Sailfish and Bass

I have just returned from the Champion Boat Dealer Meeting in Tennessee . It was a great experience for a lot of reasons . First of all the whole Champion experience has an unmistakable feeling of family .They traditionally have made Bass Boats .Perhaps the best in the industry. They also make Saltwater Bay Boats, that we believe are some of the finest available, and what people that are serious about their fishing and boating want and need .They openly welcomed the Wefings Family into theirs .

It is a privately owned company ,With an average employee tenure of 10 years and is owned by a fellow named Irwin Jacobs .He joined us for dinner on Sunday and spoke about the industry. He just happens to own 13 other major boat companies and is the most important non publicly traded player [Genmar Corp] in the boating industry. Not traded is a key concept here. There is a gloom and doom mentality from some of the marine mega conglomerates [read Brunswick Corp] that are doing poorly in the challenging marketplace we are experiencing at present . They are making and have been making mistakes on a corporate level that are impacting profits and explaining it away to the shareholders as a market and economic condition problem. They still make some great products ,don’t get me wrong. Their specialties are racing , and high performance ,fresh water motors.

Some will always do better than others in love , war , and a less than perfect market , it just isn’t Brunswick Corps turn at this time. Its Genmar’s .Our dealership has embraced some seemingly risky and different concepts to grow and prosper, made some good decisions [some bad ones too], and don’t believe that the boating world is coming to an end . I look into myself and see what joy being on a boat [of any kind] brings me, and know I will never stop boating and loving it .Its what I do . We believe that we control our destiny . We are busy serving our customers .We listen to our customers and try to create new ones and please them .That’s one way we control our destiny.

The meeting was smaller than last year , a sign of the times . The boats looked better than ever , a sign of agility and attention to the marketplace , dealer and customer feedback and the desire to succeed. The dealers that sell this line were upbeat and gave me the impression that they felt the same way we do. Orders were written. New dealers were signed.

We are diving headlong ,yet cautiously ,into the Bass Boat side . Our team pro is a former tournament angler [Blair Morgan,Bluewater Bandit charters]and has some insight as to what folks want, and how Champion has a brand loyalty that is simply amazing .The other dealers present were very willing to share their insights as to what folks want in their boats and their dealers , and in general, the way they think .Great stuff .

I am a saltwater angler . Always have been, salt is in my blood . I know that catching an almost 6 foot tall Sailfish is more exciting to me than catching a Bass .We are not all the same. But a bass fisherman does a different thing . Especially a tournament angler . Its a cult, competition, a lifestyle , far more than meets the eye. And a lot meets the eye. The boats are works of art . There are thousands of color combinations. They are hand made and represent a personal level of craftsmanship and customization that is fantastic, and far beyond most saltwater boats. Its easy to wonder how it all fits together . I have a new respect , as I see the care and technology ,knowledge and skill that it takes to make one of those high performance works of technology and art run at its best. And man, Ill tell you performance bass boats are an e ticket ride all the way. Its a dual purpose racing and fishing boat . The Adrenaline tank is full.

If you are interested in a new or used Champion Bass Boat , feel free to call or e mail the dealership for info, pricing ,options, colors ,performance etc……

Watch for some new video of our trip as well as some pictures . But especially come see and ride a Champion Boat !

You will not be disappointed.

Marc