Despite the often-true expression that the happiest day of a boat owner’s life is his or her first and last day of ownership, the easiest person to sell a powerboat to is someone who owns one. Take that axiom a step farther, and easiest person to sell a specific brand of powerboat to is someone who owns a model from that brand.

Delivered by Double R Performance just in time for the upcoming Florida Powerboat Club Key West Powerboat Week event, this Nor-Tech 390 is the third 39-footer owned by Darren and Phyllis Bannister of Canada. Photo by Kevin Lane copyright Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats.

Of course, there exceptions. You will find owners who go elsewhere for their next ride because they are disappointed with their current one.

But Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats isn’t one of them. In fact, last year approximately 72 percent of the Cape Coral, Fla.-based company’s new builds went to existing clients. Dealers such as Canada-based Double R Performance have multiple three- and four-time Nor-Tech owners as current clients, as does Erickson Marine of Sarasota, Fla.

“I’d say probably 80 or 90 percent of our clients our repeat buyers,” said Chris Erickson, the son of company founder/marine industry legend Bill Erickson. “One of our guys has had seven of them.”

Michael Knoblock, the owner of Kimball, Mich.-based Nor-Tech dealer American Custom Marine said “probably 60 percent of our customers have owned more than one, and lot have two or three.”

By any measure, those are strong customer loyalty numbers. Nor-Tech co-founder and president Trond Schou said he believes they begin with involvement in the build process through visits to the company.

From its Miami International Boat Show welcome party (above) to its Owners Fun Run each spring, Nor-Tech creates gatherings for its customer family off and on the water.

“Relationships are built over time through personal interaction,” he explained. “So part of that loyalty lies is getting our customer family getting to know the Nor-Tech family—the people who actually build their boats. ”We have several dozen employees with long tenures at Nor-Tech and numerous clients who know many of them by name.

“Some of the devotion to the Nor-Tech has to do with the quality and performance of our boats,” he added. “Some of it has to do with resale—our resale value is among the highest in the industry.”

First-and-last day boat-ownership “wisdom” be damned. At least for Nor-Tech owners.