Speaking of boat shows here are some excerpts from an article a dealer friend of mine named Tom Johnson wrote. He ownds a Chaparral dealership in Wisconsin and has some strong things to say:

I have been a powerboat dealer for over thirty years. I have seen great changes in the boats over these three decades. The boats are more comfortable and easier to operate. All boaters have benefited from the improvements in the engines. I have literally seen people grow up and have a wonderful time boating with their families year after year. What hasn't changed over my 32 years in boating is the large amount of people that are disappointed with their new boat! It is the "dark side" of boating and I would like to shed some light on this subject for you.

When a family initially decides that a boat might be fun, where can they go to decide which boat would be best for them? The boat shows are deliberately confusing and overwhelming. Magazines are scarce and they seem to make every boat sound pretty good. Dealers often seem to just want to sell whatever they have in stock rather than trying to help a family to find the right choice. The manufacturers seem to be able to communicate features, but they don't relate well to an individual's concerns and needs.

The family ends up combining whatever boating experience they have had with some advice from friends, a couple of brochures and a visit to a boat show into a new boat purchase. They might as well have just put all the choices in a hat and pulled one randomly.

It is sad to observe and very scary to personally experience. So much family happiness is riding on this decision and it is based on fragmented information, a couple of attractive features and whatever boat seemed to have the best price. Most people know more about the shoes they are buying than about their new boat purchase!

The dealers, themselves, have so much diversity that it is very hard to tell the good ones from the bad. Some dealers are big, most are not; some are experienced, most are not; some are well financed, most are not; some are well trained, most are only partially knowledgeable (which is more dangerous than ignorance); some are honest, some are not; some are dedicated to their customer, most are not. No two are quite alike nor do any of them operate in the same way. Dealers are much more like farmers or privately owned restaurants than they will ever be like car dealerships.

Keep in mind that it is very difficult for a dealer to keep a high quality, full service operation together the entire year when they only have customers during half of the year. Your boat is only going to break in the spring or in the summer. The good dealers are extremely busy at this time of the year. The dealers' priority has to be to the families that purchased their boats from them. If you want timely service when you need it, buy your boat from the dealer who you want to do your service work. It's the best way for you to avoid being disappointed with your boat!

The next time you are thinking of shopping for a new boat, do something different! Decide to shop for a boat dealer instead of a boat. The right dealer will be handling the right boat from the right manufacturer. The right dealer will be sure that you are informed properly so that you can decide on the correct boat for your family. The right dealer will be sure your new boat is as near to being perfectly ready as possible. The right dealer will be sure your first day is easy, safe and so informative that everyday after that is nothing but fun. The right dealer will take care of any unforeseen problems that crop up in a timely, friendly manner. The right dealer will make sure that you are having fun with your new boat as long as you own it!

As a good friend of mine likes to say "A boat can be a $50,000 bundle of joy or a $50,000 pain in your neck." Why take a chance? Buy from the right dealer because even the right boat, if it is from the wrong dealer, will be more inconvenience, troubles and headaches than you'd ever want. When you find the right dealer, you'll find the right boat! You will also find years of fun, pleasure and great family memories for as long as you stay with the "right dealer." That's the secret to Happy Boating!

Joe Hoffmaster-Sales Manager, General Manager, Sales Specialist new boats. Office hours M-W, F 8-4, Sat 10-4
Martha Hoffmaster-Chief Financial Officer M, T, Th, F 830-11, 1230-3
Kathleen Walker-Billing questions Accounts Receivables M-F 830-4
Terry Verity-Parts and Service questions Parts Manager, Service Writer M-F 8-4.
Charles T. Hedrick-Sales Specialist, Head of Brokerage Sales M, W, Th, F 830-4, Sat 10-4, Sun 12-4 or by Appointment
Sam, Steve, Rick, Brian, John and Dave are techs M-F 8-4

For Service and parts orders and follow up call Terry. If he's not there call Kathleen. On the weekends leave Terry notes. Parts order forms and work order forms are located on the parts counter. Anybody in the store can assist you in this.
To put your boat up on brokerage or to get a value call Chuck
If you have a question about your bill call Kathleen