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Written by Matt Trulio
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Thursday, 15 July 2010 00:00 |
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Movement of one person or another within the high-performance powerboat industry doesn’t usually qualify as news for the average go-fast boat enthusiast. But when someone who is as well known outside the industry as he is inside it makes a change, it’s worth reporting.
That’s the case with Vic Spellberg, the former director of sponsor promotions for Formula Boats/Thunderbird Products who has joined Cigarette Racing Team as director of sales and promotion. Based in Opa-Locka, Fla., Cigarette Racing Team is a short drive—brutal South Florida traffic notwithstanding—from Spellberg's home in Fort Lauderdale
“Loving the ‘performance’ side of the business, I see Cigarette as a brand, epitomizing that lifestyle,” said Spellberg in a press release from Cigarette, “With my experience in racing and my long affiliation with such a variety of boats in the industry, I think I’m in a good position to help prospective Cigarette customers assess their needs and boating styles. That’s a key to finding the right boat for the right person.”
Like Skip Braver, the chief operating officer and owner of Cigarette Racing Team, Spellberg is from Chicago and cut his high-performance boat teeth on the waters of Lake Michigan. Unlike Braver, Spellberg is a former offshore racer who teamed up with Scott Porter, the chief executive officer of Formula, to run a 30-foot Formula in the late 1970s. Spellberg continued to race through the mid-1980s, winning back-to-back Southeast Divisional Championships in 1985 and 1986
“As Cigarette’s customer base and business broadens, we need someone who can be the liaison between the factory, customers and dealers,” said Braver in the release. “We need someone who not only knows boating, but also the importance of top-quality customer service. We think that is where Vic is going to be very valuable to Cigarette. We work as a team here and he has those teamwork qualities.”
“We have a simple goal here—build the best-running, most reliable, safe and well-designed performance boat on the market,” Braver added. “We work at that every day and look forward to Vic’s contribution to that goal.” |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 13 July 2010 17:15 |
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Written by Matt Trulio
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Monday, 12 July 2010 17:17 |
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This isn’t huge news, but I sure like the direction of it. Bargains of any kind are much appreciated in a down economy.
So file this under “Another Bright Idea from the New Jersey Performance Powerboat Club:” A $199 “recession buster” entry fee for its Roar at Shore Poker Run on Saturday, August 7 in Toms River, N.J.
Roughly half to one third of the cost for the average poker run, the fee includes breakfast before the event and a barbecue beach party after the run is over.
“This was called the Barnegat Bay Poker Run for many years, and it was $299,” explained Dave Patnaude, president of the NJPPC. “We had a full-blown breakfast buffet in the morning at the Lobster Shanty, and then a full-blown white tablecloth dinner at night.
“We started to see the numbers drop off year after year so we then re-invented the event as the Roar at the Shore Poker Run, and the $199 price-point was key,” he continued. “We scrapped the fancy breakfast for a Continental Breakfast at Typhoon Service Center in the morning, and then scrapped the fancy dinner for a barbecue party at night.”
The bad news? The Roar at the Shore Poker Run is limited to 40 boats. At this price, expect it to fill up quickly. |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 13 July 2010 11:07 |
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Written by Matt Trulio
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Tuesday, 13 July 2010 10:10 |
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Just got off the phone with John Cunningham of Spectre Powerboats, who said that the company’s new SV300 V-bottom is being laid up and should be ready by October. Base price for the 30-footer, which will ride on a 24-degree single-step hull, with an 8.2-litre engine will be $164,352.
“We’ve taken all the fat out of the pricing,” said Cunningham. “We understand where the economy is and we understand it will be a couple of years before it comes back.”
Cunningham described the 30-footer as ‘family sport boat”—with a full cabin and a V-berth—designed and built for running on lakes and bays. The boat will be offered with a single big-block engine, twin small-block engines or twin big-block engines. Although custom paint will be available, Spectre currently is designing a standard graphics package for the new model.
In a larger sense, the new 30-footer represents a move by Spectre, which made its name on high-performance catamarans, to expand its product line.
“What we’re trying to do is build a boat company for everyone,” Cunningham explained. “It’s very hard to just build cats and survive in this market.
“Our 260 Roadster center console is very popular,” he added. “It’s really selling.”
Future model releases for Spectre reportedly include a 40-foot V-bottom as well as 36- and 43-foot catamarans.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 13 July 2010 10:13 |
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Written by Matt Trulio
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Thursday, 08 July 2010 15:59 |
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To borrow—and bastardize—from Mark Twain, reports of Eliminator Boats’ demise have been “greatly exaggerated.” That doesn’t mean things have been easy for the Perris Valley, Calif., builder of West Coast custom performance boats. Far from it. For the past two years, Bob Leach, the founder and owner of the company, has been working seven days a week, despite that annual production of Eliminator boats has gone from hundreds to handfuls.
I caught up with Leach a few moments ago via telephone. Here’s what he had to say.
Let’s get right to it. Is Eliminator going out of business?
No, no. Why do people start those rumors? Some idiot got on line the other day and said we were closed. Maybe he went by our other building in Mira Loma (Calif.). Everybody likes to say negative things. Nobody likes to say positive things. I don’t know why.
So how’s business?
It’s actually picking up. I just got an order from Bruce Bullock (principal of Bullock Marine) for a 34’ Eagle that’s going to the Ivory Coast of Africa. Stoker just ordered a boat. We’re building a 27’ Daytona for Boost Power. And we’re just finishing up the deck tooling for the new 27’ Daytona Speedster. I have two of those on order with deposits. We have huge interest in our 27’ Daytona Speedster, which will be less expensive and more economical than our twin-engine 28’ Daytona. The interesting thing is that our suppliers gave us the materials for the tooling of 27’ Speedster at no charge. They must think we’re going to be around.
What we need to get out there is not just that we’re picking up, but that 50 percent of the customers who walk in the door are saying that their businesses are picking up. That’s something that the media needs to get out there.
What it’s going to take to bring back the performance-boat market on the West Coast?
Consumer confidence. It will come back when consumer confidence comes back. I think the Gulf Oil Spill has wounded consumer confidence a little. It’s like, “We can put a man on the moon, but we can’t even fix this?” Then again, the stock market was up 247 points yesterday and we had four groups in the showroom. We actually needed help in the showroom.
What would you suggest to performance-boat owners who are feeling the pinch—and then some—of the economy?
Go to the river, tie up and raft off with your friends. Save a little gas money. You can go to the river and do that, and have just as much fun as you would making 15 trips up and down the lake. Tie off and just have fun with people.
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Last Updated on Thursday, 08 July 2010 16:07 |
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