From my point of view , here in Apalachicola, Fl ,I see A Slow Motion Train Wreck [that's well put by someone ]. That’s what the “oil event” now feels like . Its not the fault of the President ,please ,so many of you all love to beat that government thing to death but in reality I believe its the cumulative effect of years of oil addiction.
I’m addicted , and most likely so are you . We worry about the current supply ,the future supply and their relative prices , what kind we like better , [BTW I personally like low sulfur , but not so much, ultra low sulfur #2 Diesel and mid grade gasoline] and how and where we can get it cheap.
We hate ethanol cause it fouls our equipment,and makes our food more expensive and it just not real oil . We are mad but we seek energy in gobs . I am just as guilty as anyone.
Its not an act of God ,but an act of Man.Like a war on ourselves . An industry and culture out of control , but with most of our blessings .No divorce proceedings in the near future seem to be likely . Kill baby, kill .I think I spelled that right ……
Energy technology is something that’s an emerging industry , We excel at those kinds of technologies here [for now] . We sell the technology , we make things happen and we made this oil fueled economy happen from the beginning  . We are in way,way deep.

But now my own home , my future ,my business and its staff and its families ,and our playgrounds are in jeopardy and a lot of folk’s playgrounds and homes have been already ruined for quite some time . Its hard to stay upbeat .I know its our own fault . But life goes on in our busy world of texting  “I never thought this would happen to me ” .
I have plans of diving the keys , showing my grandson how to fish,dive ,surf and enjoy the water [I think it skips a generation] and enjoying the last third of my life with my wife on and around the water . Will it be inland somewhere cause we cant breathe ? Will it be cleaning our coastline sweating  in a Tyvek suit ? Will it represent the most Irony of all and have us making our living restoring our own home being paid by the entity that destroyed it ?
I just don’t have any concept right now . The next few months will be critical for so many people .Maybe years of struggle to find new normalcy .

This event represents the best and worst of mankind . How we can do what would seem impractical and impossible and create an enormous mess doing it . But we will also live through it , recover from it and hopefully learn from it . Some will prosper , many will suffer , and I for one will never be the same .

I have been blessed to meet some wonderful people in the boat business , when it seems dismal [which it is does sometimes, especially in winter ] something will happen that will restore your vigor and remind you of why you do what you do . We are still in the midst of selling through our inventories , and the folks that make those key purchases are doing a great thing for us . I am very grateful for them and lately have met some mighty fine folks . Having some employees that count on me drives me to a great extent to make things happen and find our way in the long recovery process. It also teaches you a lot about your business and might even cause one to do some soul searching.
But back to those people , from all over, many backgrounds and beliefs, one common interest . Enjoying their time on the water and the products we sell,one of which is intangible but very important, the experience of great service . We will be trimming down our inventories, manufacturers that dont meet our expectations, expenses, but not our service . That’s why we meet great people and why they come back !
Marc

I am happy to brave freezing temps to prep for our first big boat show ATLANTA of the year . The signals are good for a continued uptick in sales with a tangible pent up demand for what we feel are the best “pocket cruisers” or “trailerable trawlers” on the market today . We will be featuring them in some of the major Southeastern boat shows this year . We do love the “in the water” shows in the spring and fall months as we can show off the true attributes of this style of boats and watch a potential owners response to the demo experience . Just good , clean, fun in the boat business .Alternatively , in the winter and being indoors , yet still on a boat , even in a convention center when its cold outside, is just a bonus of the boat business if you are hopelessly in love with boats.Yes , I am guilty .

So, we will be in Atlanta with C Dorys and Ranger Tugs starting Wed 01/13 through 01/17. At the Georgia World Congress Center in space H 44.

