Discussion with Nautique regarding the replacement for Pebble watch

[xxrb2010]

Maybe they do not have yet an answer that would appease their customers and they decided no answer is better than a bad answer. Apparently, for some of us this is not good

[blueroom]

I have been nagging my dealer and Nautique for 3 months on this topic. After telling my sales guy to go up to S. Murray at the boat show and specifically ask him WTF is Nautique going to do, he said Garmin in 2019.

Why Nautique thinks not answering questions for someone that just ordered a $140k boat escapes me. Piss poor marketing and customer service.

I see a few people repeatedly asking that question on FB and Instagram posts by Nautique Boats and they ignore it.

If we all hounded them on their social media sites, Nautique may provide some answers.

Nautique came up with a great system, partnering with a company that was a leader at the time. I am sure Nautique was just as surprised, and just as ticked, that they invested so much into something that Fitbit chose to not support moving forward. I am also sure they have been busy negotiating new agreements, performing R&D and testing, etc. for whatever the replacement is. These things take time and are complex.

People bought a product that was advertised to work with a Pebble watch, which it still does. Completely out of Nautiques sphere of influence, Pebble died, Fitbit bought the Pebble IP and development on the platform was killed. Nautique did something they thought was cool and that their customers would dig. Whatever comes next will likely be even better, but also will likely rely on a 3rd party partner to some degree.

[Wake.BC]

I agree moving forward with Apple Watch would be a great decision. The only thing being the touch screen working with the water.

You could use the Digital Crown to control things, like scroll to adjust speed and than double klick and scroll to adjust nss.

Also my thought with using the touch screen in the water is have a simple way to unlock the screen, like taping the crown and having it be usable. I never put my Apple Watch in its recommended water setting, I just eject the water once im done. After 6 months of lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons it’s perfectly fine....


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[N2B8EM]

Nautique came up with a great system, partnering with a company that was a leader at the time. I am sure Nautique was just as surprised, and just as ticked, that they invested so much into something that Fitbit chose to not support moving forward. I am also sure they have been busy negotiating new agreements, performing R&D and testing, etc. for whatever the replacement is. These things take time and are complex.

People bought a product that was advertised to work with a Pebble watch, which it still does. Completely out of Nautiques sphere of influence, Pebble died, Fitbit bought the Pebble IP and development on the platform was killed. Nautique did something they thought was cool and that their customers would dig. Whatever comes next will likely be even better, but also will likely rely on a 3rd party partner to some degree.

I appreciate the points made above. Life is all about adapting to changes, most unanticipated.

However, in the corporate PR world, being open is generally a better strategy than silence and ignoring your base. If Nautique, at the outset of this issue, would have sent out an email to owners something similar to what you have said above, everyone would likely understand. Apparently, however, many have written, called and inquired on social media with not even a response or acknowledgment of their concerns. That's bad policy and gets people angry.

They could go on FB, Instagram, email and via dealers just say:

1. Pebble's demise was unforseen and out of our control.
2. We are actively working on a solution we hope to have available in 20XX
3. We anticipate the new solution will be compatible with boats starting with the year 20XX
4. In the meantime Pebbles continue to function on all surf select boats
5. Many people have success acquiring the Watch's on sites such as E-bay etc
6. In our experience, Pebble (time, 2 etc) have the best functionality
7. For simplicity, we have made the Pebble app available for download on our Nautique website
8. If you don't want to purchase a watch now, we anticipate the new technology available in 20XX


If they did this, no one would have the right to squawk. But Nautique has apparently ignored a lot of people, including dealers. So the problem is bigger because of their decision to not address it with their customers.

[GMLIII]

Well said , N2B8EM You must be in the PR business; you have completely covered every point .

[blueroom]

I disagree. I have no info whatsoever on this, but I suspect there will be no future/backwards compatibility with a new system. If there is, awesome on Nautique.

Legacy Pebble still works with the surf system. You can still buy Pebbles on Amazon, etc. Other than Pebble going out of business and related change on the Pebble platform, which is obviously out of their control, it all still works as designed and sold.

