New to the Promo program advice wanted

[bdougherty]

Veteran Promo guys, what are some tips for a first time promo owner when picking options for an easy sale in the fall. Colors, must have options (other than those required for tournaments), options to stay away from, tandem vs single axel trailer etc. Any tips would be appreciated thanks in advance.

[ForrestGump]

Somewhat depends on the manufacturer you're getting involved with and the area of the country you're in. These days, price is a big issue. Unless you find someone wanting to put a deposit down to order what they want, I would order traditional color combos. Stay away from metallics, yellows, orange, etc. Reds and blues with black trim are easier to sell in my opinion. If you do metallic, do it in small amounts as it doesn't take long to rack up a couple of thousand in gelcoat charges with it. If you're anywhere where it's cool at night or in the morning, go ahead and get the heater and shower. Heck, for $400 I'd get a heater no matter what and I live in Texas. Whether you get a tower or not I think really is determined by location. Down here in the south, the Bu's and MC's are easier to sell with the tower. Farther north, I rarely see em. For the CC, I'd go ahead and get the Team edition. We've seen the digital dash setup in the Team is easier to sell than the basic setup with the analog gauges. And honestly, that is an area you can negotiate with the dealer and CC on for additional discount. For these boats, I wouldn't splurge on the tandem axle trailer unless a customer wanted it. It's not as easy to manage, plus it's anywhere from $1500 to $3500 more depending on the mfr. Get the single axle and make sure it's got the spare mount on it. Not only for the customer but for your piece of mind when you're towing to tournaments. Ask @Mad11 what happened to him in the middle of nowhere and he didn't have a spare with his promo TXI. He had to leave the boat overnight in some podunk town 150 miles from home. If you have any questions, feel free to call me at 281.686.4272 . I'm well versed in both the MC and CC promo programs.

[Inboardfix]

ShaneH is on the money with his comments. The only thing I would differ with is the trailer issue. Single vs tandem has a lot to do with your region. In the south and mid-west it is rare to find a tournament ski boat on a tandem but out west it is rare to find them on a single. It probably has to do with distance travelled to water. Out west some boaters may have a 2 hour+ drive to the lake but in the south and mid-west it usually doesn't take long.

 

 

[skierjp]

If you are on the Nautique Program call me at 863-205-1719 (Jim) I'm the Southern Region Promo Coordinator for Nautique

[bdougherty]

FYI The promo is through Malibu and in the Midwest. Thanks for the tips so far! Exactly what I was looking for! Boat is scheduled to be built in Nov. and want to make sure it is built to maximize the resale potential.

[Broussard]

A question for you MasterCraft Promo guys; how hard is it to pawn off a 190?

[Nick Sullivan]

Ask Richard Doane. He got one for 2012. Nice boat.

[Nick Sullivan]

I kind of disagree with ShaneH a little bit on the metal flake option. Metal Flake sells! Yeah, its going to suck if you damage it but it also looks very good. It also hides things like rock chips, where as a boat with a solid color will show everything.

 

Also, the tandem axle trailers seem to be what each and every one of my buyers wants.

[RichardDoane]

@broussard - I like the closed bow, and see no need for an open bow boat that only does the private lake thing, however for the family that floats in the open water, the 'play pen" up front can be a nice option

[Broussard]

@richarddoane I am in the same "boat" as you! I am considering joining the MasterCraft Promo team for 2014. I much rather the closed bows, but was wondering how hard they would be to sell.

[swc5150]

FWIW, the tandem Phoenix trailer under my bro's 200 was only and extra $250 versus the single.

 

I wonder if MC will offer a closed bow in 2014? I heard a rumer that the new hull will have a tiny pickle fork bow, which wouldn't seem to be conducive to a CB. However, it's just a rumor I heard, so I don't put too much faith in it.

[Nick Sullivan]

That rumor you are referring to was a guy on Team Talk who was making a joke. No truth to that at all.

[Inboardfix]

Is the TXi available closed bow?

 

 

[6balls]

Wonder what the cost savings would be to any tourney boat manufacturer to scrap the closed bow and only sell open. Would probably cost a few sales, but wonder if the manufacturing savings would offset it.

[Inboardfix]

CC contemplated it when the SN200 was being developed. At the time I was on the dealer council and strongly recommended against it. In view of the sales of the 200 CB I believe Bill Yeargin would say he is glad they decided to continue making a closed bow.

 

BTW: no I don't think my recommendation had anything to do with CC continueing the cb but it did make me feel better to express my opinion.

[6balls]

The question would be how many of those CB buyers would have bought the OB Nautique over other brands anyway, or if the lack of closed bow option would have driven them to other manufacturers. Would be tough to figure that one out.

My guess is more carbon pro's sell if they open the bow as an option. Prob best to have both options for all of 'em.

[Nick Sullivan]

Or a hybrid that can be converted to and open bow after the promo owner sells it.

[Moskier3ev]

Ditto on what Shane said, get a spare tire I usually go to the tire shop and get a cheap rim and decent used tire and throw it in the back of the truck when we go to a tournament. On the colors the hardest one I had to sell was blue and white. Go figure. Resale red. My 12 TXI is orange. Great boat. Worried about selling it.

[jdarwin]

@Broussard - in your area, I would opt for the 197 open bow. But either way, we'd love for you to bring it up to our records in N. Louisiana.

[RichardDoane]

@broussard - I'll let you know about the resale difficulty, but after 3 years of the promo thing, it won't bother me to just keep this boat for the 3 allowable seasons. It seems like just when the boat's all dialed in, about 120 hours, and working perfectly, it's time to do it all over again.

[ForrestGump]

@Broussard Down south, I'd opt for the open bow as jdarwin said. Funny thing is one of the CC promos down here was closed bow last year. No bites on it down here in the south and it ended up going north, where closed bows seem to be more accepted.

[jhughes]

The thing about the CB 200 is that almost the entire point of the CB- which would be far-forward seating, visibility, etc., is wiped out by keeping the windshield and seating position in the same spot in closed vs. open configurations of the 200. With the 196 and earlier CB Nautiques, that seating position was super forward and unmatched and there was no way you could cut out the bow and put seats up there- way too far forward (on the SNOB they had to move everything BACK, including the motor, to fit the playpen up there). The 196 was a real, purposeful closed bow. On the 200 closed vs. open is cosmetic- there is either a deck there or seats there. The rest of the boat configuration is unchanged. CC joined the logic of Malibu and MC who have been doing these types of OB/CB configurations for years with the R/RLX and the 190/197. Same boat, same configuration, but a deck change. Personally I think this gives the CB versions of these boats and the 200 a "long nose" look that I'm not a huge fan of. May as well be seats there. It's no wonder that CB sales drop off when the only difference is whether there are seats up there or not- I'm a CB fan but only if it is a forward-shifted cockpit. If not, give me the seats up there at least.