Off Topic Christmas Spending

[fishinwrench]

3 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

  When we went in 42 yrs. ago to our pre-martial classes the minister told us to always maintain separate bank accounts as it  not only held monetary disputes and misunderstandings down but gave each party a since of worth and accomplishment.

Your minister teaches Karate ?

That's awesome, and a great idea!

[fishinwrench]

3 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

 

Both Buster and I bought Johnson engines thru Guido Hibdon out of Smithville Marine that were about a 1/4 of manufacture cost.

How did Smithville Marine get themselves wedged in that deal?  Guido always worked through Sport Boats USA

[Bill Babler]

At that time I don't think SB was much, I can't really remember them till Joanne gave up Ranger..  Joanne handled, BassCat, Ranger and Stratos.  She at the time I believe was one of the Largest Johnson/Evinrude dealers in the country.

Guido and Denny were always featured speakers at her Spring Open House.  Don't know when Sports Boats opened but both Denny and Guido were big friends with Joanne and Catfish.

I can even remember her having a boat or two of Guido's.  Guido was Johnson and Denny was Evinrude.  Don't remember any boats of Denny's but she did have some of his motors too.  They pretty much for a while had Guido's motors most every year as she would buy them all from him and just write one check.

Here is another deal.  She would sell them as new and I think she got in some kind of a situation on that deal as that was for sure a No-No.  Joanne at one time had so many new motors in boxes she had to build a warehouse.  I remember she had another conflict of putting 3 yr. old new box motors on new boats.  I guess on the first sale I have been told that the outfit would be registered as the year of the boat and not the year of the boat and the year of the motor.

Interesting stuff.

[Bill Babler]

Here is another memory.  Joanne dropped BassCat and Ranger and went with Triton and Skeeter, I believe in the late 90's early 2000's.  She always kept Stratos,  That is most probably when Guido and Sport Boat became an item.  I know she opened in 1982 and I don't think SB opened until late 80's.  She also might just have had the motor deal with Guido or it is even possible and I cannot remember when the companies started writing checks instead of giving motors to Pro's.

in 2008 I went with Champion but Guido was still at that time a fixture at SVM open house.

Joanne was one of the most astute business people I have ever known.  She did not have to borrow money or floor plan boats, you bought a boat from her and she got the entire kit and ka-bottle.  Back in those days interest rates were high on toys and she was really in with about a dozen of the bigger banks in KC.  I can remember her telling us at show meetings at times she was making 1 to  3 points on the loans people were getting from these banks, depending on their credit and terms of finance, plus the boat sales money.   She could get people financed that really had no business buying a boat.   Lots and lots of 15 yr. terms.  As soon as they bought it they were way upside down.

Is that irresponsible of her.  Yes I think so, but she was not in the business of health care, she was in the toy business and if you wanted it and she could, she would put you in it.

Also Joanne priced a boat and that is what it was.  She sold more boats for way over the price you could buy them for if you shopped for better prices.  She pretty much owned KC to Desmoines back in the day.  For some unknown reason people just wanted to buy from a woman in the boat business, and also I will give her that her service was second to none.

Her backdoor income thru the 90's was probably more than most boat dealerships in the Midwest were making thru the front door.

She also sold Lund, Aluma Craft and Godfrey Pontoons.   Mike White the Lund Regional Sales Rep had a territory from Michigan to Arkansas and had close to 60 dealers.  He told me Joanne sold more boats for more money than anyone of those 60 dealers and KC at that time was not a deep V alum. market.  Of course until Brunswick bought Lund, everyone of them had a Johnson or Evinrude on it along with the Godfrey Pontoons, which were way ahead of their time.

I think it was 2000, I was working the KC Boat Show for her.  Not the BST show but the Boat Show.  Her display was to put it in a single word magnificent.  I believe both Guido and Deon both were featured speakers at her siminar's.  I was working the Lund Display as there was a ton of folks working the glass boats.  I remember we had over 20 Lunds there and I think in the entire show she had close to 70 boats.  Not heard of today.

