A Racine County plant that once made Evinrude outboard boat motors has been repurposed to build a line of pontoon boats with a customizable deck and controls similar to a Sea-Doo personal watercraft.

“Grip it and rip it!” My crew mates cheerfully egged me on after I cleared the last “No Wake Zone” and gingerly bobbed into the vast, open Atlantic Ocean. Ordinarily, a command like that would sound ...