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Interview With Nautique President Greg Meloon
Recently, I was able to connect with Nautique President Greg Meloon for a quick interview to get his thoughts on the new S-series as well as a few other things going on at Nautique right now. It is always a pleasure to chat with Greg and his team. Check out his thoughts below!
Jeff Carroll: The new S-series boats certainly have a different look than the prior generation of traditional-bow Nautiques. How did the design discussions go, leading to this unique design? What were the must- haves, and what did your design and engineering team have to do to meet those goals?
Greg Meloon: Since the original Ski Nautique in 1961, the Nautique brand has prioritized our engineering and performance. I personally have some favorite years and models of Nautiques that stood out aesthetically throughout the brand history. Over the past decade, we have been developing and evolving a design language that purposely distinguishes our brand so that it can easily be recognized across the lake. The performance and quality remain the highest priority and considered at every step of the new S-Series design. The aesthetics of the hull are intentionally placed to enhance the surf wave which is shaped by the hull sides as much as it is by the bottom running surface. The S-Series certainly delivers a modern design of a classic Nautique performance!
Jeff Carroll: Who is this boat geared toward? What’s the target market? How will this boat fill a need that isn’t met by other boats in the Nautique lineup?
Greg Meloon: Our development charter for the S-Series clearly defined our goals of creating a robust performer for wakesurfing and wakeboarding with the running surface efficiency of boats like our GS-Series. The bow is executed to provide more seating comfort than traditional bow Nautiques of the past and the enhanced freeboard was specified to tackle larger water performance. You can still break out your ski or skis and have a great time behind this boat even though it is clearly not a GS or Ski Nautique! The hull efficiency allows the base ZR4 to be a strong candidate for all the motor you ever need. Spending some time in the S-Series will bring you to appreciate the comfort and attention to detail you expect in a Nautique! The details are well executed, while not quite the complexity and luxury of the G-Series and Paragon models that have completely changed the expectations of watersports boats.
Jeff Carroll: When I was down at Nautique a couple of weeks ago, I saw first-hand how well these boats perform, and what the pros can do behind these boats. What about people who aren’t world champions? What are your thoughts on how well this boat will work for families who are not professional athletes?
Greg Meloon: As you have come to expect in a Nautique, all of our new products are influenced by our world class team of athletes. They experience our boats on a daily basis and constantly drive us to refine our products. Many of these athletes have families and use their boats just like our everyday customers. It is just as important to them to have clean wakes or waves for any age of skill level that can bring the next generation into the sports and brand we all love!
Jeff Carroll: During my time on the boat, I thought that it seemed to cut through the rollers more smoothly than even a G23. How is the ride in the boat different than other boats that Nautique offers? I know Nautique always wants their boats to produce the best wakes and waves, but was any additional thought put into the ride comfort of the S-series boats? Does the traditional bow have any effect on this?
Greg Meloon: The S-Series was engineered with the core stringer system that was introduced with the original G23 and is now used across all of our product series. This structure provides a very strong platform that integrates the hull, deck and engine. Much of the performance in rough conditions begins with this strength built into the boat. My perception of experiencing both the G and S at the South Central Regatta in significant wind chop was a very similar ride between the models.
Jeff Carroll: The engine options for the S-series boats include every engine available from PCM, I believe. Will the Yanmar diesel engine become an option? Will we ever see a Super Air Nautique S23e?
Greg Meloon: That’s correct. Currently PCM engines are the only options for the S-Series in 2022 but we are always planning for future integrations and meeting market demand.
Jeff Carroll: Should we expect to see additional models in the S-series at some point?
Greg Meloon: We are always paying attention to market trends and the desire of our customers. If there is something you would like us to build on the S-Series platform we’d love to hear it!
Jeff Carroll: Most people seem to really like the design and layout of the new S-series boats! Have you been able to get many people out to demo these new boats yet? What is Nautique doing to get these boats in front of people and make them available for demos?
Greg Meloon: The S23 was introduced at the Nautique South Central Regatta where several Nautique owners got the opportunity to check them out. At the Nautique Wakesurf Masters we presented the S23 and the S21 for demonstrations to many of the participants. Currently, our sales team are showcasing S23 models to many of our dealers around the country and taking advantage of the early fall riding season. Both the S21 and S23 will be available for VIP tours in Orlando over the winter. Check with your local Nautique dealer for details!
Jeff Carroll: What effects has the COVID-19 pandemic had on Nautique and your ability to build and ship boats? I know it must be difficult to get boats built and shipped with all of the supply chain shortages happening these days. Do you have any thoughts on what’s happening, and any predictions for the future? Are boat builds delayed at all?
