Wayzata Marine Blog

Welcome Back To The Water

dave — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:59:00 +0000

The end of spring and the beginning of summer is usually confirmed when talk begins to include the phrase “Memorial Day Weekend.”

Memorial Day Weekend just screams water…and water, of course, screams summer. Summer is busy. This week there have been boaters in and out; new employees coming aboard; and the dock crew to be hard at work tomorrow.

All of this is happening just in time for the fun and energetic weekend that implicitly marks the turning point to the greatest season of all, summer!

Stored and sold boats are migrating their way toward the lake—splashing into beautiful Maxwell Bay—and the slips are filling up with great boats and boaters. We are very passionate about helping people with their boating experience, and this year we are excited to announce one of the new ways we will capitalize on this.

After assessing where/ how we distribute our attention, we found that additional thoughtfulness could be useful to certain areas, such as social media. Social media is a great medium used for business, enjoyment, and networking (as you surely know). So, we aim to combine all three, providing an emphasis on your enjoyment.

We are interested in staying connected with you and your boating experiences summer-round—not just in the showroom and around the marina, but on the water too.

Now when you are on the water you can quickly access your mobile device and catch up with us on Twitter and Facebook. We want every boater to maximize the fun they are having on the water and these social mediums can provide that extra level of contemporary nautical involvement.

We are excited to see everyone ramping up for the lively weekend. Welcome back to the water, welcome back to summer, and enjoy the holiday weekend!

The Crew at Wayzata Marine

My First Show!

dave — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 17:48:37 +0000

For the first time in my life, I went to the Minneapolis Boat show last night as a spectator…not an exhibitor! It was truly a strange feeling…Wayzata Marine was one of the original dealers in the Minneapolis show…and for 41 years we were a participant. I saw and spoke with many boating industry veterans from in-town and out-of-town…the majority of what I saw on display was fish boats, pontoon boats, and towboats. Occasionally, I would see a runabout or a cruiser, but the show has changed into much more of a fishing and pontoon show. Another interesting thing that I noticed in a very short time was that even though the show had shortened its daily hours and was open one less day, the salespeople were already tired and treating customers poorly! As a spectator, it was hard to tell which companies were really to be trusted. Organizations that I knew to have relatively no service department or showroom looked to be just as respectable as organizations that had the facilities and personnel to treat boaters the way they deserve to be treated.

The best part of our Parade of Boats is that customers get the full attention of our dealership and the opportunity to see our entire operation that they are choosing for their purchase. I really believe that most boats manufactured today range from adequate to good, but the difference between happiness and frustration is the dealerships ability to prepare and service the boats. What customers often don’t understand is that boats only break three months out of the year in Minnesota, but dealerships must staff for 12 months to service them. Dealers must prioritize their resources and help the customers who are most important to the dealership. To do so, the dealership must have the right people and parts to quickly and effectively fix and maintain your boat. Enjoyment without frustration is our goal for every customer…it isn’t easy…and on a rare occasion we fail…but…we are 100% committed and dedicated to superior service…we will do everything in our power to make our customers boating experience the best anyone could ever offer. That is, and always will be, our priority and promise to the customers who put their trust into Wayzata Marine.

Dave

2011 New Year’s Resolution

dave — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 22:24:40 +0000

I have a New Years resolution…it is to do better with the Wayzata Marine blog! Since writing doesn’t come natural to me, it has been a challenge to be blogging as much as I know I should. My pledge is to do better this year! Happy New Year to all!! In Minneapolis, right after New Years, is “The Parade of Boats”. We go from a very slow time on the sales floor to a very busy time in just a few short days. The parade started on the 10th of January and will end on the 31st of January. Every day we have gotten a little busier, and today we have been overwhelmed with eager shoppers. The last few boats showed up late, but are now on display. Between our Minnetonka Marine and Wayzata Marine showrooms we have 68 boats inside on display, ranging from 18 feet to 37 feet. We have many new never before seen boats on display. Brand new for 2011 from Chaparral are the 246SSI sport boat, 310 Signature cruiser, and 330 Signature cruiser. We are also introducing Regal sport boats, cruisers and yachts to Lake Minnetonka. They are a great line of boats from 18 to 52 feet. After 35 years of not selling pontoons we finally found a line up worthy of our Lake Minnetonka customers…it is South Bay! They make outboard and sterndrive boats from 16 to 28 feet…careful, these aren’t your grandfather’s pontoon! Stop by the Minnetonka show room…there are 12 different styles to choose from. So…January brings the Parade of Boats with fantastic selection and pricing on all of our brands; Chaparral, Regal, Four Winns, South Bay, Chris Craft, Tige and Yamaha Jet Boats! AND…we back them up with award winning service. It sounds like this is truly a Happy New Year!