Me, Mike White, Tom Knox and Richard Viets sold a total or 28 Lund deals in those 2  1/2 days.  Done deals with financing approved and cash deals.  It was simply crazy.  If memory serves me she had over 80 total sales for close to 2 million dollars in that 2.5 days.

She had done really well at the KC Boats Sport and Travel Show a month earlier and sold close to a million in boats.  She still had her March open house coming up and just thru those 2 shows she was over 3 million, in 5 days worth of shows.

That was big time fishing boat and pontoon money 19 yrs. ago.  With the internet and competitive pricing, those days are over.  Cripes last year we drove to Dallas to buy a car.

Sorry about the Rambling  A bit of nostalgia.

[Jerry Rapp]

neat stories Bill.  My partner and I won a little Grumman aluminum bass boat at Stockton in the 93 AmBASSador fish off.  Jo Ann and Catfish were the supporting dealer and they treated us like we were Roland Martin and Bill Dance.  Being on the other side of the state, it would have been too much hassle to buy through them, but recommended them whenever possible.  They also helped support MWBT through the years.  Good people.

[Bill Babler]

Thanks Jerry,  In the 80 thru early 2000's  there was probably not a dealership in the country that got as much attention.   Every Bass Master Classic winner and every boat manufacture walked thru those doors, they knew everyone and treated everyone in a professional manner.

To tell you how fortunate I was to tag along would take way more time of yours than I have wasted today as it is.

Their friends were also their business associates to the likes of Gary Clouse, Alan Stinson, Forrest Wood Earl Bentz and  Ron and Rick Pierce. That is some pretty powerful names in the fishing industry. 

It was said Johnny Morris made multiple personal attempts to get them to carry BP products, but it just never happened, as during that time span they felt they were caryring the finest fishing platforms in both Aluminum and glass in the world. 

Be hard to argue that.

[fozzype]

On 12/20/2018 at 2:33 PM, fishinwrench said:

I can't seem to stop my wife. She's trying her hardest to put us in the poor house and I am like her worst enemy right now.  Each year the outlay has to be bigger and more elaborate than the previous one.    

I hate "Christmas" worse than just about anything.  The whole guilt trip thing makes me just wanna bury the checkbook where she'd never find it ...and then get so drunk that I can't even communicate with anyone.  

my wife isn't like that, but I am with you on the second part.  Christmas isn't about what it should be.  Ruins a good fishing weekend.

[Champ188]

Good stuff, Bill … brought back a lot of memories of my own boat dealings as an outdoor writer. One thing is certain … the promotional end of the business has really, really changed. As you pointed out, there are NO deals out there like we used to get. Funny thing is, we basically had free boats and didn't even wear jerseys! LOL

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Champ188 said:

Good stuff, Bill … brought back a lot of memories of my own boat dealings as an outdoor writer. One thing is certain … the promotional end of the business has really, really changed. As you pointed out, there are NO deals out there like we used to get. Funny thing is, we basically had free boats and didn't even wear jerseys! LOL

and that is exactly why those of us that do pay for them cost us so much.  we that were putting up actual cash had to pay for all the freebies.  but, i am happy for all those that got free boats.

 

bo

[fishinwrench]

3 minutes ago, merc1997 said:

and that is exactly why those of us that do pay for them cost us so much.  we that were putting up actual cash had to pay for all the freebies.  but, i am happy for all those that got free boats.

 

bo

Really?  Cuz I'm not.  

The real kicker is that the guys that end up with pretty fresh rigs at a seriously reduced price will throw an absolute fit if warranty doesn't cover something and they have to pay for it out of pocket.   

Does bass fishing truly need all these "pro's" to keep the wheels turning?   I can go along with a dozen or so in the entire industry.....but hell, there are over a dozen just here in my little po-dunk town.  It's rediculous.