Raytheon casts its net on the Web

Trying to broaden sales beyond its defense base, the company turns to the Internet.

As the Miami International Boat Show began over the weekend, a crew of Internet entrepreneurs launched boaters.com, a Web site targeted to boating and fishing enthusiasts.

Sounds conventional enough. Except that boaters.com’s backer is none other than Raytheon Co., the financially hobbled defense giant that makes Tomahawk cruise missiles and fighter-jet radar.

This time around, Raytheon, of Lexington, Mass., is betting the Internet can enable the diversification that has proved so frustrating for arms manufacturers since the 1970s. Company officials see boaters.com as a “virtual mall,” allowing visitors to peruse products from retailers and distributors, with original content provided by writers and experts around the world.