Sno-Jet was a brand of snowmobile first produced in Quebec, Canada in 1965. They quickly proved popular and grew to be one of the highest-selling lines of snowmobiles until the early 1970s, helping usher the then-new sport of snowmobiling into Canada and the United States. The Glastron Boat Company acquired Sno-Jet in 1968. It was then sold to Kawasaki in 1976, who used the Sno-Jet name until 1980. History Pre-1965 Maurice Fillion and Paul-Émile Roy tried to get financial aid for their small home-operated fiberglass boat company in Thetford Mines, Quebec, in the winter of 1964. An investor took interest in a small homemade snowmobile Roy had at his home. Fillion and Roy reevaluated their decision to build boats, and instead chose to create a company to manufacture snowmobiles, which were starting to gain popularity through the efforts of companies like Bombardier, Polaris and Arctic Cat. Fillion and Roy formed a partnership with two other investors, Gaétan Théberge and Lionel Pelchat, and Sno-Jet was created. 1965–1968 Sno-Jet produced and sold 25 snowmobiles in 1965, and orders continued to arrive. In less than a year, the demand for its products exceeded its production capacity. The partners expanded the business, adding over 100 new employees, and a mechanical engineer to improve on Roy's original design. By 1968, they had produced and sold more than 15,000 snowmobiles, with demand continuously increasing. Feeling overburdened, Sno-Jet's owners decided to sell the company to the Glastron Boat Company. Although Glastron moved Sno-Jet's headquarters from Quebec to Minnesota, most of its snowmobiles continued to be made in the company's building in Thetford Mines, Quebec. 1969–1972 Sno-Jet's peak year was 1970, when it produced over 30,000 units, in over 20 models, with various engine styles and other features. By the time the snowmobiling boom of the early 1970s arrived, nearly 100 other snowmobile makers had been formed in North America, and Sno-Jet's sales flattened; but they remained a popular choice due to their reliability and price. 1973–1980 The OPEC Oil Crisis of 1973 hit the snowmobiling market hard. The increase in gas prices followed two poor winters for snow (1971–1973). The reduced demand caused dozens of snowmobile companies, many of which were founded only a short time earlier, to close. Even well-established Sno-Jet was not immune, and by the following year, its production had fallen by nearly 40%. Production continued to dwindle, and Sno-Jet offered fewer models. Despite