Latest news on boat promo programs.

[Wish]

So far Nautique and Carbon Pro have been mentioned on a diff thread as changing their programs with some details. What can we expect in the near future?

[dvskier]

I believe the boats that are being sold by dealers are primarily wake/surf boats at $150-$200k. They are making thousands of these boats while traditional ski boats are in the perhaps 200 units per year. When Nautique has 25% of total direct drive production going to promo team members something has to give. My opinion only, all based on "follow the money".

The lake I live on is 99.5% V drives. MasterCraft, Malibu and Nautique dealers don't stock any direct drives. All they stock is loaded V drives and they are selling them with 20 year financing or straight cash sales.

[bigtex2011]

Im in the Malibu promo program. I think it is staying the same as last year as far as I know.

[Chad_Scott]

@bigtex2011 nothing changing at Malibu. The powers that be at Malibu remain excited about waterskiing and the new TXI. Maybe have the opportunity to pick up some new good key promo guys around the country

[RichardDoane]

@Chad_Scott - please PM us some contact info, the Broho could use a new Promo/club Boat for 2018. It could do lots of Pacific Northwest events. Look up @robscholl-OF 's inbox and send him whatever info you can.

[LoopSki]

I'm not to involved in the tournament scene , but in N. California it seems pretty big. I can only assume there was a shortage last season as my boat was used at a handful of tournaments. I think around 6 and used for portion of junior developent. Hours don't really bother me and I was happy to help. I wonder of this may be the future. Personal boats used. Maybe usawterski will have to set up a website. Boat owners willing to let their personal boat to be used get posted . Organizers can contact them to use the boat.

[Chad_Scott]

@RichardDoane Done

[Horton]

Bottom line is I think there will be less promo boats in 2018. We all need to plan accordingly. I expect my ProStar is going to get some hours.

[ski6jones]

We've used privately owned boats for tournaments at our club several times in the last two years. Promo program is in flux as a minimum. Malibu seems to be the only one growing or even maintaining their program in our area. I don't think I've skied a promo Nautique at a tournament in SCR in a couple of years. We have one Mastercraft promo that I'm aware of in our area (he's the BOMB), but one boat. No CP's that I'm aware of.

 

It is what it is, but it ain't what it once was.

[skierjp]

Nautique has revamped their program but will maintain the same percentage of tournaments pulled as last year. FYI, Nautique pulls over 80% of AWSA tournaments across the country. The next closest boat manufacturer is below 50%!

[ntx]

We are very lucky. We have 3 of the big 4 local. There has not been a MC in the area in at least 6 years.

[Wish]

So in the long run, less used promo boats out there for folks to buy??

[Horton]

@skierjp I've heard those stats before. All I can tell you is out west getting boats for any tournament is more and more difficult. South of Sacramento we are seeing less promo Nautiques in the last few years.

[skierjp]

@Horton, yes California is a huge challenge due to the size of the state and how spread out the tournaments are. We just can't justify having a promo boat in an area where there is only one tournament and the next closest possibly 3 to 4 hours away. Greg Badal is the Nautique Regional Coordinator for the West.

[Horton]

@skierjp I framed my previous posts all wrong My concern is about all promo boats. My concern is for the sport as a whole. We all want to speak up for "our brand" but that is not the point.

[lakeaustinskier]

I know this isn't a comp boat but I sense that some dealers are starting to use an informal unofficial promo program for the Vdrives. I bought a really nice GS20 in October from a guy who has a standing deal with his local dealer to promote surf type boats on the area lakes (ambassador I guess). Just a smart way to do business and drive sales in my opinion.

[Jody_Seal]

I would have to agree with Horton. With the promo towboat availability and rules the way they are currently some tournament organizers are going struggle to get promo boats no mater what brand.

 

Good new's everyone! for class C tournaments boats that qualified for tournament usage as far back as 2008 can now be utilized. Also there has for a number of years been rules exemption available where a tournament organizer can utilize boats in REL tournaments older then 3 years old provided a request goes out to the regional towboat committee member for use approval. However this means that non promo boats for the most part would be utilized provided the right insurance is in place.

 

Again We really no longer have true competitions where it is who wins the day. our ideology is performance based and as long as this direction persists these types of issues will continue to cloud and degrade the sport till only the very very rich will participate in these " performance trials"!

If the rule book states speed, time and path through the course is such then it should not matter what boat/speed control (or hand drive) is being utilized as long as the rules are maintained and the playing field is equal.

 

 

 

 

[skierjp]

Also, starting this year (2018) Nautique Promo Boats will no longer be for sale from Promo Team Members like they have in the past. All boats will go back to the dealer then sold, no exceptions!

[Wish]

So what's the incentives to even be a promo team member?.

 

Example..Can no longer pre sell a boat by allowing a potential buyer to choose colors and options like I've seen in the past. And/or choosing you sell dates.