Dave

MN Parade of Boats Success

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:32:47 +0000

Well… the Parade of Boats was definitely a success for our company. I would like to thank everyone who stopped by to see us! I am very pleased to say we sold twice as many boats during the Parade this year compared to the MN boat show last year. It brought many boating enthusiasts into our two locations. They saw many more boats then were available to see at the boat show. Boat show incentives were available along with additional cash discounts. I heard from many people how nice it was to shop without the crowds of people distracting them. They also liked the large selection along with the free parking, admission and food. When the weather turned a little nasty no one felt pressured to drive out to see us, they knew the Parade was going on for 11 days and not one weekend like the boat show. The showrooms still have the parade displays intact so don’t hesitate to stop by to have a look, however, you will notice quite a few sold signs on the boats.

All eight locations are planning on being part of the 2011 Parade of Boats. Plus, we have been contacted by several other dealers who want to join going forward. Look for more joint sales events with the Metro Boat Dealers this summer. Rumor has it that we will be at Lord Fletchers, the State fair grounds, and a St. Croix River event!

Dave

Where’s the boats?

dave — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:42:42 +0000

Well, there won’t be very many at the boat show this year! The eight largest home town metro dealers have made the decision to join the “Parade of Boats” this year. This new format is ultimately better for people wanting to buy a boat. It allows customers to see the full scope of a dealer’s commitment to customer satisfaction. It allows for a customer to see every boat in the dealer’s inventory; new, demo’s, used and brokerage. There are no long lines to see the boats, no parking hassles, no admission cost, free food, free seminars, and free prizes given away daily.

Buying habits have changed. People are more likely to buy a boat with a longer term perspective than they did a few years ago. Although people are concerned about price they are also concerned about long term service, convenience, and long term value. All of our manufacturer’s are on board to help us give you the best possible price. It is better than boat show pricing! We can use all of our allocated boat show budgets to lower prices even farther than before! All of the dealers participating in the Parade of Boats are locally owned with long histories of excellent customer satisfaction. We are proud to be associated with so many wonderful boating families and look forward to an incredibly fun and successful Parade of Boats.

Dave

Beautiful week at the marina!

dave — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:23:27 +0000

WOW…has it gotten hot! It is a very beautiful week here at the marina. It is hard for me to sit at my desk when the customers start to show up to go boating. It is a lot more rewarding for me to wander around the marina talking to and helping our wonderful customers. People are using their boats like never before. I think that is a good sign! I am sorry it has been so long since my last entry, we have been very busy so I have let it slip a little. I will try not to let it happen again.

My last blog entry was about records; well we have had a few firsts since the last entry.

We now have no used boats…that is the first time that has happened, but we do have brokerage boats.
We sold our first Mercruiser joy stick controlled boat. WOW! What an impressive system to operate!
We are running so low on new inventory, we have had to mix the brands in the showrooms; something we have never done before.

One of my recent conversations while walking on the docks was about the GenMar bankruptcy filing, and what it means to our dealership and our customers. Well…good question. In our 42 plus years in business, we have had multiple manufactures that we have represented go through reorganization and a few through liquidation. The most recent example was the OMC bankruptcy which affected Chris Craft. When a manufacture fails, good dealers step in and solve the customer’s problems. If GenMar doesn’t take care of customers, we will take care of our customers. It is this philosophy that has kept us going through the good and bad times!

Dave

Record year for used boat sales!

dave — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:16:23 +0000

I don’t ever remember this happing before…but, we are down to one used boat. Yes…it is a record that may stand for a while… We have been setting a few records in this most unusual year. Most have been good records but some have been bad. Our service department has been more productive than ever before. Our slip rentals in the marinas are on a record pace. We winterized more boats than any other year and did it with half as many people. We stored and launched a record number of boats this year. Used boat sales are at a record pace. Our new and used inventory is as low as I can ever recall for this time of year. Last week a customer picked up the largest and most expensive boat we have ever sold, another good record for us!

Some of the not so good records have to do with new boat sales. Right now it seems new boats have less demand than used boats. However, it is an opportunity for our customers to get a tremendous value on a new boat with full warranty and record amounts of factory money. So, new boat prices are fantastic and we need great trades to replenish our used inventory. It seems like a match made in heaven for those who are looking for a different boat! Yes…that makes the value for the consumers a record.

