SR disappointment at Indy boat show

[moparlvr4406]

Went to the BIG boat sport and travel show in Indy yesterday and was quite disapointed
in the Sea Ray dealers showing. I wasn't expecting any big cruisers at the pontoon and bassboat
show but out of probably 30 boats they had only 1 Sea Ray...a 270 SLX.
The bad part was really thier representation with the boat buried in the middle of the group
where you could barely see it no less get aboard to look at this fine craft. To get to the 270
you had to walk across the platforms of 2 270 Formulas (and step over 2 lounging salespersons) to even see in . And when I asked thier uniformed representative why they brought everything they sell except Sea Rays the answer I got was " I don't make decisions ...I'm just a weekend warrior". THAT boys and girls is some truely fine representation of the brand .
Seems like they really don't care at all if anyone knows they sell them.
The sales rep didn't have literature or initiative to offer information on any other models.
Sad sad Day.

 

[CV-23]

Sad but a fact I'm sure. Guess the higher-ups need to crack the whip a bit. If you can't do a first class job, why show up at all?

 

[moparlvr4406]

Agreed..
ever since Boatland lost the SR franchise the new dealer wants to carry the name but
Stingray seems to be thier stocking choice ...oh...and sell RVs and campers.
Everytime I have faith that they may change I get disapointed
They had nothing to say to me when I was looking for a big cruiser albiet not new..
Even less when I was restoring the 600 and was seeking info...but acted like we were best buddies in Knoxville
when we showed the 600..and then this sad reception at the premier boat show in the central part of the state
I would say the most upbeat and professional group I saw was between the Mastercraft and Moomba sales crews.

 

[MonacoMike]

It is possible Sea Ray did not want to spend the dollars for a "pontoon and bass boat" show in land locked central Indiana, and the dealer just took one model to show they are a dealer.

...But sad nonetheless.

MM

 

[moparlvr4406]

It is possible Sea Ray did not want to spend the dollars for a "pontoon and bass boat" show in land locked central Indiana, and the dealer just took one model to show they are a dealer.

...But sad nonetheless.

MM

I should really rephrase my initial statement...pontoon, wakeboat, skiboat and runabout show.
there surprisingly weren't that many fishing boats there.
Boston Whaler had a nice display of center consoles though

I would have figured they would have some entry level bowriders along with thier Stingray line for comparison.

 

[mwph]

The real sad part to me is the comments and attitude of the "weekend warriors". If you don't want to be there stay the F home.

I'll bet Rusty gets instant heart burn when he reads stories like this. Hell, have us go to the shows & represent the brand. We can at least smile & have a pleasant boating conversation. We might even be able to talk about viewing the manufacturing process, actual ownership, you know, stuff that show attendees want to hear about!

What am I thinking, this would only create interest in owning a Sea Ray. People that attend boat shows don't want to be bothered with that crap.

 

[moparlvr4406]

I really hope Rusty sees this.
Maybe he could be an attitude counsellor for the SR dealer people who deal with the public.
As bad as people badmouth Marine Max ...the guys at the MM store on TableRock went over and above
for us when we went down looking for a 350/370 before the 340 purchase.
And the folks at Cumberland Sea Ray went 2 steps beyond that when we purchased our 340 from them
even though it was in brokerage with thier sister store Lookout Marine.
Norbert at Cumberland SR service was awesome with all the help he provided and all the crap I tossed his way
with transportation issues and getting the repairs I couldn't do done on the short timeframe we were working with.
I will be better at the purchase process next time as this was my first bigger boat purchase.

 

[HUMPH]

It is possible Sea Ray did not want to spend the dollars for a "pontoon and bass boat" show in land locked central Indiana, and the dealer just took one model to show they are a dealer.

...But sad nonetheless.

MM

. The deal is those shows are not Manufacturer shows, they are Dealer shows. Sea Ray doesn't send boats to these shows but I am sure they can convince their dealers to participate.

 

[MonacoMike]

The real sad part to me is the comments and attitude of the "weekend warriors". If you don't want to be there stay the F home.

I'm not trying to defend the dealer, but the boating industry has been slammed in the past several years and our regions sales have sucked. It is a little sport boat only dealer that probably only has 2-3 on their sales staff and has to bring in "weekend warriors" to staff all the hours at a show, plus help handle the weekend crowd. The former dealer was a sport boat and sport yacht dealer and had the staff for the sales bubble of the roaring aughts.

MM

 

[SR400DB]

You guys have not seen disappointment like we have in California. Hell, we don't even have a crappy dealer to ***** about in Nor Cal.

 

[HUMPH]

You guys have not seen disappointment like we have in California. Hell, we don't even have a crappy dealer to ***** about in Nor Cal.

That will change soon with Sun Country coming up to Sausalito. Crap, did I say that out loud?

 

[mwph]

Mike & Humph -

We all know or have read the reasons for these piss poor attitudes both at local dealerships or at these shows. "Sales are down". "Its not our dealership." "Its not our show." "That dealer isn't in the cruiser arena." Yada yada yada. Whatever. The point is, at least mine is this... If you cant or don't want to represent the product properly, then close your doors and blame the economy or at the very least don't bring one to the show.

 

[MonacoMike]

mwph,

Agreed, BUT, it is my SPECULATION that if Sea Ray had a better option locally, they would likely go there. Most local dealers either lost or let their rights to new product lines go back to the companies. Thankfully, we do not have the situation where we have NO dealer, like those in California. We once had a good boat market, but that is history and likely will not be back in my lifetime. For the algae filled local reservoirs that are always empty just when you would want to use them a Sea Ray is way to good and costly for most needs. Today, they sell eye candy, not quality in central Indiana...

MM

 

[firecadet613]

Exactly why I haven't gone to the Indy boat show in years...and I get free tickets every year. My boat would be the biggest at the show.

 

[moparlvr4406]

mwph,

Agreed, BUT, it is my SPECULATION that if Sea Ray had a better option locally, they would likely go there. Most local dealers either lost or let their rights to new product lines go back to the companies. Thankfully, we do not have the situation where we have NO dealer, like those in California. We once had a good boat market, but that is history and likely will not be back in my lifetime. For the algae filled local reservoirs that are always empty just when you would want to use them a Sea Ray is way to good and costly for most needs. Today, they sell eye candy, not quality in central Indiana...

MM

Mike, while I partially agree I also disagree. A dealer with poor attitude could be worse for the brand than no dealer at all IMO. As for the reservoirs ...all of the big slips are full at Four winds every year...and there are still many Boatland stickers on every dock. Granted they are on older boats but there are many cruisers of many brands in the 30' plus range much newer than ours proving this is still a cruiser market even if it isn't as strong as it once was. We had to go to Kentucky to find one but there are many in our state north and south. Our problem is the big reservoirs are south of Indy. Still my point being the dealer hung the banner over a large central area ....over 1 boat.