our acquisitions of Pursuit and Maverick Boat Group, and new markets that we may enter in the future. Competition is based primarily on brand name, price, product selection and product performance. We compete with several large manufacturers that may have greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do and who are represented by dealers in the markets in which we now operate and into which we plan to expand. We also compete with a variety of small, independent manufacturers. We cannot assure you that we will not face greater competition from existing large or small manufacturers or that we will be able to compete successfully with new competitors. Our failure to compete effectively with our current and future competitors would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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We compete with a variety of other activities for consumers’ scarce leisure time.
Our boats are used for recreational and sport purposes, and demand for our boats may be adversely affected by competition from other activities that occupy consumers’ leisure time and by changes in consumer life style, usage pattern or taste. Similarly, an overall decrease in consumer leisure time may reduce consumers’ willingness to purchase and enjoy our products.
Changes in currency exchange rates can adversely affect our results
A portion of our sales are denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar. Consequently, a strong U.S. dollar may adversely affect reported revenues. We also maintain a portion of our manufacturing operations in Australia which partially mitigates the impact of the volatility of the U.S. dollar in that country. A portion of our selling, general and administrative costs are transacted in Australian dollars as a result. We also sell U.S. manufactured products into certain international markets in U.S. dollars, including the sale of products into Canada, Europe and Latin America. Demand for our products in these markets may also be adversely affected by a volatile U.S. dollar. We do not currently use hedging or other derivative instruments to mitigate our foreign currency risks.
Inflation and rising interest rates could adversely affect our financial results.
The market prices of certain materials and components used in manufacturing our products, especially resins that are made with hydrocarbon, feedstocks, copper, aluminum and stainless steel, can be volatile. Inflation has recently had an adverse impact on our business, particularly related to wages and increases in the cost of raw materials and transportation, and may continue to have, an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
In addition, new boat buyers often finance their purchases. During the past year, inflation, along with heightened interest rates, has translated into an increased cost of boat ownership. Should inflation and increased interest rates continue or increase, prospective consumers may choose to forego or delay their purchases or buy a less expensive boat in the event credit is not available to finance their boat purchases.
Risks Related to our Dealers
We depend on our network of independent dealers, face increasing competition for dealers and have limited control over their activities.
The number of dealers supporting our products and the quality of their marketing and servicing efforts are essential to our ability to generate sales. Competition for dealers among recreational powerboat manufacturers continues to increase based on the quality, price, value and availability of the manufacturers’ products, the manufacturers’ attention to customer service and the marketing support that the manufacturer provides to the dealers. We face competition from other manufacturers in attracting and retaining independent boat dealers. In addition, independent dealers in the recreational powerboat industry have experienced significant consolidation in recent years, which could result in the loss of one or more of our dealers in the future if the surviving entity in any such consolidation purchases similar products from a competitor. A significant deterioration in the number or effectiveness of our dealers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our success depends, in part, upon the financial health of our dealers and their continued access to financing.
Because we sell nearly all of our products through dealers, the financial health of our dealers is critical to our success. Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected if the financial health of the dealers that sell our products suffers. Their financial health may suffer for a variety of reasons, including a downturn in general economic conditions, tariffs, heightened interest rates, higher rents, increased labor costs and taxes, compliance with regulations and personal financial issues. For instance, in 2024, one of our former dealers, Tommy's Boats, filed for bankruptcy protection and liquidated its inventory, which resulted in us repurchasing 19 of our boats from Tommy's Boats.
Our dealers require adequate liquidity to finance their operations, including purchases of our boats. Dealers are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could unfavorably affect their liquidity positions, including, among other things, continued access to adequate financing sources on a timely basis and on reasonable terms. These sources of financing are vital to our ability to sell products to our dealers through our distribution network. Access to floor plan financing generally facilitates our dealers’ ability to purchase boats from us, and their financed purchases reduce our working capital requirements. If floor plan financing were not available to our dealers, our sales and our working capital levels would be adversely affected as dealers may shift the timing of certain purchases and otherwise reduce the total number of boats that they purchase during any given period. In addition, rising interest rates could also incentivize dealers to reduce their inventory levels in order to reduce their
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interest exposure, which may further adversely impact the sales of our boats and our results of operations. For additional information on our dealer network, see "Business--Our Dealer Network and --Dealer Management" above.
