Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 19, 1995 TAG: 9502180011
SECTION: BOAT SHOW PAGE: BS-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Boat dealers last year enjoyed a good sales season, a turn-around year that got the industry revved up after appearing to be dead in the water in the late '80s and early '90s. Most think this season will be even better, maybe the best ever.
What is good for boat manufacturers and boat dealers also can be good for boat lovers. Here's how boaters will benefit at the show, which opens at 1 p.m. Friday and ends at 6 p.m Sunday:
There will be the best selection of boats ever displayed, from kayaks in the Appomattox River Co. display to the 33-foot Chaparral cruiser shown by Advantage Marine.
There will be an emphasis on quality and that quality often will be packaged in snazzy colors, like purple on raspberry.
If you want speed, look no farther than the bass boat and personal watercraft displays. Both are locked in a horsepower race leading to head-snapping, eye-watering speeds. One bass boat is called the Bullet, and for good reason.
The improved economy is being revealed in high-performance runabouts that are long and lean and carry a heavy sting of power under names like Baja. Smith Mountain Yacht Club will show one called the Outlaw.
For people interested in getting started in the sport, rather than moving up, dealers say they have several "bread and butter" models designed to put you onto the water in style without floating a loan so big it will sink you.
There will be more four-stroke engines than ever and they will come with beefy enough horsepower ratings to be taken seriously.
All this is being fueled by anticipated buyer enthusiasm.
"Oh, God, we'd better have it," said Ed Graves, of Valley Marine Center. Graves is the show chairman.
Like many dealers, he has doubled his inventory in anticipation of a record sales year.
"Last year, we had a year that put us close to the first or second best ever, and '95 is looking much better."
When business took an upturn last year, dealers were caught with limited merchandise.
"I could have had a better year in '94 if I had the product, but I was still skeptical," Graves said. "So there were shortages. We robbed motors, switched motors, traded motors, did everything you could think of to try to keep sales going."
Manufacturers couldn't make boats fast enough to supply dealers.
"Last year, I had people who bought boats at the boat show and they did not get them until July 4," said Mike Fielder of Advantage Marine in Roanoke.
This year, supplies are better, but boat sales have been so brisk in January and February that some dealers already are wondering about more shortages.
"If you are thinking about buying a boat this year, no matter who you buy it from, look early and order early," said Fielder.
The "smooth sailing ahead" outlook comes in the wake of a healthier economy, higher consumer confidence and a pent-up demand for everything from runabouts to bass boats, sailboats to personal watercraft.
"I think there are a lot of new boaters out there that probably stayed out of the sport for a few years because their jobs weren't secure or they were young parents who didn't want to get tied up in debt," Graves said.
He thinks they are ready to make the splash into boating.
What's more, people already in boating are ready to trade up, said Jeff Tice, of Shoreline Marina on Smith Mountain Lake.
"A year or two ago you started seeing people buying boats, now you see them starting to buy more expensive boats," Tice said.
That trend is reflected in the growing interest in runabouts made with the serious skier in mind, in 30-foot cruisers, in 20-foot-plus bass boats and in high-performance runabouts that sport long, sloping bows that seems to stretch into the sunset.
Shoreline will be showing the new Blue Water Mirage, an example of a craft that is a marriage between a runabout and a tournament-class skiing boat.
Tice said he had been receiving calls from across the state about the Mirage following a favorable review in WaterSki Magazine.
"I had one fellow from the Hampton area call me and wanted me to pick him up at the airport the next day. I had only gotten the boat on a Wednesday and he wanted to come in the next Thursday."
The stern-drive power, rather than the conventional inboard engine found in most tournament boats, affords more room yet provides the kind of smooth handling necessary for slalom competition. In addition, it is $8,000 cheaper, Tice said.
Another example of this trend is the Mastercraft Maristar that will be in the Conrad Brothers display.
"It is for the family runabout people who want to get a little bit more out of skiing than they can in their runabout," said Mike Ratcliff, of Conrad Brothers.
The big 30-foot Sea Ray cruiser that has been in the Smith Mountain Yacht Club display for several years will be getting some competition for "Queen of the Show" status from the Advantage Marine Chaparral.
"The cruiser market definitely is coming back," said Fielder. "I attribute that to the economy. We also are getting a few more people now who want to go to the lake and don't want to mow grass."
The Chaparral sells for $100,000.
"People are looking for recreation that the whole family can enjoy," said Lee Arnold, of Smith Mountain Yacht Club. Cruisers certainly fit that objective, he said.
Sailing, also, is enjoying favorable winds, said Dave Condon of American Marine and Sail. Playing a major role in the sport are "user-friendly" water-ballast systems that make launching and rigging a sail boat simpler.
"They have a system so one individual can raise and lower the mast," Condon said.
Easier launching makes the boats more versatile, which means you can tow them trouble free from the lake to a vacation on the coast.
For the sailboater content to stay closer to home, Condon said there is a strong trend toward larger sailing craft with inboard diesel power. The Hunter 29.5 is a good example.
"The interior cabin equals that of the room of say an old 34- or 35-foot sailboat maybe 10, 12 or 15 years ago," he said.
Roominess also is touted for deck boats, pontoons and even runabouts, which appear to get bigger every year.
The Larson 220, scheduled for the Shoreline Marina display, is a 22-foot open-bow boat that the U.S. Coast Guard rates for 16 passengers.
Bow-riding runabouts are getting so big that it has become practical to cover the bow and use the enclosure for cabin space, said Lee Arnold of Smith Mountain Yacht Club.
"When you get up into such a large bow-rider you almost have to go in and put as much fiberglass to make it a structurally sound boat as you do with the cuddy boats that have the sexy lines and colors."
Arnold will have a couple Baja boats in his display that are examples of the trend toward sleek, swooping craft that turn heads with their flash and dash.
Boaters who want plenty of room and stability at an economically square-foot price will do well to search out the pontoon and deck boats.
Magnum Marine will have a JC Pontoon TriToon, a craft built much like a conventional pontoon boat, but with a third pontoon in the center. This increases its ability to deal with rough water, which makes it an excellent Smith Mountain Lake boat, said Gordon Wilson, of Magnum. One model features deck space and a hoist for carrying two personal watercraft, he said.
For the fisherman who wants something other than a bass boat design, center console boats are getting attention after displaying strong growth last year.
Paradise Boating Co. will show the Scout and Hughes Marine Service will have the Sea-Pro.
"They have stainless steel features so you don't have any problems with them when you take them to the coast," said Leo Teass, of Paradise.
by CNB