Then in a joint effort  with C Dory ,Wefings Marine  , and Suzuki we will be in the water at Sea Isle Marina for the Miami Boat Show with one of the first boats to be equipped with the new design , ultra light 60 H.P. Suzukis . It will be a C Dory 23 Venture . The twin 60s should be an ideal match with the new light and powerful motors .I am quite  happy to represent the new owners of C Dory , who will be showing off their boat building skills [ they are now the manufacturers of Sea Sport/Osprey/Skagit Orca and C Dory ]  Performance stats will follow .Should be most interesting to see how these motors stack up .

The shows for the spring are still in up the air , but I am leaning towards Jacksonville , Bay Point Panama City, and Pensacola.I love to do boat shows and am always open for a new venue . Its pretty wide open this year as far as available space goes .

Shows will be more important  in the new boat economy as dealers will be fewer and further between . That will mean shows will be a great place for a shopper to see whats new and purchase from a dealer that is serious about their craft . Sales may be somewhat stagnant but new designs and features will always be on the boat horizon. The best dealers will have them available .And they will do the shows . See you at the show !

Marc

I was driving across the 6 mile bridge that I traverse every morning on my way to work in Eastpoint this morning. Otis Redding was singing “Dock Of The Bay” through my truck’s stereo and I glanced off towards the mouth of the 5 rivers that feed this vibrant Apalachicola Bay. I spotted a boat in the morning light and as I got closer I observed it was one of my customer’s boats that we had recently picked up, serviced and delivered back to the Fish Camp where it is stored. They were peacefully at anchor fishing in near perfect conditions.

Fishing Apalachicola Bay

I thought about the changes we have seen in the industry this year and had a sense of pride to be heading to work and opening the gates for another day of “reinvention”.

I say reinvention because we have had to change our model as a business to some degree, to remain in business. First of all I have a service department that has really stepped up and worked hard. I have had to change the strategies of our business in the areas of sales [there weren't many]. Many of our boat lines simply dissapeared over the last year with one of the biggest in the industry [Genmar] announcing just yesterday they wont be reorganizing ,but selling out ,from an an unexpected [by most] bankruptcy declared in June. Consignment sales that seemed like a waste of energy a couple years ago are now a valued part of our new business model.

I have found myself acting as a purchasing agent for a number of folks that are not willing or able to purchase new boats. They trust that I will find them what they are looking for and will reward me with a fee for my services.  That’s the value of relationships working to help make those ends meet.

I have had to find ways to market that did not cost as much but were effective.  No more Yellowpages ads for instance as we discovered our buyers were generally doing their research in front of a computer screen, not a book and a telephone. We have a much complimented, ever changing web site [thanks Mike!], I write this blog, a newsletter,  have nearly daily participation in the owners groups of our most popular boat lines,  I tweet, facebook, use boatradderonline, boats.com etc…..

I still believe in boat shows.  Not as a pressure tool for generating immediate sales [although we certainly wont turn you down], but as a means to introduce folks to boats they have never seen or experienced in person, like our C Dorys and Ranger Tugs, to meet and start a personal relationship with a potential future customer, and to be a part of the industry. I still enjoy the people who enjoy boats, and go out of our way to meet them.  Even at a Waffle House on the way to a show.

We are not out of the woods.  I have a new perspective and we are still in an industry in turmoil.  I dream about this business, and sometimes lay awake.  Winter is coming, and we will work that much harder. I feel a sense of responsibility to my staff, and my customers.  But for now, I suppose it’s business as “unusual”.. I appreciate the support of our customers more than you know.  Without them, there would be nothing to “reinvent” and observe.

Marc

I went to Tampa with 2 boats to do the NMMA sponsored Tampa Boat Show there .

I have never done a “fall show” as most of ours fall in the winter or spring . I was leading Burt [our trusty truck driver] towing the 25 Ranger behind my truck and Burt carrying the R 29 Ranger Tug . Left Eastpoint about 5 A.M. and all was on schedule for a noon arrival at the launch ramp at Davis Island . There is an private airport and public Marina there and an old seaplane base . Beautiful area .