[charlesml3]

Yea, N2B got it just right, and that's what I asked of the Nautique rep. Say SOMETHING. Don't just pretend there's no gap and act like nothing is wrong.

-Charles

[N2B8EM]

Thanx. Not in the PR business, I just know what I would like to hear from Nautique to make me feel 100% good about my upgrade to a 2018.


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[blueroom]

N2B8EM and others.....

I am almost positive that Nautique did not advertise or sell this as a feature or capability for 2018 boats. I checked the 2018 Nautique brochure and dealer worksheet, and there is no mention of being able to control the surf system via any method other than the helm and the Nautique remote. No talk of watches, Pebbles, etc. If a 2018 boat works with an old Pebble, that is an undocumented feature and a bonus for the buyer. If a dealer promoted this, that is the dealers bad.

Nautique sold a product that worked with what was a current 3rd party technology (and still does work as marketed) and stopped advertising/selling it once it was clear that 3rd party could no longer support it. Us 16-17 owners know where we are at, and '18 owners did not purchase a watch capable surf system, even if it does happen to work with an old Pebble.

[GMLIII]

Bravo to NB2’s post. Maybe it will bleed back to Nautique as other folks complain while company remains silent?

[charlesml3]

N2B8EM and others.....

I am almost positive that Nautique did not advertise or sell this as a feature or capability for 2018 boats. I checked the 2018 Nautique brochure and dealer worksheet, and there is no mention of being able to control the surf system via any method other than the helm and the Nautique remote. No talk of watches, Pebbles, etc. If a 2018 boat works with an old Pebble, that is an undocumented feature and a bonus for the buyer. If a dealer promoted this, that is the dealers bad.

Nautique sold a product that worked with what was a current 3rd party technology (and still does work as marketed) and stopped advertising/selling it once it was clear that 3rd party could no longer support it. Us 16-17 owners know where we are at, and '18 owners did not purchase a watch capable surf system, even if it does happen to work with an old Pebble.

Nautique did not advertise it at all for 2018. No mention of it anywhere. That said, if the boat is equipped with Nautique Surf Select, then "Pair with Pebble" appears in the LINC setup menu. I know this because I saw it on a 2018 at the boat show. It's not that it "happens to work." It's in the menu.

-Charles

[blueroom]

Exactly. It is a feature that is there and usable, but wasn't sold or marketed for 2018. I am sure Nautique could make it disappear with a firmware update in the MY18 boats, but they haven't because they probably figured that they spent the money to get it there, so people might want to use it. If it did go away with a firmware update, I am sure people would be even more ticked.

I am not debating any of the facts, or even some of the opinions, around the Pebble issue. I am just saying that the concept that Nautique owes people an explanation - especially in a 2018 boat - is somewhat misplaced. I am trying to make the point that people should feel 100% great about their 2018's. You got an awesome boat, and you got every feature you paid for PLUS some legacy Pebble integration. Nautique owes nothing around Pebble to 2018 owners, and it kind of is what it is for us older boat owners.

As someone with one of the most affected boats, I commend Nautique for taking a chance and extending their surf system beyond their surfside remote, and for going big with some 3rd party integration. This was not something they beta tested on customers, but a well engineered and functioning system that was affected by a 3rd party demise that was out of their control AND the decision of the new owner to not support the tech.

I would say to Nautique - keep making solid engineering advances, adding new and unique features and driving the tech forward in an innovative and responsible way, and I will take some of the risk that comes with that. If I wanted a basic boat, I would buy another brand.

Based on some comments here, it sounds like maybe they are working on a new system for future boats. We'll know in about 4 months if that is something we'll see for 2019, or if that is a longer term project. Whatever happens, I am sure Nautique will come up with something cool.

[scottb7]

I think the boats are kind of expensive not to have a "watch" surf system that is supported by mfgr

[Kruchy]

I think the boats are kind of expensive not to have a "watch" surf system that is supported by mfgr

That's funny. "Expensive to not have a watch". Surf select is an option and pebble still works and the watches are cheap. The boats are just expensive and every option you add now or in the future will cost more money.

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[scottb7]

Am I wrong, I thought it was not a supported option on a 2018? Isn't what someone said in this thread?