With legendary bow maker Hoyt celebrating 80 years in the industry in 2011, you might find yourself wondering just how an archery company can amass such a long and storied history.
We here at Archery Business sure do.
Actually, Earl Hoyt Sr. and Earl Hoyt Jr. got their start making wooden arrows way back in 1931. About 15 years later things were going so well that Earl Jr. decided to quit his job at McDonald Aircraft Corp. to join the family business full-time. “From that point on, innovation really started to define Hoyt, including the first bows with an overdraw, semi-pistol grips, the first recurves with a reflex/deflex design, the very first stabilizer, the very first micro-adjustable arrow rest,” said Jeremy Eldredge, company marketing manager. “You name it, Earl was designing, patenting, and building it.”
Then in 1983 Easton purchased the company and renamed it Hoyt/Easton. It remained thus until 1989 when the company was split into sister operations as separate companies, with Hoyt being given the moniker Hoyt USA. “During this same period in the ’80s, the company was gradually moved to Salt Lake—one department at a time—and remains there today,” Eldredge stated.
For 2011 Hoyt has continued to build on the innovative tradition of Earl Hoyt Jr. with its expansion of carbon-riser bows. The Carbon Element is a shorter (32 inch) version of the Carbon Matrix. “These are the toughest, lightest bows we have ever produced,” said Eldredge. The hollow-tube carbon-riser design dips the scale at a scant 3.6 pounds. “The Carbon Element has been a huge success. We simply can’t make them fast enough to meet demand. It’s been an incredible bow to be a part of and see the technology come to light.”
On the aluminum-riser side the new CRX reigns king—and is Hoyt’s best-selling bow in the line. Says Eldredge: “In the $800 price range, an aluminum bow, like the CRX, was the premiere bow for the past 10 years, and until Hoyt introduced its carbon-riser bows it still was. While the Carbon Matrix and Element have certainly made their mark, the market still has a strong appetite for aluminum risers as well, mainly due to the price point.”
The Rampage and Rampage XT bows serve the next market for Hoyt. “Hoyt has such a strong name that many times dealers will be faced with a customer who just wants a Hoyt,” Eldredge related “If the customer is unable or unwilling to go for the ‘top of the line,’ a bow such as the Rampage may fit his or her needs better in the $500 to $600 range.”
The Rampage really is a great deal, too, with all of the technology and refinements of pricier bows. The cost savings comes from the lower manufacturing cost of a cast magnesium riser versus a machined aluminum or carbon riser.
“We have often been asked why we don’t sell to ‘big-box’ stores, and the answer is simple,” Eldredge said. “We have been successful by keeping our dealers profitable and having them support the brand in return.”
For more info on Hoyt: (800) 522-4698; www.hoyt.com
