iKon Boats has Officially Entered the Bass Boat Industry
MADISONVILLE, TN – HCB Yachts proudly introduces the new iKon boat brand to the marketplace with their first LX21 and LX20 editions, with plans for the first VLX series to follow in late 2023 and early 2024. iKon Boats has officially entered the bass boat industry to push limits within the marketplace.
At the core of the iKon brand is innovation, engineered-precision, tailored craftsmanship, with an enthusiast and conversationist, winning-spirit. As a tribute to the original HydraSports bass boats that graced the waters almost a half-century ago, this announcement is the latest chapter of a two-year plan in the making.
This newly expanded company is solely enthusiast-owned and truly recognizes the need for a new category in the bass boat industry. The brand “iKon” was chosen to register the iconic aspiration to grow fishing and be remembered for it. iKon, which will be showcased at the 2023 Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville, TN, is embodied in four major areas:
- Protect fish
- Run comfortably on rough and calm waters with no compromises
- Maintain vessel performance and responsiveness with no compromises
- Offer more everything…
The prerequisites for the ongoing expansion centered on leveraging sophisticated yacht engineering and technology with consummate fishing anglers’ intellect to develop an innovative product that will redefine history in the market. In favor of adopting such a strategy, HCB Yachts partnered with experience-enabling, product expert and professional angler, Brent Butler, and ultimately two-time Angler of the Year, Jacob Wheeler.
“Between the yacht engineering and firsthand expertise from professional anglers, we knew we had a good product,” said VP Sales and Marketing, Scott Womack. “The challenge was that we wanted to do more than just add another boat to a vibrant segment. We wanted to build a boat that would grow fishing and protect the fish. Our company vision is to preserve the future of fishing for generations to come.”
The new brand uniquely illustrates more integration, more fishability, more intuitiveness, more comfort, more response, more storage, more conservationist protection, and way more personality. Born of an iconic spirit, the LX series epitomizes the power of a lifelong passion for fishing in a changing world. After careful product design and development, the boat exemplifies the all new “iKonic Terrain” (iT) stinger and deck system, the “L2” Livewell System, and the “Hydrodynamic Stabilizer System” (HSS), with a first class E-seating.
The 2-piece flexible architecture used in our “iKonic Terrain” (iT) stinger and deck design(s) were optimized to yield more fishing real estate than any other product in the game. Our forward fishing locker is fitted with over 21.5 cubic feet and sets the record to be outrigged over 50 tackle boxes while leaving ample room for spare clothing. The rod locker can store a staggering
36 rods measuring 9’8”. Our ultra-dry, tall gutter system protects our waterproof hatches for the wettest climates with a polished finish under-thehood.
The world is now revolutionized with a livewell to protect fish during and after the tournament.
The patented “L2” livewell system is integrated with technology that has kept bait alive in the hot coastal saltwater industry for days. This innovative, first-inclass, automated livewell system controls auto-fill, auto-maintain-fill, auto-circulate, auto-oxygenation, auto-inject fish additive, and even auto temp to allow more time spent focused on fishing.
The all new “Hydrodynamic Stabilizer System” (HSS) hull combines the most accomplished naval architect design strategies used in saltwater fisheries with the performance requirements for freshwater applications to deliver a ride that is unlike any in every perspective: stability, comfort, responsiveness, and speed. It was designed to ride smoothly in rough waters.
With capabilities unmatched by any seating system in the industry, iKon introduces the all-new E-seat system to complement a world-class helm and controls configuration. Our automotive designs incorporate intelligent features with an embedded in-house 6spring suspension system. The intuitive configuration removed interference structure to look around to any sort of the boat underway, does not require a muscle-up getting in and out of the driver’s seat, and cradles the body with comfort for long days on the water, with all the boat operating controls at the helm.
Heritage grows from innovation, and people of excellence enable us to take on today’s challenges – and win! With youth fishing on the rise and the changes in the world in technology and wildlife, this new brand will connect the dots of legacy and tradition to grow our future. Now with the right product, iKon is positioned to take the bass boat industry market head on – our goal is to deliver superior product solutions with personality, that keep up with the times to grow fishing, protect fish, and make our customers win!
About Us
iKon boats, LLC, is a subsidiary of east Tennessee’s HCB Yachts (HCB), and is headquartered
right down the street from HCB (Vonore, TN) in Madisonville, TN.
Rooted in Hydrasports’ half of century heritage, it was unanimously decided by the board in 2019 to expand operating activities into freshwater with a transformational bass boat portfolio.
The prerequisites for the ongoing expansion centered on leveraging sophisticated yacht engineering and technology with consummate fishing anglers’ intellect to develop an innovative product that will redefine history in the market. In favor of adopting such a strategy, HCB Yachts partnered with experience-enabling, product expert and professional angler, Brent Butler, and ultimately two-time Angler of the Year, Jacob Wheeler.
