I finished my written and confined dives for my PADI certification this week at N 2 Deep dive center in Apalachicola . Steve Bartlett is a great dive instructor and Steve’s wife Sandy runs a tight ship with a very nice facility located on the Scipio Creek in the pld Benign Boat works buliding . The skills are emphasized and the class is very thorough . They have great rental equipment to get you started and have a full servicxe NITROX and regular air fill center there as well . They carry very nice dive gear and can help you pick good stuff for yor dive style and skill level .

I am looking forward to going out in the Gulf and seeing all the spots I have been fishing for the last 9 years or so as well as exploring while travelling . For me its sort of a completion of my aqueous goals as I have been in the water or on the water all my life . Just never very far under the water . I have many friends that are divers and will be happy to join that fraternity .If anyone is interested in adding diving to their lives , call 850-653-DEEP or see their website at www.n2deepdive.com

Marc

Marc

I wrote this send to Trade Only , an Industry magazine . I thought Id share it here too .

The real world of no model years for outboard motors. and great customer service

I got a boat delivered this morning. It was a custom order that I was very pleased to have earned. in the current marketplace It was for a custom Bass Boat ., a market we are just breaking into with one of the high level manufacturers . It had been ordered in the “official” 2008 model year and therefore was priced at 2008 Pricing. It was ordered with a specific motor. It was a motor from one of the companies that I feel is strong-arming the industry in a number of ways. One of which is the lack of model year .So far no one has convinced me it’s a good thing for anyone but the motor manufacturers that have adopted this policy.

The boat was ordered with a 200 H.P. motor. That particular motor had undergone some changes in designation and marketing as a result of some real and perceived reliability issues. So it got a new name. And that was what was in the dealer’s order spreadsheet had on it. And what the customer specifically ordered. But the boat manufacturer [who stepped up to the plate with a big motor order ] was saddled with motors the motor manufacturer had marketed into obsolescence .with no responsibility The pick system for the builder no doubt selected the oldest motor in stock . This was a huge and costly problem for the dealer and builder. . Motors that had been built one two or three years prior to the boats manufacture are a problem for dealers That date of manufacture plate does not lie .A customer wants a boat that matches the motors year, and especially important, the current version.

So where does the expense and superior customer service enter the picture?

It was delivered to us this morning and a quick check revealed the non-current motor. [I will continue to use that term if the motor is a year or more older than the hull I.D].

I called the manufacturer, and told them of the problem not too long after I had called my very excited customer that his boat had arrived. We were tracking the delivery and progress of the boat since the order .It took some time to hear that I was not being left alone with the wrong motor and disappointed customer. The boat manufacturer and I agreed to get the customer what was ordered. And do it quickly.

How do we accomplish this at 6 O’clock in the evening on a Monday? The manufacturer did not want the risk of shipping motors back and forth. The chances of damage and delay as well as wanting to be responsible for the fully rigged product they sell led us to a 525 mile trip to the factory .At first I thought weeks of delay, and a lost deal with a custom boat and then I simply asked, “if my driver is there in the morning, will you replace the motor while he waits:” The answer was yes. The cost of that transportation would be more than half the dealers profit in the boat. With a great deal of respect and gratitude I will tell you the factory picked up our drivers tab and had a current motor in stock.

Ok now I am on the ground at 6 o’clock replacing a shipping cover and making sure the boat is ready to go over a thousand miles rain or shine Our driver said he would drive all night, the boat was back at the boat manufacturers rigging shop in less than 24 hours after it shipped. Our customer had no choice but was certain we cared about his business .

The customer will get his boat for the weekend, and a dealer and boat manufacturer have had to jump through hoops to be heroes because model years have been eliminated. For the convenience of the motor manufacturers

Marc Grove

Wefings Marine