For whatever reason my factory representative and only scheduled help was no where to be found ,leaving me with a logistics problem getting 2 boats,2 trailers,and two trucks rearranged by myself. Boats in slips at Tampa Convention Center ,trailers in parking spaces at Performing Arts Center and Burt back on the road to pick up another trailer to bring back to Eastpoint was the task. Then there is the cleaning and staging of the boats.

So we pulled into the launch area and a crusty looking thin fellow came hustling over to tell us we couldn’t launch there cause there isnt enough water .He had a tide table to show me when the next high tide was and it wasn’t for a while . A local crabber concurred and graciously allowed me to get on his boat with his crab trap retrieval stick to check depth . He went to check his traps and offered to help .

Ranger Tugs , most likely due to their high profile, appear to draft more water than they really do , and those guys were being very helpful showing their concern . That was my first impression of Tampa.

As I spoke with my new friend [he is called Red], I noticed he was missing a few things .Like his right ear,eye and half his jaw. Red lived on his sail boat in the Marina and had been a skin cancer victim . He was not a wealthy guy and obviously lived a very hard life .He was lucky to have had a surgeon remove these parts to save his life . Not everybody in this country is that lucky.

But he was just there to help and spent his life doing odd marine related jobs . He didn’t ask me for a thing .

I was wrestling with the dilemma of whether to launch the boats regardless of the questionable depth situation or start cleaning them right then and there as I was rapidly running out of time .

Red disappeared and I was thinking I oughta go for it and launch . Then the thought struck me of how I was going to get back to the ramp after tying up at the convention center.

About that time my cell phone rang . It was the crabber . He said Im almost done and I could pull you over the bar after you launch to avoid damaging your running gear on the not too friendly looking bottom . I thought to myself ,that’s about all I can do and If I can get a ride back here on his boat I can launch # 2 and get Burt back underway .

I turned around to make one last ramp check and there was Red on his ancient skiff with his new 4 H.P. outboard . He said “I can pull you over the bar with this ,I tow stuff all over Tampa Bay” . Wow these folks are great . So I launched the 25 footer with no issue and before I knew it I had a skiff in tow and a deck and dock hand along and a new friend . There was my ride back in tow ,local knowledge onboard and most of my problem solved .

We tied off the 25 and rode back in the skiff . Then it was time to launch the 29 . It also went in without incident and off down the road went Burt, and the R 29 ,Red ,and I and “little skiff that could” went back to the convention center docks.

Both boats tied off , Ranger Factory rep on the dock helping set up , it was time to stop at Jackson’s via skiff for a beer for my new friend .Then back to move trailers . It was near dark when I was done . Red gave me his cell # and said if you need anything ,give me a call . I handed him some thank you cash , which I knew he could use . He came to the show every day to see if we needed help . I got him a pass . He was a little disconcerting for some to look at , but he was beautiful to me . Just a great guy that so far has beat the odds ,and is happy to be alive . Made me happy to have all I have and put alot of things in perspective.

We had a good boat show , I had good help getting the boats out , you can guess who made it happen .

Thanks Red !

