Hello fellow boaters! My name is Brian Slaughter, and I’m the CEO of IMPACT, CBS. CBS = Cool. Boat. Stuff.
We specialize in boat protection. Your boat is not only one of your biggest investments, it’s your fun, your passion, your hobby, and your recreation.
We understand. We get it because we’re lifelong water skiers and boaters, too. And we founded IMPACT Fenders to improve and revolutionize the way we protect our boats.
Our flagship products are premium boat fenders, dock bumpers, and piling bumper pads, all of which are unlike anything you’ve seen on the market before. They are custom made in our shop in Durango, Colo., and will deliver quality, performance, protection, and aesthetic appeal for years.
The other half of the “we” behind IMPACT Fenders is my partner in business and in life, Courtney Gates. We grew up together in Lake Arrowhead, California, as competitive water skiers. We each followed different paths after the Arrowhead days, only to reconnect 25 years later and once again bond over our shared love of being on the water. We remain avid recreational skiers–making turns whenever possible in our Southwest Colorado neck of the woods.
We were coming into dock after a particularly fantastic morning, when we fumbled to get the imbalanced, awkward fenders in place. There was no catastrophe; we just dealt with the same old, awkward fenders that we dealt with every day. These things hadn’t evolved in 50 years. Our mission began by asking, “Why not?”
After two and a half years of R&D working with inflatable plastics professionals, designers and tons of market research from fellow boaters, we introduced our first line of Impact Fenders and Dock Bumpers in 2019.
IMPACT Fenders are the lasting solution for performance sport boats, sailboats, pontoon boats, and yachts. As our brand has grown in each sector, experiencing the full-spectrum of the marine industry has been a gift to Courtney and I in our second chapter of life. We have met amazing people, and we’ve been inspired by the shared values and plain ol’ good times all boaters seem to embody. We’re meeting people like ourselves who are still out on the water year after year, and those whose eyes are lighting up to new experiences and adventures in all realms of boating and the sports you do behind your boat.
My intention with this blog is to deliver relevant information around topics that you care about. IMPACT Fenders is all about protecting your investment, so your days on the water are fun and stress-free. Here on this blog, we’ll be diving into all of those aspects. From safeguarding your boat to buying the best boat for your favorite on-water sport, we’ll bring how-to’s, what ifs, and top tens to your inbox. (Sign up for our newsletter in the footer below.)
If there are topics you’d like to know more about or would like to share here on this blog, please feel free to contact me.
Phew…first blog done!!! Thank you for reading. I welcome your comments and I look forward to an ongoing conversation.
Until next time, see you on the water!