We may be required to repurchase inventory of certain dealers or provide promotional incentives to sell through inventory
Many of our dealers have floor plan financing arrangements with third-party finance companies that facilitate the dealers purchasing our products. In connection with such floor plan financing agreements, in certain instances we agree to repurchase our products from the third-party finance company. Generally, this obligation is triggered if a dealer defaults on its debt obligations to a finance company, the finance company repossesses the boat and the boat is returned to us. In addition, applicable laws regulating dealer relations may also require us to repurchase our products from our dealers under certain circumstances. In such circumstances, we may not have any control over the timing or amount of any repurchase obligation nor have access to capital on terms acceptable to us to satisfy any repurchase obligation. If we are required to repurchase a significant number of units under any repurchase agreement or under applicable dealer laws, it could have an adverse impact on our business, operating results, financial condition and cash flows. Since fiscal year 2021, we have repurchased a total of 37 units from lenders to former dealers and 35 of those units were subsequently resold above their cost and at a minimal reduced margin. This number includes 19 boats we repurchased pursuant to our repurchase agreement with M&T Bank related to the bankruptcy of our former dealer, Tommy’s Boats.
Future declines in marine industry demand could cause an increase in repurchase activity or could require us to incur losses in excess of established reserves. In addition, our cash flow and loss experience could be adversely affected if repurchased inventory is not successfully distributed to other dealers in a timely manner, or if the recovery rate on the resale of the product declines. The finance companies could require changes in repurchase terms that would result in an increase in our contractual obligations.
Risks Related to Litigation and our Regulatory, Accounting and Tax Environment
The nature of our business exposes us to risks associated with litigation, investigation and regulatory proceedings and a significant adverse determination with respect to any material claim against us could adversely affect our operating results or financial condition.
We currently are facing, and will likely continue to face, legal, administrative and regulatory proceedings, claims, demands and/or investigations relating to dealer or consumer matters, shareholder matters and/or other matters relating to our business. Litigation and regulatory proceedings are inherently uncertain, and adverse rulings could occur, including monetary damages or fines, or an injunction stopping us from manufacturing or selling certain products, engaging in certain business practices, or requiring other remedies.
We are currently defending against a securities class action lawsuit. On April 10, 2024, fifteen dealerships operated under common control of Tommy’s Boats (“Tommy’s Boats”) filed a complaint against MBI and its indirect subsidiary Boats LLC in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (Case 3:24-cv-00166). The complaint alleges that MBI and Boats LLC breached obligations under dealership agreements with Tommy’s Boats, quantum meruit, unjust enrichment, promissory estoppel and intentional and negligent misrepresentations relating to the parties’ commercial relationship. Tommy’s Boats sought monetary damages. Boats LLC has taken possession of 19 new model year 2024 boats according to a repurchase agreement with M&T Bank, the floor plan financing lender to Tommy’s Boats. These boats were subsequently resold during the three months ended September 30, 2024. On July 3, 2024, Mark E. Andrews, Chapter 11 Trustee (the “Trustee”) for Tommy’s Boats voluntarily dismissed without prejudice the claims filed by Tommy’s Boats. On August 16, 2024, Matthew Borisch, the principal owner of Tommy’s Boats, filed a complaint against Malibu Boats, Inc., Malibu Boats, LLC, and Jack Springer in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (Case 3:24-cv-00339), alleging similar allegations to those of the dismissed complaint against Malibu Boats, Inc. and Malibu Boats, LLC filed by Tommy’s Boats. Mr. Borisch amended his complaint on October 29, 2024.