Well Sat. was pretty steady busy , with boat shoppers on the lot , mystery parts challenges ["what year is it?' "I dont know late 70s or early 80s" , "what model is it" "its a 35" "they only made a 40 those years" "what are you looking for" " the gasket that goes between the water pump and the foot" "there are 6 gaskets and O rings in there, do you know which one?" "does it look like this?"Etc....
A little ongoing maintenance of the facility . Getting a boat ready to loan the Apalachicola Riverkeeper for their open house event , and answering numerous e mails and constant multiple phone calls covering many subjects.Thats a Saturday solo at Wefings . Starts at 9 ends at 5 .
There is a phenomenon happening with Twin Vee that I can not explain ,other than the reality of the worth of the product has had a fundamental meeting [ I picture a graph here] with the true values of the boats at their adjusted “distressed” prices . Perhaps now that their are not a bunch of dealers with tons of inventory, the true level demand has been found . Maybe its a combination of both. It does reinforce the basic functionality of their boats , and should show the future new owners,[assets still in court] that there is a market for a reasonably priced Cat. And perhaps Twin Vee is the economic indicator we should all be watching ? Well the upshot is we have sold more Twin Vees [Bankrupt about 7 Mos. ago] in the last 3 weeks than we have sold in the last three years . Go figure. We are even helping other dealers move their product.
This week we have folks coming in to demo some Ranger Tugs, the Shamrock Mackinaw as well as repowering a couple boats and our usual steady stream of service work and whatever else happens on the spur of the moment . Never a dull moment .
I am getting inquiries about our “Gulf Coast Gathering” this year from our C Dory and Ranger Tugs owners group. It Wefing’s Hundredth Anniversary and we hope to make this a memorable gathering in October . Ill announce dates soon and book some rooms at the Water Street Hotel and Gibson Inn for our attendees.
Well I suppose I should go to work now , this writing thing is fun , but Eastpoint , Florida calls !
Till next time ,
Marc

Sometimes I feel as though I am running a boat orphanage. Through no fault of the boat , their families have abandoned them and they come to live at my dealership .

They all start out as foster boats in a sense when we get them , with the hope of future support from their original parents. All formerly from good families, some are victims of the economy whose parents just couldn’t keep up the responsibility of having a family of boats and have filed bankruptcy, some are there because their parents died [or closed up shop] unexpectedly, some became orphans because the family’s assets have been transferred to another family, and they didn’t take the liability with the acquisition. All were originally chosen by us because they are good boats, with intelligent features and unique functional traits, and were selected without knowing they come from a troubled family background.

But like Steve Jobs, Leo Tolstoy, or Johann Sebastian Bach and many more [all successful/important people that were orphans] these boats can do great things for their new families. They can bring joy and happiness that comes from being cared for ,played with and coming from one good family [Wefings foster home for boats] to another good home [the end user] . Our family is dedicated to supporting these boats new families with the best support we can, that is part of what makes us who we are. If you have a problem we will try to make it our problem, if you have placed the faith in us to do business with us. If you simply want to get the lowest price and do not care about the genealogy you are missing the point of my post.

The point is that if you like what we have, orphan or not , and appreciate any kind of relationship or service after the sale , and have an understanding that even an orphanage has employees , overhead costs [just like your business] and really is trying to make a reasonable profit , you wont beat us down for fun, pointlessly waste our time just to see how good of a deal you can get with no real intention of doing business and make unrealistic and uninformed offers on our kids. And please don’t expect us to bend over backwards and jump through hoops for you on that bargain boat you shopped us on and bought somewhere else. Our family comes first .Always. You shopped, you conquered, and YOU became an orphan as a result.

We consistently find these types to be our most unappreciative and demanding customers.

I don’t know if its human nature to think “Its ok for me to make a living, but I have to make sure those I do business with do not” , Or if there is an unreasonable perception of what a boat dealer/ marine foster parent makes for profit , but its time to realize there will be no service to be had, perhaps at any price, if the new game is to buy everything you can for pennies on the dollar every time you make a purchase.

Reminds me of an experience I had a week or so ago. A local fellow was coming in to price a generator. I happened to be on the auction web site for scratch and dent Honda Power Equipment. There was exactly what he wanted available, at a better price that he could have gotten anywhere else. He hemmed and hawed .It ws a one time deal and I guarantee he will ask for that price again if he changes his mind. Then the subject of outboard motors came up. I was told” I know what you boat dealers make on them outboards; you make 40 or 50 percent. I know cause I used to do security 20 years ago at a motor dealership and I looked at them invoices”.

