Hayden-based boat dealer Mark’s Marine Inc. was acquired last month by BoardCo LLC, a Utah-based boat and watersport gear dealer.

The sale coincides with the retirement of Mark’s Marine owners Merlin and Karen Thykeson, according to Carrie Stacey, of Stacey International LLC, who represented Mark’s Marine in the transaction.

Stacey declines to disclose the sale price of the 55-year-old dealership and service shop, which is located at 14355 N. Government Way.

Aaron Thykeson, the son of Merlin and Karen, will stay on with the company as partner and president.

“Aaron is very well known for having an extremely high level of knowledge about fishing and electronics that go with it,” says Stacey, who has an office in Spokane and serves the marina dealership industry across the U.S. and Canada. “It was really important that he’s staying."

Aaron Thykeson, as well as a representative of BoardCo, didn’t immediately respond to the Journal’s interview requests.

The staff at Mark’s Marine has remained with the company, Stacey says.

A new business license listed on the city of Spokane’s website last month suggests the company will continue to do business as Mark’s Marine. The legal name of the company is listed as Board Partners Mark's Marine LLC.

Mark’s Marine was founded in 1970 by Mark Gagnier in International Falls, Minnesota, according to the company’s website. The dealership moved to Coeur d’Alene in the early 1980s, and then relocated to its current location around 2005. 

Stacey says the sale follows a recent trend in the industry, pointing to the 2023 acquisition of Hayden-based Tobler Marina by Seattle Boat Co.

“There’s a lot of consolidation in the industry,” she says.