Greg Meloon: We have certainly had our Nautique family and community impacted by COVID over the past 18 months. This has also impacted our vendors and created some challenges for our materials and production teams to overcome. We are currently building Nautiques at record production levels but even this volume is still falling short of the significant increase in demand brought on by COVID. We are excited to see so many new customers purchasing Nautiques and enjoying the benefits of the Nautique lifestyle with their families. We were already planning for expansion of the manufacturing facility but have accelerated this effort with the purchase of an existing facility in our industrial park. We will see this integrated into the production process by the end of 2021 and look forward to the benefits of increased capacity along with opportunities for efficiency and quality improvements.
Jeff Carroll: Your team of workers is outstanding, and the products they produce speak for themselves. From PD&D to Production to Marketing to Sales (and everything in between), it seems like you have a great team. What makes the group of people that design, build and sell these boats work so well?
Greg Meloon: We have a team at Nautique that is passionate about the product and the lifestyle. They are constantly pushing to make our products better! We set clear mission and purpose for everyone on the Nautique team and that helps us achieve great results! When you visit our factory, you can’t help but notice the commitment of every team member and the positive energy that exists on the production floor.
Jeff Carroll: What’s the latest on Nautique Cares? With the COVID-19 pandemic, I assume it has been harder than normal to get out into the community and the rest of the world to do the projects that Nautique Cares is known for. What projects have you been able to work on lately? I often think about the time I spent with your team in Puerto Rico rebuilding a house for a family who lost theirs in hurricanes that went through that region. Hopefully those projects will be starting up again soon!
Greg Meloon: We have had the opportunity to serve people around the globe through Nautique Cares. This year we stayed much closer to home but still made a difference in our local community. Last year we were able to assist with a handful of efforts related to COVID-19 by utilizing our facility and team and help produce masks and other PPE for some of our local frontline workers. We also found a great mission here in Orlando that rescues young women and children from human trafficking and we were able to remodel their house during our summer production shutdown. Everyone involved in these events leaves changed and ready to participate in the next opportunity. We hope to have you join us again soon at our next event Jeff!
Jeff Carroll: Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions! Is there anything else that you’d like to share with us? Any closing thoughts?
Greg Meloon: Jeff, I want to thank you and all of the Planet Nautique community for being an advocate for the Nautique brand! The Nautique Lifestyle is shared by our customers to the next generation along with our neighbors and friends. I can’t think of a better lifestyle than to be on the water with our families! Particularly considering the recent challenges of the COVID pandemic.
I hope to see you all very soon on the water!
Greg has been President of Nautique Boat Company since 2015, and was VP of Marketing and Product Development at Nautique Boat Company before that. He holds a BS in Business from Purdue University Fort Wayne, and an MBA from Rollins College.
Jeff Carroll: The new S-series boats certainly have a different look than the prior generation of traditional-bow Nautiques. How did the design discussions go, leading to this unique design? What were the must- haves, and what did your design and engineering team have to do to meet those goals?
Greg Meloon: Since the original Ski Nautique in 1961, the Nautique brand has prioritized our engineering and performance. I personally have some favorite years and models of Nautiques that stood out aesthetically throughout the brand history. Over the past decade, we have been developing and evolving a design language that purposely distinguishes our brand so that it can easily be recognized across the lake. The performance and quality remain the highest priority and considered at every step of the new S-Series design. The aesthetics of the hull are intentionally placed to enhance the surf wave which is shaped by the hull sides as much as it is by the bottom running surface. The S-Series certainly delivers a modern design of a classic Nautique performance!
Jeff Carroll: Who is this boat geared toward? What’s the target market? How will this boat fill a need that isn’t met by other boats in the Nautique lineup?
Greg Meloon: Our development charter for the S-Series clearly defined our goals of creating a robust performer for wakesurfing and wakeboarding with the running surface efficiency of boats like our GS-Series. The bow is executed to provide more seating comfort than traditional bow Nautiques of the past and the enhanced freeboard was specified to tackle larger water performance. You can still break out your ski or skis and have a great time behind this boat even though it is clearly not a GS or Ski Nautique! The hull efficiency allows the base ZR4 to be a strong candidate for all the motor you ever need. Spending some time in the S-Series will bring you to appreciate the comfort and attention to detail you expect in a Nautique! The details are well executed, while not quite the complexity and luxury of the G-Series and Paragon models that have completely changed the expectations of watersports boats.
Jeff Carroll: When I was down at Nautique a couple of weeks ago, I saw first-hand how well these boats perform, and what the pros can do behind these boats. What about people who aren’t world champions? What are your thoughts on how well this boat will work for families who are not professional athletes?
Greg Meloon: As you have come to expect in a Nautique, all of our new products are influenced by our world class team of athletes. They experience our boats on a daily basis and constantly drive us to refine our products. Many of these athletes have families and use their boats just like our everyday customers. It is just as important to them to have clean wakes or waves for any age of skill level that can bring the next generation into the sports and brand we all love!