 

 

[ntx]

My guess is that the promo guys will love that. The dealers will most likely hate it. I think that they tried that about 12/15 years ago without much success. @Wish. The promo guys will get use of the boat at a reduced cost. Discounted or waived tournament entry fees. If you talk to most promo owners the biggest down side of the promo is dealing with the sale of the boat each year. If it goes back to the dealer..... that issue is gone. Some dealers might think that the promo guys are selling the boats at a discounted price that hurts them and drives costs down. That might be a problem if a bunch of boats are in the program. I would be surprised if any one dealer will have more than one returned promo boat.

It sounds like what nautique did, was to remove promo owners that maybe were underperformers. Kind of like getting fired from a job that you are not doing.

[Horton]

http://media.tumblr.com/fe497dd337d9af8479bb6398b9565d16/tumblr_inline_mg6n5ltl6X1rxe4lt.gif

 

@ntx I don't think you meant to but you just insulted some guys who have done a lot for the sport for a lot of years. @brettmainer & @dave2ball are not slackers. I don't remember how big a guy Dave is but I suggest if you are going to insult Brett you bring a bunch of friends.

[WoodySkier]

I bought a a promo 200 in 2016 and planned to buy another one in 5 or so years when I was ready to upgrade. My local dealer had boats that were a year old with similar hours for 8-9k more than I paid for the promo. Obviously Nautique wants to ensure they set the market as promo boats were typically a good deal as guys just wanted to get rid of them at the end of the season and get their money back. Will these boats ever see a plateau in price or just keep jacking it up every year? I expect the new Nautique to be $75k, how many people are going to pay that for a Ski tug?

[dave2ball]

@ntx we can’t fix stupid sorry

[Wish]

Dave is not a huge guy, but I would not want to piss him off.

[BigSpray]

@ntx for you to say Nautique got rid of promo guys for under Performing is a VERY STRONG UNINTELLIGENT STATEMENT when you have NO idea how and why Nautique based there desicion on who to cut. I can say it was not for In your words “underperforming”. Many former team members had 10-30 years plus. They gave up our weekends and sacrificed family time for a sport all of us love. Maybe you should get your facts straight before making such a POST. I don’t know how much you know about tournaments and promo teams but obviously not too much by your comments.

 

[ntx]

@Horton @dave2ball @brettmainer. My intent was not to insult anyone. You are right. I have no direct knowledge of what criteria was used to determine which promo owners were released. Based on several statements made here. It sounds like nautiqe pulled 80 percent of sanctioned events. It was also stated that the same percentage should be able to be maintained in the future. Maybe some areas were saturated with more boats than needed.

@BigSpray having hosted tournaments for over 30 years I have witnessed the the promo programs first hand. Not all promo owners have the same level of commitment. Some go above and beyond. Boats are set up ready to go when they get to the site. Others not so much. That being said. Most of the long time promos are committed

[Bruce_Butterfield]

@horton, wow, you have obviously never met @ntx! Dave and Brett better bring a bunch of their friends:)

 

All kidding aside, I don't think there was any insults intended. Many promo boat owners support the sport and donate their time and boat depreciation. Others are "unavailable" for tournaments an hour away. That's related more to simple human nature than promo boat owners.

[Orlando76]

In ntx’s defense he stated “It sounds like” and “maybe” in his speculative approach which is his opinion. I’ve read his post 10x and I don’t see any statements he claimed to be definitive facts nor did I feel it could be insulting. Geeze ease up guys.

[brettmainer]

Its all good. Nobody meant any harm.

 

I can understand why I got the ax, even thought I was the most senior (17yrs on team) promo guy in the area. Nautique mandated a reduction to a certain number. It is logical to thin out the well populated areas. There were 4 of us within an hour of each other, including two boats at Bell Acqua. Greg is certainly not going to be cut, so it came down to me or @krlee, (the other Bell Acqua promo Nautique). Kevin is a senior driver and judge who maintains an immaculate boat and does a great job helping out at tournaments. He also helps at boat shows and generally is the perfect promo team member.

 

I have 3 kids (11-17) who are into other sports, so I didn't put in the extra time at boat shows and swerving weekends. I doubt Nautique "fired" me for lack or performance, but when the mandate comes down to drastically cut the team, I understand why I was one of the ones who got cut. I harbor no hard feelings.

 

All that said, unless there are fewer tournaments this year or the remaining promo team members pull a lot more tournaments than they did in prior years, it will be mathematically impossible for Nautique to "maintain the same percentage of tournaments pulled as last year".

[BigSpray]

@Orlando76 the last part of ntx statement was uncalled for without having all the facts. This may of come form out of the blue for the dismissed team members and who knows how the news was delivered. And to make a statement such as under perform was just wrong.

[Bruce_Butterfield]

@BigSpray most big companies make business decisions based on $$ and little else. Sometimes financial decisions adversely affect good people - like promo boat owners and tournament skiers. That's life.

 

We are all making generalities based on our experiences. Maybe "underperforming" was the wrong term, but many across the country have had trouble getting promo boats for tournaments. Sometimes there is a perfectly good reason and other times the promo owner simply didn't want to drive his boat 5 hours and waste his weekend. We can argue if a 5 hr drive is a "perfectly good reason" until the cows come home.

 

Again, we all need to lighten up a little. It is mostly a volunteer army after all.

