In 1969 the Century Boat Co. introduced the Mark II, a boat that would
come to symbolize the transformation of a company living in the past to one that looked to the
future.
The changing marine market of the '50s left many veteran boatbuilders out in the cold. With
new companies entering the market daily with new styling, new materials and a whole new market
based on smaller outboard boats, many of the old-line companies didn't have the capital reserves
available to revamp their product line to compete against these ambitious upstarts.
Century was one of the companies that faced an uncertain future. By the late '60s, the
market for its inboard-powered luxury runabouts was quietly evaporating. Century had dabbled in
fiberglass production, but found that its labor force had trouble accepting this new technology.
These skilled woodworkers were used to working with the aroma of fresh-sawn mahogany and white oak.
Fiberglass was sticky and gooey, and the smell was like nothing else. It would not be an easy
transition.
In 1968, Century got an infusion of fresh ideas and new blood in the form of Al Hegg. Hegg
had been the production manager at Larson Boats in Little Falls, Minnesota, during the previous
decade, and although he was only 35 years old, he had gained a lifetime's worth of experience
alongside the production line workers at Larson. After buying the company with capital from the
sale of his acquired shares of Larson Industries, he found himself in the difficult position of
streamlining a company steeped in tradition.
The first step was to modernize the production facilities. Hegg sold the old plant on the
Manistee River, and remodeled another existing Century facility on the other side of Manistee to
gear up for fiberglass production. The second key step was to modernize the line of boats that
Century was producing.
Anxious to get something new to market, Century introduced the Mark II in the summer of
1969. In only a few short months, Hegg had a boat that was completely new, and he went about
aggressively pursuing the go-fast/feel-young market. At 16 feet 7-1/2 inches in length with a beam
of six feet eleven inches, the Mark II weighed more than 1,900 pounds.
'This was a transitional boat for Century,' remembers Hegg. 'It was available in V-drive,
sterndrive, or jet drive. The V-drive outsold the I/O almost 2-to-1, and only a few of the jets
were ever built. Our dealers sold inboards, and we were trying to expand those markets with the
Mark II. We were marketing to the wealthy guy, but also the guy fresh out of college.'
Entering the youthful sport-boat market, the Mark II brought a new standard of luxury to a
market filled with ordinary boats that just didn't measure up. Intro-duced in a candy apple red
finish, the new Mark II included standard features such as a ski tow pylon, fully instrumented
dash, horn, toe rails, safety rails at the rear deck, lifting rings, even a cigarette lighter.
The interior featured an L-shaped lounge seat surrounding a single bucket seat for the
pilot. The sun bed mattresses on the rear deck were standard, and single lever controls and
mechanical steering were provided.' In 1973 the color changed to a Sundance Yellow hull with Haze
White decks. The next year it came in Lime Green, and finally in 1975, its last year, the hull
color was Cranberry and featured the same Haze White decks.
The role that the Mark II played in the resurrection of Century Boats is simply put by Hegg:
'Century had a very stodgy image up to that point. We were trying to breathe new life into the
company and the name. This was really a sensational boat ' it made a real statement.'