On October 7, 2024, MBI and Boats LLC entered into a Settlement Agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”) with the Trustee. Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, upon the satisfaction of certain conditions, MBI and Boats LLC agreed to pay the Tommy’s Boats’ estate $3.5 million in cash and MBI and Boats LLC and the Trustee agreed to mutual releases of all outstanding claims between them. The Settlement Agreement was approved by the Bankruptcy Court on November 19, 2024. On May 22, 2025, the Bankruptcy Court determined that most of Mr. Borisch’s claims are property of the Tommy’s Boats bankruptcy estates and required Mr. Borisch to withdraw or dismiss such claims against MBI and Boats, LLC., while finding that Mr. Borisch could assert certain potential claims against Malibu Boats, Inc. and Malibu Boats, LLC in his individual capacity. In consideration of the Bankruptcy Court’s ruling, the Trustee agreed to cooperate with us in defense of Mr. Borisch’s claims. As a result of the Bankruptcy Court's determination and the Trustee's agreement to cooperate, on July 21, 2025, Malibu made the $3.5 million settlement payment to the Tommy’s Boats estate to consummate the Settlement Agreement.
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On July 11, 2025, Mr. Borisch sought leave to amend his complaint and has asserted that the remaining claims he has brought belong to him in his individual capacity. We intend to vigorously defend ourselves against any claims alleged by Mr. Borisch. We are unable to provide any reasonable evaluation of the likelihood that a loss will be incurred or any reasonable estimate of the range of possible loss.
We are currently defending against a securities class action lawsuit. On April 29, 2024, a stockholder, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, filed a complaint against MBI and Jack Springer, Bruce Beckman, David Black, and Wayne Wilson as current and former officers of the Company in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Case 1:24-cv-03254). On August 15, 2024, the Court appointed the Retiree Benefit Trust of the City of Baltimore as the Lead Plaintiff in the action. The amended complaint alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in connection with allegedly false and misleading statements made by MBI related to the Company's business, operations, and prospects during the period from November 4, 2022 through May 1, 2024 (“Class Period”). The amended complaint alleges, among other things, that the defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act and SEC Rule 10b-5 by not disclosing alleged material adverse facts related to the Company’s inventory, demand and relationship with one of its former dealers, Tommy’s Boats, and accordingly, that certain statements made during the Class Period about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading. On July 29, 2025, MBI and the individual defendants entered into a Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement with the Lead Plaintiff. The settlement is subject to Court approval and, without admitting fault or liability, contemplates a settlement amount of $7.8 million for the benefit a settlement class comprised of all purchasers of MBI securities during the Class Period. MBI anticipates that the settlement amount will be fully paid with proceeds from MBI’s directors and officers insurance carriers.
On November 25, 2024, a stockholder, derivatively on behalf of MBI, filed a complaint against Jack Springer, Ritchie Anderson, Bruce Beckman, David Black, and Wayne Wilson as current and former officers of Malibu Boats, Inc., as well as current and former members of the MBI Board of Directors in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Case 1:24-cv-09018). On December 20, 2024, a second stockholder, derivatively on behalf of MBI, filed a complaint against the same defendants in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Case 1:24-cv-09870). On January 7, 2025, these derivative actions were consolidated and stayed pending certain developments in the securities class action. On April 8, 2025, a third stockholder, derivatively on behalf of MBI, filed a complaint against the same defendants in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (Case 3:25-cv-00142). On May 16, 2025, a fourth stockholder, derivatively on behalf of MBI, filed a complaint against the same defendants, except for Ritchie Anderson, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (Case 3:25-cv-00223). The derivative actions allege violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as well as breach of fiduciary duties and unjust enrichment against the individual defendants in connection with the issues raised in the securities class action. We intend to vigorously defend ourselves against claims alleged in these derivative actions. We are unable to provide any reasonable evaluation of the likelihood that a loss will be incurred or any reasonable estimate of the range of possible loss.