prices

[CoryZ]

"Or, hook up with a promo guy and pre-order the exact boat you want. A buddy of mine is doing that for my '11. He gets the boat he wants at a great price and supports the skiing community."

"Great deal for CC, promo guy, and the buyer but bad deal for the dealers being cut out of a retail sale at normal market prices.....right? "

Exactly! Correct Craft should have to buy back all of the promo boats or at least have a list for the Dealers to sell off of. I know the promo guys cannot advertise price on line but come on "pre order 2011 200" pisses me off!

[Oletimeskier]

Exactly! Correct Craft should have to buy back all of the promo boats or at least have a list for the Dealers to sell off of. I know the promo guys cannot advertise price on line but come on "pre order 2011 200" pisses me off!

Good point and I am sure that the dealers would agree with you on promo pre ordering boats. If there are 100 promos a year just think of how many retail sales the dealers are loosing to the good deal pre orders

[swc5150]

CC built 167 200OB and 123 200CB in 2010.

Does anyone have an idea of how many were promo boats? 42% were CB - that somewhat surprises me.

[ClemsonDave]

Exactly! Correct Craft should have to buy back all of the promo boats or at least have a list for the Dealers to sell off of. I know the promo guys cannot advertise price on line but come on "pre order 2011 200" pisses me off!

There are not that many promo boats out there (not even one per state on average). So I don't think we will be killing the dealers. Remember, we are selling used boats, not new ones. Tell me why pre-orders piss you off. Are you a dealer? Should we not be allowed to advertise boats that we buy with our own money? I had a dealer steal a sale from me stating he would match any promo guy's price with a new boat. This was after I had already ordered it to they buyer's specs. So, it goes both ways. I am very loyal to my dealer and would recommend them to anyone. I try to play nice, but until CC buys the boats back like you said, there will be some tension.

[ers906]

This may be a naive question, but what exactly is a promo boat?

[ClemsonDave]

Nautique has a promotional team for 3 event tournaments (slalom, trick, jump). I think there are around 35-40 of us. We buy the boats (200s now) and are required to take them to X number of tournaments. Tournaments gain exposure to a large group of skiers.

We are also available if anyone wants to go for a test drive/ski. We are a marketing arm for CC and refer potential buyers to the dealer channel. I certainly do this, but also try to sell my boat at the same time.

[ers906]

Seems like a pretty good deal for all involved. Dealers get exposure in areas which they may not be able to get to otherwise. less than 50 people get good deals on slightly used boats that they may not otherwise be able to afford. and Nautique sells a few more boats (with less profit margin) but still gets recognition. Not really seeing the problem. Sort of a win win win situation in my mind

[swc5150]

We on PN may think that promo boats are plentiful and hurt dealerships, but in the general market, very few people are aware that promo boats exist. Like Dave said, he pushes the product, and his boat is a useful tool to sell new boats. I benefited from our MC promo guy back when I sold them.

At the end of the day, the promo guys aren't scoring this huge deal. They do lots of driving during tournament season, and are obligated to let whoever wants to drive their boat. And since they paid for it, it is their boat. I think you'd be hard pressed to find any promo guy who thinks they're coming our ahead at the end of the day. And then they all have to compete against each other to sell their boats in Sept. There's no free lunch!

[ClemsonDave]

Far from being ahead.... I lost over $12k on my '08. That doesnt include maintenance, cost of taking it to tournaments, taxes, etc. I can promise you we don't make any money being on the promo team. I do it because I want to have the latest and greatest, plus I want to practice behind what I will have in tournaments.

I answer countless emails and PMs from sites like this. I have yet to sell a boat from these forums, but I have gained a bunch of friends. I do it because it's fun, not to make money. I also benefit from everyone's knowledge on here.

Hopefully, I helped you (swc5150) a little and am glad you found a good deal through your local dealer. You're getting a great boat!

[CoryZ]

I think it is awesome you want the latest and greatest and that you push the Nautique brand. It just kills the value of a 200 when the promo guys saying pre order a 2011 200. If you are on the promo team you get a great deal for the boat, and I understand that you do a lot to help your local dealer. It is just hard for a consumer to justify buying a new boat from a dealer when the promo boat is thousands less.. Next thing you know you as a dealer have to cut your margin just to sell the boat. I am not saying it is the promo guys fault, but there has to be a better way of reselling the boat through the dealer network.

[swc5150]

A promo boat is a good way to save a few thousand, but the difference isn't enough for me to justify not getting one brand new. The extra money is worth me breaking it in and putting the first 100 hours on it. I think you'd see more pre-sold promo boats of they were having an effect on new boat sales.

[gride300]

promo boats should be leased from the dealer at a preferred rate. simple as that.

[Oletimeskier]

promo boats should be leased from the dealer at a preferred rate. simple as that.

Thats is a great idea and they should get it at just over real factory cost...

In also seems the only winner seems to be Nauti as they make all of there profit on the sale and dont really give the promo member a fair deal for what they do. Then the menber has to compete with the dealers to sell their boat with hours on it. Not good....

In my past tourney experience I have seen some real good promo members that deserve the best deal and some real bad ones that should be kicked out on the street which could give the whole deal a bad name. JMO

[ClemsonDave]

I think it is awesome you want the latest and greatest and that you push the Nautique brand. It just kills the value of a 200 when the promo guys saying pre order a 2011 200. If you are on the promo team you get a great deal for the boat, and I understand that you do a lot to help your local dealer. It is just hard for a consumer to justify buying a new boat from a dealer when the promo boat is thousands less.. Next thing you know you as a dealer have to cut your margin just to sell the boat. I am not saying it is the promo guys fault, but there has to be a better way of reselling the boat through the dealer network.

But I think you are missing the point. I am selling a 1 year old boat. Dealers are selling brand new boats. Shouldn't a used boat be priced considerably less than a new boat?

Case in point is someone on this forum. I quoted them a great price for my 2011. It would be used by the time I delivered it to him with apx 200 hours on it. His dealer, knowing nothing of my quote, gave him a great price on a new one. My price did not influence the dealer yet he chose to sell the boat at a low price. So the buyer is faced with a decision. Buy a used boat from me, or a new boat for a few thousand more from a dealer brand new. Isn't the way it should be? Some will choose mine, some will choose new.

Another point, I have seen 1 yr old boats for sale by non-promo members that are right in line with what we are selling them for. The market demands a certain price and we do not buy them cheap enough to be able to under cut anyone. Even if I sell my boats at the market price, I am still losing money. Look on ski-it-again. If you see a 200 with a price listed, it is not a promo boat. Those prices are right in line with what promo boats are selling for. There are advantages of buying a promo boat vs std used boat that we rely on. Warranty transfer, condition, supporting the tournament community, etc.

If promo boats effected the dealers, then they would be selling the wakeboard boats at full list and the 200s at near cost. I doubt that is the case.

In the short time I have been a promo rep, I have seen CC eliminate members and come down on some of the others. I'm sure it is a work in progress to have all promo members be where they want them to be.

[gride300]

my 2 friends that promo'd 210's got insane deals on theirs.