I had to laugh and choose to try to educate him that things might not be that same as they were 20 years ago, and the motor [and boat] business is no more than a crazy commodities market now with a 10 or 12 percent deal being a “home run” . I didn’t even try to explain the profound effect that the internet has had on all retail sales . Its now dominating the wholesale world as well. Far too deep of a concept for this old timer to understand. But he is still convinced we have giant margins and are all rich.

In his defense, he did come in to our store. He probably assumed you could get it cheaper if you go out of town .But at least he came in. 500 miles for 500 dollars at 3 dollars a gallon ,even the old timers that KNOW have to think twice about starting the car.

I feel so much better right now I think Ill go to the orphanage and give the kids a bath.

Marc

Wow , its great to hear that Defiance will be covering warranty on the boats they built before the “ownership change” . Im sure Bo and the Defiance team that are so dedicated to their customers will be just as dedicated to their former and possibly current dealers as well . Im sure Ill be getting a support call soon to help me move the boats we have and to continue our great relationship. As a matter of fact , if anyone is considering a purchase , I would be happy to deliver a boat anywhere in the U.S and would suggest a call to Wefings Marine before you buy from anywhere else . I will save you money and the factory that has stood behind their products so well [ I read that on the Defiance forum a number of times !] should continue to do so. So , please give us a call if you would like to take advantage of our UNBEATABLE pricing on these great boats .It really great to be a part of the Defiance Family.Ill look forward to any questions and contact from the forum members or interested craigslist shoppers.
Marc Grove
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We have a 195 Yellowtail , a 22 Admiral , a 22 Admiral EX, and a 25 Admiral EX . All Yamaha Powered and all built by the company that has great integrity and service, keeps their promises, and will take care of you like “Family”.

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So for all that follow the boat industry , a press release was sent last night announcing Genmar is filing Chapter 11 . It was probably not a surprise to all in the know , but with some of the recent back door deals on motors and taking over dealerships with their many of their products as “exclusive” dealers something was amiss. I am a Genmar dealer for one brand [they own 14] ,Champion Boats . Our experience with them as a company and as a semi independently run manufacturer has been good , but in general it just confirms my belief that smaller is better . There will be promises made for warranty and the court will decide what is really going to happen . Genmar went from 4500 people to 1500 people [employees] in a year . So how does this affect the public ?

If your dealer was a dedicated Genmar dealer , they will have to reinvent the wheel .Last time I checked [yesterday] I had 5 0r 6  boat builder’s products that were still doing business as usual.Today its 3 or 4  .Tomorrow?????

The unsuccessful brands will go away , and there will be many more “orphan” boats in the word . That will reduce the value of the product in the marketplace and in your driveway .

One of the largest motor consumers on the planet will dramatically reduce demand for outboard motors .Motors have become a commodity , and service will be rewarded for loyalty to a local dealer.

Its a changing world and represents a chance for reorganization of the industry . Orphan boats will be cheap and sold on a buyer beware basis more and more commonly.You will behoove yourself to have a relationship with a dealer in the future. A good dealer will not turn their backs on a good customer .Even if the manufacturer is gone.

Those are some of my initial thought as I digest this latest development in our ever changing economy .

There are many more development to come in the industry , Ill try to give a little insight to the folks that are interested .

Marc

Today I get to use one of my occasional and favorite excuses for boating and fishing . Dave Lear from Saltwater Sportsman Magazine and Wally Bell of Sundance Boats are here to do a “fishability test” on the new NX series from Sundance .

Its a Hybrid Skiff [anything called a hybrid should sell well] With a Bayboat entry and a flatter stern of about 5 degrees deadrise . Should provide the benefits of a good ride in chop, and a shallow draft as well as efficiency . We will certainly have a good opportunity to test it as its blowing pretty good from the East today . Makes the testing better but the fishing more challenging . Sundance [ www.sundanceboats.com] is a superior product to the “other” skiff and this boat should set the new standard for multi purpose boats . Ill report our experiences in a future post .
Marc