[ntx]

It sounds like in @brettmainer case there were 4 nautique boats within 1 hour. It might make sense to move those resources to a under served area. @ski6jones says he has not had a nautique tournament round in the Houston area in several years. This might allow a boat into that area. They have tournaments every week in Houston with many different sites. As the sport evolves resources might need to be reallocated. How many boats in the Orlando area? With all the sponsored skier you have to believe there are plenty of boats to cover the needs.

 

@Bruce_Butterfield . Lol Thanks for the support. See you soon. Fyi someone did tell me today that it looked like I have lost a few pounds.

[dave2ball]

There are 3 promos in Florida. The team skiers are not required or expected to bring there boats to tournaments.

[BlueSki]

Given the post about returning boats to dealers, how many promo guys carry a dealer registration/license, I know some have. Further, would that count or is Nautique pushing for the brick and mortar dealers?

[Dirt]

Everyone please keep insulting Mainer and add Badal and Horton to your list. That is all I want for Christmas.

[Stevie Boy]

From a different prospective, could it be a case, that they will not have enough boats for the Promo guy,s/girls, after all they will surely be trying to recover costs for development of the new boat, plus the availability of new boats recently has been reduced, it maybe purely financial.

[ForrestGump]

@Jody_Seal might have said the most applicable thing about water skiing, as we know it, that I've seen in a long time.

[skiboat38]

Jody has been preaching it for 15 years but no one was listening....

[Nando]

This is not a new phenomenon. A friend lost his Nautique promo several years ago, after 25+ years in the program primarily because he turned it back in, rather than selling it. One of the MC promo guys, who was in their program from the beginning, lost his without warning because of too many in the area. He dropped it off at the dealer, dropped all his MC gear at Goodwill, and bought a new Nautique that day. These both were quite a few years ago.

[6balls]

Thanks for all you folks who do promo.

 

I realize there is a price advantage, having a new boat all the time etc...but for many of us to make that kind of time to do what you do is just not something of which we are capable. I'm one of those people so from me to you thanks much!

 

For those no longer doing it (not necessarily by choice), maybe kick back and relax at your next tourney. No constant pressure to sell (tho sounds like this may fall to dealers in some cases), no travel commitments and pre-planned weekends. Soak it up...enjoy...you all deserve it.

 

One day I'll retire and I will miss work...but not that much :smiley:

[skibackwards]

As a former promo guy from the 80's and 90's with Nautique and MC, thanks should be given to the promo guys that haul their boats to the tourneys. I wish them all well because it isn't that easy.

[Chef23]

I could never commit the time or financial resources required to be part of the promo program. I appreciate all of you who do.

[gregy]

I was a promo member with MC in the 80s and 90s. It was a lot of work. First few years I was making money off the sales, I set myself up as a dealer. As the boats got more expensive it became harder to sell the boats. I didn't have much success working with the local dealership. He didn't care for the promo program and just saw it as taking away from his sales numbers.

 

Anyone know what percentage of tournament boat sales are through promo programs vs new from dealership? I bet a lot of dealerships could careless about tournament skiing.

 

I would think the boat manufactures are still making money on Promo boat sales? So theoretically the dealers are loosing out. But really how many people can afford to go to a dealer and buy a new boat. I could never afford it myself. The only way I could afford it would be to buy a boat that is a couple years old.

 

I guess there is no simple answer. The boat manufacture wants to sale boats and stay in business but at the same time they have to keep dealerships happy and promote tournament skiing enough that it continues as a viable platform to support boat manufacturing. I'm surprised a boat manufacture hasn't tried direct marketing to bring cost down. At what point do the manufactures completely bail and we only have older boats to ski with anyway?

[aupatking]

Underserved areas are unlikely to have dealerships. Mine got a Mastercraft dealership just this year and those guys couldn’t care less about a DD tournament boat. They don’t even have the tools to service them yet. They are selling the big wake barges and fishing boats. I’m trailering my Prostar 4 hours north on Jan 2nd for normal service and warranty work, because, after dealing with their parts department, they seem dangerously stupid. Told me they are not able to order an impeller. Their words were “yeah, we can’t get that”.

I think the Promo guys are generally more knowledgeable of the DD boats, and more visible to the market that buys them. That’s just an opinion though

[wski1831]

The dealer in California sold almost no ski boats their first couple of years. They did not understand the tournament market. They have taken on some knowledgeable people and have been selling more in the last year.

[Horton]

The big news here on the west coast is that there are at least two new ProStar Promo boats south of Sacromento. With the Bumble Bee that is a total of 3 not counting the boats in Sac and farther North.

 

I am under the impression that MasterCraft is methodically ramping up Promo boats nationally.

[dbutcher]

@scotchipman You have some pretty influential ski people hosting, officiating, and skiing in those Utah tournaments. Enlist their aid in getting promo boats. Do it early, and do it often. I can't think of any way that would do any harm to anybody, and it might help.

[disland]

Goode should buy a boat company

[Horton]

@disland PowerBoat?

[BG1]

With “Genius Spray Pockets” TM