Dave

Change is in the air.

dave — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:44:07 +0000

It is no secret that boat sales are down the last few years. It is a difficult time to work at any boat dealership. The news is negative and financing can be difficult to arrange. Bailouts and swine flu are stealing the headlines. The old ways of doing business certainly are being attacked. Change is in the air and in the water.

We have changed our company to better compete in today’s environment. We have right sized our crew. Every remaining crew member has multiple new responsibilities. With 45% less staff than we had in the beginning of 2008 everyone has to cover responsibilities of people who are no longer part of our team. We are stream lining the models we offer. We have changed how we help customers with their service, winter storage, and marina needs.

We are aggressively working on our internet marketing. We have started to make video presentations of our used units. These videos are posted on youtube and linked to our web sites. We are making plans for redoing our newsletter. We are now posting as many actual photos of our new boats as possible; manufacturer’s stock photos are no longer acceptable. We are the first dealership in the country to use a text messaging service to send information to inquiring customers.

There are however a few things that haven’t changed at our company. We have a desire to help people find the right boat and help them enjoy their time on the water. We are determined to try to get better at what we do everyday. We are very particular about the brands and models of boats we offer. We have a passion for the boating lifestyle and for helping people with their boating needs.

With our philosophy intact and our ability to change with the market, we will do what we have always done. We have always emerged from adversity as a better company. I don’t know when business will increase, but I do know that when it does we will have learned how to be more efficient, offer more services and be an even better place to buy your next boat from.

Dave

Getting ready for summer.

dave — Sat, 02 May 2009 19:23:43 +0000

The ice at Brown’s Bay on Easter Sunday.

Ok… entry # 3. The people of Minnesota seem to be ready for summer! The long winter and negative news reports have our customers ready for a great summer. On Easter I was watching the lake to make sure the ice didn’t damage the marina on Brown’s Bay. Three days later everyone was ready to launch their boats. Friday, Lord Fletcher’s one of the local on the water restaurants, was packed as though summer was in full swing. The maker buoys are already out on lower lake.

We have also been very busy in the showrooms. Used boats and new 2007-08’s seem to be very popular. The values on the new 2007’s and 2008’s are the best I have ever seen. People who buy now are beating the inevitable price increases that will come very soon. The manufacturers will not be able to increase production to meet the increased demand for at least two years. During that time, both new and used boats will have a great deal more demand than supply.

I am sleeping very well these days. A hard day’s work consisting of launching and transporting boats has me ready for bed early. I would recommend to anyone who is having trouble sleeping come over and help me for the day and you will sleep like a baby. The pay isn’t very good, but the sense of accomplishment is very gratifying.

Dave

Shaping up for summer!

dave — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 16:55:41 +0000

Ok…the first entry was a challenge for me, I am a bit dyslectic. The second entry, well here goes…my wife, kids and I went to Hawaii for spring break this year. I thought about this decision long and hard. I didn’t want to send the wrong message to our customers, employees or anyone else, but in the end I determined that it was good for the economy, the business and me. It is important to get away once in a while to recharge your batteries and have quality time with your family. I think it might be our last spring break together as a family. I hope it is not, but my son is at the age where it is likely he will go on spring break with his fraternity…not his parents. My daughter also went to Ecuador with the school during the first week of break. It was the first time that both kids were away from us for a week.

I really have come to believe that life is short! When you have opportunities to spend time with the people who are important to you…do it!! In the fast pace of today’s world, the moments at the beach in Hawaii or on the lake with a loved one is a special opportunity. I love my kids and sometimes I wish they would just stay young a little longer. I wish I would have made more time on the lake with them, but it isn’t over…this summer brings knew opportunities for those special moments together.

I am leading the boat yard crew here at work this year. We have about 150 new, used, and storage boats to put into the water this spring. So I started working out to get into shape at my other business, Select Fitness, a personal training studio in Minnetonka. The work outs have been difficult but I am much less likely to have a heart attack while muscling a boat around in the yard. Once the boats start to splash, the mood around here changes. Summer is about to start and our customers are full of joy. We see mothers, fathers, and children all looking forward to going out on the water. Friends and relatives with excitement in their eyes, they are one of the lucky ones who were invited out for a pleasure cruise. Yes, summer in Minnesota is definitely the reward for the long cold winter…and summers are best spent on, or near, the lake!!!!

Dave