Fewer former professional competitors in our sport have done more to revolutionize the industry than Rick Roy. The former pro freestyle and freeride athlete sought to wholly change the equipment used in these high level forms of competition by developing first, the adjustable handlepole (now standard equipment on the 4-stroke TR-1 powered Yamaha SuperJet) and then his own line of stand-up and fixed seat skis.
Under the name Rick Roy Products (RRP), Roy accrued a veritable whos-who of professional and burgeoning athletes, all using his Rickter skis. Unbelievably lightweight, durable and masterfully crafted, the Rickter skis became nearly mandatory equipment for wave jumpers, freeriders and otherwise top tier competitors. Rickters had become the standard.
Unfortunately, certain circumstances have made continuing production in Thailand untenable for RRP and production at their current facility has ceased – per a public press release, which we’ve included in its entirety below. Per RRP, this halt in production is temporary as the company seeks to relocate its manufacturing.
Here’s the complete press release:
After a very successful career as a Pro Freestyle competitor and Freeride pioneer, it was time for Rick Roy to take his passion to the next level with innovative equipment. First was the RRP adjustable handle pole, which forever changed the functionality and look of the stand-up PWC. Many parts and innovative concepts followed. Rick decided to push it a step further and designed freeride and freestyle hulls with many innovative features, it again had a huge impact on the sport and PWC Industry.
We developed a partnership and opened a business, Rickter Composites, in Thailand; the factory was located in Thailand and produced the Rickter hulls and accessories.
The RRP Business has helped and enabled many individuals to start/grow their own companies as distributors or dealers, allowing them to make a living from the sport they love.
We want to thank all our distributors and dealers worldwide who have supported Rickter and RRP over the years. A special thank you to Hiro for the Ninja product line and all the riders and team members who have been so dedicated to our Rickter brand, and without them, we would never have had all this success that we have enjoyed.
But mainly, we want to thank you, the customers that have believed in the brand, supported it, shared their passion with us, and created what Rickter-RRP became, the leading brand in our industry.
As you can imagine, managing an overview of a factory remotely halfway around the world is not easy and comes with its own sets of challenges. Despite all the effort that we put in, we couldn’t keep it going. It is, therefore, with regret that we announce the end of the production of Rickter hulls at our Rickter Composites factory in Thailand.
We are evaluating different options for manufacturing Rickter hulls and accessories with new partners. We will keep you informed of the time and place.
The RRP (Rick Roy Products) parts division of our business is not affected by this temporary halt in hull production, and we will continue to produce the complete line of RRP products. We have plenty of RRP products in stock at RRP USA and will continue developing new products. Innovation remains the key to the RRP company and brand.
With all the technological advances and CNC Machining production, many companies worldwide have created companies specializing in copying parts. It is very important that the industry stand together and encourage those who innovate and develop products rather than encouraging those who copy them. Encouraging and supporting innovation is to ensure the sustainability of our sport.
Thank you for your support;
Rick Roy Products
26 April 2023
