About Crucial Boatworks-Since 2012
John P. Thelen and Family
From Our Founder In 2012, we introduced our first model — and our business — to the public at the Northwest Sportsman Show in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Since that time, we’ve proudly built and sold our boats under our original name, Backtroller Boats.
In 2020, everything changed. After a trademark dispute we elected to sell our common-law trademark rights, along with several of our website addresses, to a boat manufacturer in Florida and Mississippi.
While it was a challenge, it also created opportunity. We took that time to find a name we could truly make our own — one that represented our mission, craftsmanship, and commitment to our customers. After an extensive search, we succeeded and were granted the trademark for CRUCIAL.
With that, Crucial Boats — Crucial Boatworks was born.
What hasn’t changed is our dedication to build the best boats in the industry, to stand behind every customer,
and to deliver uncompromising quality and value in every hull we craft.
We’re excited about this next chapter — and especially proud to introduce the Crucial BT20. It carries forward the reputation for performance and excellence our customers have come to expect.
To all our Backtroller customers, and to our current and future Crucial owners — thank you.
Your trust, friendship, and continued support mean everything.
The future is bright.
— John P. Thelen
Founder, Crucial Boats / Crucial Boatworks
© 2025 Crucial Boatworks
In 2020, everything changed. After a trademark dispute we elected to sell our common-law trademark rights, along with several of our website addresses, to a boat manufacturer in Florida and Mississippi.
While it was a challenge, it also created opportunity. We took that time to find a name we could truly make our own — one that represented our mission, craftsmanship, and commitment to our customers. After an extensive search, we succeeded and were granted the trademark for CRUCIAL.
With that, Crucial Boats — Crucial Boatworks was born.
What hasn’t changed is our dedication to build the best boats in the industry, to stand behind every customer,
and to deliver uncompromising quality and value in every hull we craft.
We’re excited about this next chapter — and especially proud to introduce the Crucial BT20. It carries forward the reputation for performance and excellence our customers have come to expect.
To all our Backtroller customers, and to our current and future Crucial owners — thank you.
Your trust, friendship, and continued support mean everything.
The future is bright.
— John P. Thelen
Founder, Crucial Boats / Crucial Boatworks
© 2025 Crucial Boatworks