Houseboat Magazine — January 2018

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“Customers are giving us amazing

feedback about our forward thinking and

innovative approach to maximizing the

houseboating experience,” added Bravada

VP Andrew Marshall. “We are on track to

have our biggest year ever for sales!”

ALL BOOKED OUT

Other companies such as Trifecta

Ventures, who represent Stardust Cruisers,

Sumerset Houseboats and Thoroughbred

Houseboats, finished 2017 very strong

and are already filling orders for 2018.

“We have seen a tremendous up-tick in

interest from those seeking to potentially

build a new houseboat,” says Trifecta pres-

ident Chris Girdler. A lot of houseboats

around the country are getting some age

on them and whether it’s from a renova-

tions perspective or building new, there

is a lot of action and interest from all cor-

ners of the world. We are currently booked

out 12 months with backorders for new

houseboats.”

POSITIVE OUTLOOK

With early signs indicating a strong

2018, manufacturers are looking to be

aggressive with their pricing to help lure

new houseboaters into the family.

“We are most excited about the positive

outlook towards boating,” said Destination

Yachts president Sheldon Graber. “Rising

costs of land-based property on the water

continue to make houseboating an afford-

able alternative to get on the lake. This

year will be a record year for our company

as we refocus on our I Series price-point

boats.”

“We in America as a whole are doing

better all around,” added Gibson’s

Cawthorne. “The economy is better, atti-

tudes are better and we are feeling more

stable today than in the past. There also

seems to be a lot of movement towards

the advancing into new boats and selling

off the used ones. Most of the calls we

get start with people needing pricing

on a new Gibson Boat because someone

in their marina wants to buy their used

Gibson.”

LESSONS LEARNED

While looking forward and predicting

growth in 2018 is important, it’s also criti-

cal that as an industry we don’t forget our

recent past. Despite our struggles, there

are some positives that can be taken from

the past eight or nine years when the

boating industry in general was struggling.

“This time period made the manufac-

turers step back and really look at what

made them strong in the industry,” said

Destination Yacht’s Graber. “It wasn’t just

about sitting back and taking orders, it

was about what we could to do assure

repeat customers and customers who told

everyone on the dock about the boat that

we built for them.”

Added FLOE CRAFT dealer Greg Ray

from Plano, Texas, “While there are fewer

dealers and boat builders today, those who

are left have really improved. Products are

better and overall the customer experi-

ence with dealers has improved.”

For some builders it was just figuring

out how to survive when others simply

couldn’t. During the recession a lot of

well-known houseboat manufacturers

went out of business with the strongest

surviving.

“We were able to weather the storm

by increasing our work scope to include

modernization and upgrades of older

boats as well as expanding our product

line,” said Sailabration’s Lambert.

For those who have seen the ups and

downs of the past 20 years or longer, you

have to admit it has been quite a ride.

As an industry we have become stronger,

more efficient and the dedication and

appreciation for custom-built houseboats

has never been stronger. This is the state

of our industry and it’s easy to see where

all the enthusiasm is coming from. I think

we can all look forward to an exciting year

in 2018. Q

Sunstar owner George Roberts at

the Houseboat Expo in Louisville,

Kentucky in 2011.