Darell Bentz founded Bentz Boats in 1972 in Lewiston, Idaho to supply other outfitters who wanted boats like he had built for Intermountain Excursions, his outfitting business. The Salmon River and Snake Rivers of Idaho have always presented unique challenges for powered boats. The hundreds of miles of navigable water, wildly fluctuating water flows, and vast stretches of river located far from road access require rugged, reliable, powerful, and responsive boats with larger than normal fuel capacities and low maintenance requirements. Bentz had proven he could build a boat to meet those challenges.

By 1996, Bentz Boats had outgrown their original facility on Bryden Avenue in Lewiston. They purchased two acres at 155 South Port in the new South Port Industrial Park and built a 7200 sq. ft. building to house their manufacturing plant as well as sales and design offices. Launch facilities on the Snake River are close by and provide easy access for the on water tests that each boat must pass.

Bentz Boats has acquired an international clientele not only for their superior boat design but also because they offer on-site operator and maintenance training anywhere in the world. Bentz Boats has built boats and trained operators for customers on the Arun River in Nepal, the Ganges River in India, the Essequibo River in Guyana, South America, and numerous rivers in Alaska and Canada.