About Us
Dark Horse Marine, LLC
The last thing you need to worry about when on the water is whether or not your equipment is up to par. Dark Horse Marine is a national supplier of marine products to both manufacturers and end users. Uniquely, while anchoring is our core business and we are available to provide advice specifically for your special anchoring application, we are a full service marine products company.At Dark Horse Marine, we’re going to do everything possible to make sure those days on water are safe and worry free.
We have more than 40 years of experience serving the entire marine and boating community – from individual owner/operators, to boat builders and engineers, to dealers and repair shops (and everyone in between) – providing top quality parts and tools to keep your boat on the water. Working only with the highest quality products and the most reputable suppliers, our marine experts understand exactly what it takes to keep your boat running better than brand new all year round. We’ve cut out the middleman completely, and as a “brick and mortar” stocking company our marine experts will not only be able to help you find exactly what you need, we’ll always be able to get it out to you quickly and without any of the sky high markups you may have been paying in the past. Including custom applications, of course. We hope you’ll turn to us for all your marine equipment and maintenance needs, and look forward to serving you soon!
ABOUT US
Dark Horse Marine was established in 2014 by Robert Matos and originally sold a wide variety of marine products directly to consumers via its website and Amazon.
With over 35 years of expertise in the marine industry, Bobby Matos brings a wealth of experience to his current role. He has a deep understanding of the industry, from taking a product from concept to market, to manufacturing, sales, and marketing.
In 2019, Robert accepted a new position, and ownership transferred to his wife, Anna Matos. The focus then shifted to a niche market: the manufacturing of anchor rodes—the rope and chain that connects a boat to its anchor.
All Dark Horse Marine anchor rodes are spliced by hand at the shop in Clearwater, Florida. The company expanded from standard-size anchor rodes to custom ones, offering customers the ability to choose the exact length of rope and chain needed for their windlass. Custom options, such as depth marking, an SOS stop mark, and options to connect the bitter end to the boat, were added. These options help customers install their rodes and have everything they need.
All anchor rodes are designed to work with windlasses. All materials are specific to windlasses, such as medium-lay windlass rope and short-link windlass chain. The company caters to the small pleasure boat market, with most customers having boats between 25 and 45 feet in length.
Dark Horse Marine is one of the few places in the country that makes anchor rodes for drum winches. These rodes use HMPE rope, along with nylon rope and chain, to create anchor rodes up to 1,200 feet long for use on a drum winch.
The company sells primarily through its website directly to consumers. It also sells on Amazon, but has shifted sales away from Amazon to its website due to the fees associated with selling on Amazon’s platform.
In addition to selling to consumers, Dark Horse Marine creates anchor rodes for boat builders, boat dealers, marine repair shops, and fishing charters. The company also resplices rope for customers whose anchor rodes have been cut and need repair.
Since 2019, the company has leveraged its reputation in the marine industry into a niche business that is recommended on most platforms for anchor rodes. This has been achieved by guiding customers through the process of determining what they need for their windlass and helping them build their anchor rode, with recommendations on rope and chain selection. The goal is to make the customer feel confident in their choice, knowing the rode will work with their windlass. Interacting with customers is a key part of the business. Customers appreciate supporting a small business rather than a large corporation.
New boaters are guided through the buying process without the condescension sometimes encountered in the boating industry. The company prioritizes customers getting what they need, not just making a sale.
Dark Horse Marine also stands by its product. If a product doesn’t work as expected, the company works with the customer to resolve the issue. There are very few returns due to defects, so the company addresses issues quickly to get customers back on the water with minimal interruption.
Dark Horse Marine, LLC
12789 60th Street N.
Clearwater, FL 33760
info@darkhorsemarine.com
Phone: (727) 489-4533
Text Us @ 727-489-4533