Boat Show Season Is Underway



PURSUIT 280 SPORT
GETTING READY FOR THE SHOW!



All around the country, January signals the start of boat show season. Just like baseball’s spring training, or the first robin in the backyard, the boat shows are a sure sign that spring is on the way.

Granted, there’s still a little snow & ice to deal with, but there are few better ways to whet the appetite than a winter’s day at the show.

Pier 33 got off to a fine start at last week’s Chicago Boat Show. The show began on Wednesday, January 12 and ran thru Sunday the 16^th. This was not an ordinary event for us, as it was our very first opportunity to bring Scout Boats and Pursuit Boats to display at the show.



SCOUT 222 DORADO ON DISPLAY



What a nice welcome Chicagoland gave us! In fact, we met boaters from all over. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin – even Iowa, Nebraska and beyond.

Our Scout display included the 245 Abaco, 222 Dorado and 210 XSF, plus three more boats on display at the show’s Affordable Boats Pavilion – the 187 SF, 175 SF and 151 SF. Scout is running a special spring promotion on a number of these models right now and all Scout models receive special benefits during the show season through Yamaha’s Four Stroke Revolution promotion. James Pate, Scout’s Regional Sales Representative, came to Chicago to help out during the show.



GREG BELANGER & BILL DEVITT

Right next door to the bright Scout display were a gorgeous pair of brand new models from Pursuit Boats, the 280 Sport and 265 Dual Console. Together with our friends from Tiara Pursuit Yacht Center in Wisconsin, we hosted Pursuit fans and owners and also helped first-time Pursuit visitors learn about the outstanding quality offered by this brand. Ron Burkdoll of Pursuit Boats joined us for a visit and was tremendously helpful during his stay.



Pier 33’s move-in & move-out crews did a fantastic job of putting everything in place – plus getting it all home safe and sound during wintery weather.

Look for our next boat show event coming up soon, with an even larger Pier 33 display planned for February’s Grand Rapids Boat Show.

Pier 33's "Off" Season

Once the leaves have fallen and the boats are all hauled out for the winter, many, many friends and boaters will stop me and ask "What do you do for the winter?" ... a fair assumption that in the boating business, there is nothing but hibernation awaiting us after the boating season ends.

Believe it or not, our staff at Pier 33 stays very busy.

Let's start with -- taking a break. During the busy spring & summer months, there are plenty of weekends and holidays that are part of the regular Pier 33 work week and the fall & winter "off-season" allows are staff to catch up on family & vacation time and enjoy a more routine schedule than boating season allows. The marina (showroom-shop-yards) is only closed a few days during the winter -- Thanksgiving week, Thursday thru Sunday and then again at Christmas break. This year we will be closed beginning December 23 and reopening January 4, 2011. Other than those dates, Pier 33 is open and ready to serve, Monday thru Saturday each week.

This is also very valuable time for providing our staff with training in all areas of our business. Sales & Service will be visiting Scout Boats, Pursuit Boats and Chaparral Boats during the month of December for important product updates and training from those boat builders. Our technicians will also be headed to school with Mercury Marine and Yamaha Outboards, plus other technical training.

What some may consider our "off-season" is actually very short. The boat show season begins almost immediately upon our return in January, with the Chicago Boat Show opening at

McCormick Place

on January 12th. Pier 33 will have two displays at this year's boat show, with Pursuit and Scout, side-by-side. That show is always a sure sign that we've rounded the bend, with spring launch on the horizon and fall haul-out in the rear-view mirror. The Grand Rapids Boat Show follows-up in February, with Pier 33's Spring Open House just a few weeks later and then ...

The ice melts. Launch. A new season begins. Boaters return. The fish bite. The sun comes out. The Lake warms and boaters savor those days on the water that we have dreamt about all winter long.