Jeff Carroll: During my time on the boat, I thought that it seemed to cut through the rollers more smoothly than even a G23. How is the ride in the boat different than other boats that Nautique offers? I know Nautique always wants their boats to produce the best wakes and waves, but was any additional thought put into the ride comfort of the S-series boats? Does the traditional bow have any effect on this?
Greg Meloon: The S-Series was engineered with the core stringer system that was introduced with the original G23 and is now used across all of our product series. This structure provides a very strong platform that integrates the hull, deck and engine. Much of the performance in rough conditions begins with this strength built into the boat. My perception of experiencing both the G and S at the South Central Regatta in significant wind chop was a very similar ride between the models.
Jeff Carroll: The engine options for the S-series boats include every engine available from PCM, I believe. Will the Yanmar diesel engine become an option? Will we ever see a Super Air Nautique S23e?
Greg Meloon: That’s correct. Currently PCM engines are the only options for the S-Series in 2022 but we are always planning for future integrations and meeting market demand.
Jeff Carroll: Should we expect to see additional models in the S-series at some point?
Greg Meloon: We are always paying attention to market trends and the desire of our customers. If there is something you would like us to build on the S-Series platform we’d love to hear it!
Jeff Carroll: Most people seem to really like the design and layout of the new S-series boats! Have you been able to get many people out to demo these new boats yet? What is Nautique doing to get these boats in front of people and make them available for demos?
Greg Meloon: The S23 was introduced at the Nautique South Central Regatta where several Nautique owners got the opportunity to check them out. At the Nautique Wakesurf Masters we presented the S23 and the S21 for demonstrations to many of the participants. Currently, our sales team are showcasing S23 models to many of our dealers around the country and taking advantage of the early fall riding season. Both the S21 and S23 will be available for VIP tours in Orlando over the winter. Check with your local Nautique dealer for details!
Jeff Carroll: What effects has the COVID-19 pandemic had on Nautique and your ability to build and ship boats? I know it must be difficult to get boats built and shipped with all of the supply chain shortages happening these days. Do you have any thoughts on what’s happening, and any predictions for the future? Are boat builds delayed at all?
Greg Meloon: We have certainly had our Nautique family and community impacted by COVID over the past 18 months. This has also impacted our vendors and created some challenges for our materials and production teams to overcome. We are currently building Nautiques at record production levels but even this volume is still falling short of the significant increase in demand brought on by COVID. We are excited to see so many new customers purchasing Nautiques and enjoying the benefits of the Nautique lifestyle with their families. We were already planning for expansion of the manufacturing facility but have accelerated this effort with the purchase of an existing facility in our industrial park. We will see this integrated into the production process by the end of 2021 and look forward to the benefits of increased capacity along with opportunities for efficiency and quality improvements.
Jeff Carroll: Your team of workers is outstanding, and the products they produce speak for themselves. From PD&D to Production to Marketing to Sales (and everything in between), it seems like you have a great team. What makes the group of people that design, build and sell these boats work so well?
Greg Meloon: We have a team at Nautique that is passionate about the product and the lifestyle. They are constantly pushing to make our products better! We set clear mission and purpose for everyone on the Nautique team and that helps us achieve great results! When you visit our factory, you can’t help but notice the commitment of every team member and the positive energy that exists on the production floor.
Jeff Carroll: What’s the latest on Nautique Cares? With the COVID-19 pandemic, I assume it has been harder than normal to get out into the community and the rest of the world to do the projects that Nautique Cares is known for. What projects have you been able to work on lately? I often think about the time I spent with your team in Puerto Rico rebuilding a house for a family who lost theirs in hurricanes that went through that region. Hopefully those projects will be starting up again soon!
Greg Meloon: We have had the opportunity to serve people around the globe through Nautique Cares. This year we stayed much closer to home but still made a difference in our local community. Last year we were able to assist with a handful of efforts related to COVID-19 by utilizing our facility and team and help produce masks and other PPE for some of our local frontline workers. We also found a great mission here in Orlando that rescues young women and children from human trafficking and we were able to remodel their house during our summer production shutdown. Everyone involved in these events leaves changed and ready to participate in the next opportunity. We hope to have you join us again soon at our next event Jeff!
Jeff Carroll: Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions! Is there anything else that you’d like to share with us? Any closing thoughts?
Greg Meloon: Jeff, I want to thank you and all of the Planet Nautique community for being an advocate for the Nautique brand! The Nautique Lifestyle is shared by our customers to the next generation along with our neighbors and friends. I can’t think of a better lifestyle than to be on the water with our families! Particularly considering the recent challenges of the COVID pandemic.
I hope to see you all very soon on the water!
Greg has been President of Nautique Boat Company since 2015, and was VP of Marketing and Product Development at Nautique Boat Company before that. He holds a BS in Business from Purdue University Fort Wayne, and an MBA from Rollins College.
