Ever walked up to a stranger in a marina with the same make and model of boat as yours and asked if you could take a peek inside? Most boat owners know they can learn a lot about their own vessels by sharing tips and stories with people who own similar boats. Cruising and partying with those owners can also be a lot of fun.
SEA RAY CUSTOMER ALEX KENTMembers gather during Sea Ray's AquaPalooza event, held on Navarre Beach in Florida. A number of boat owners' groups in the United States have been around for years. The Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club, for example, is more than 35 years old and supports a brand that has celebrated its 100th anniversary. Other groups are just starting out. All can be a powerful addition to your boating life, providing expert advice and a ready source of kindred spirits who enjoy the water the way you do.
If you are buying a new boat, or if you haven't examined the support groups available for your boat in the last few years, it may be worth a look. Owners' groups, associations and clubs come in several flavors. Some are organized by individual enthusiasts, who maintain their independence. Others are sponsored by your boat's dealer or manufacturer. Each has its advantages.
But no matter how they are organized, the rise of the Internet has launched owners' groups into a new, more vibrant era. Most groups have websites and e-mail newsletters that alert members to upcoming rendezvous and other events, as well as classified ads for parts, service and used boats. Some provide a bevy of source material, such as the history of the boat manufacturer, copies of manuals, original brochures and specifications sheets.
Better still, many of these sites are interactive, allowing you to join forums for discussions on topics directly related to your boat, from bilge pumps to burgees. Through the Web, owners' groups and associations can extend your boating community beyond your local marina and cruising area to the whole country, even the world.
DEALER-SPONSORED
SEA RAY CUSTOMER JUDY MITCHELLA Kodak moment captured during a Sea Ray AquaPalooza event on Peddock's Island.
Many boat dealerships have customer loyalty programs that provide social and cruising opportunities for people who purchase new boats from them. These events can range from a single holiday cocktail party to regular owners' rendezvous and cruises.
The Grady Bunch, organized by Grady-White dealership Vero Marine Center of Vero Beach, Fla., is among the best-established dealer groups in the country. The 20-year-old club takes monthly trips to destinations in Florida and Georgia, and makes a cruise to The Bahamas each summer. The dealer organizes the trips, creates the itineraries and books the slips, letting the owners focus on having a good time.
"It's an adult kids' camp, is what it is," says Vero Marine Center owner Bruce MacIntyre, who adds, "We always have somebody in the group that's handy, in case someone has a problem."
Owners find a safety advantage to traveling in a "bunch."
"I feel more comfortable in a group," says Grady-White 33 owner Bobby Lindsey of Vero Beach. "It has allowed me to be very relaxed in making a crossing. Just the security of knowing that if something were to break, there's the support there."
Lindsey describes the group cruises as "turnkey." But it's the social side of the Vero Beach Grady Bunch that really keeps owners coming back year after year. "There's something about boating that ends up serving as a common denominator that brings together people from different business backgrounds," he says.
VERO BEACH GRADY BUNCHOwners' clubs like the Vero Beach Grady Bunch handle the logistics for long-distance cruises, leaving members free to enjoy. A seven-year club veteran, he also lauds the romantic aspects of joining an owners' group. "It has definitely kept me from getting a divorce," he jokes, adding more seriously, "It has given [me and my wife] a focal point of something we both enjoy." The Grady Bunch has also spawned at least one marriage.
BRAND CENTRAL
Many boat dealerships across the country have similar clubs, providing a rich aftermarket experience for their customers. The more active and energetic the dealer, the better the club – which usually translates to more repeat business for the dealership, a win-win situation.
However, most of these groups do not provide the online component that allows you to share knowledge and experiences with boat owners in other areas. For that, you need a brand-focused owners' group that is organized either by the manufacturer that builds your boat or by an independent party, typically a fellow owner.
C-Brats is such a club – and a very popular one – for owners of the salty, Pacific Northwest-built C-Dory line of small, tough cruisers.
VERO BEACH GRADY BUNCHMembers of the Vero Beach Grady Bunch at play.
"We are completely independent of C-Dory, although we have a great relationship with them," says C-Brats organizer Bill Giese. The manufacturer provides a link to the club site on its home page.
A look at the graphic "C-Brat Map" on the club's website shows members across the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as western Canada. This group posts and hosts dozens of owners' rendezvous and cruises in various regions throughout the year. A "Market Place" has members' ads for used boats and equipment, and robust interactive forums allow members to swap advice and technical information.
"Our site slogan makes it clear how we run things: 'No Rules, Just Be Nice,'" says Giese. "Unlike other sites, we rarely have discussions that turn hostile or heated, and people with different backgrounds and beliefs tend to get along just fine. In our four-plus-year history, with over 3,000 registered owners and over 100,000 posts, we've found it necessary to ban one user."
In some cases, groups have grown out of need. The Bristol Owners' Organization, for example, published a website to help owners manage their boats after the manufacturer folded in the 1990s. The site features brochures, specifications, manuals, sail plans, photos and drawings submitted by owners. "This is a website formed so that Bristol owners can share information and support each other in the place of the manufacturer," says the site's home page.
VERO BEACH GRADY BUNCHThe Bunch gathers during a recent retreat.
PERSONALITY PLUS
The success or failure of this type of club typically depends on the amount of time and energy the organizers can devote to it – along with the personality of the organizers themselves. Nyla Deputy has operated the Silverton Owners Club, with her late husband and now on her own, since 1996. She administers the club website, which incorporates owners' forums, a chat room, classifieds and a 15-page newsletter. Membership is between 1,200 and 1,400 Silverton owners.
"Basically, I try to be a matchmaking service," Deputy says. "I get people together who have the same boats and something in common, to exchange information and ideas."
Her secret, she says, is that she runs the club as a business, charging members a modest annual fee. "One of the problems with other clubs is they have all these volunteers – every time they sell their boat and go to another brand or leave boating, the club is left floundering." While Deputy does use volunteers, she does not have to rely on them to perform all the club's functions.
"That's the best way to stay on an even keel," she says.
The club currently offers two membership levels, $28 or $43 a year. The less expensive option sends the monthly newsletter electronically, allowing members to print it themselves. The higher price includes a printed newsletter delivered through U.S. mail each month.
Deputy herself is clearly the beating heart of the Silverton Owners Club.
"I've never met the lady, but I like what she does," says Gordon Converse, owner of a Silverton 34 Express in Elk Rapids, Mich. "She tries to match new members up with existing members who have the same boat."
The more experienced member will help the "newbie" with technical issues, he says. "I can't say enough about the gal and the effort she's put into making the Silverton Club a viable situation." Still, Converse admits, "I don't know what's going to happen if anything happens to Nyla."
VERO BEACH GRADY BUNCHGrady Bunch members pile-up for a few snapshots.
MANUFACTURER BONUS
Manufacturer-sponsored owners' clubs can be a bit less personal, but their status as an in-house marketing tool sometimes lets them to provide member benefits that the independent groups cannot afford. The Sea Ray Owners Club, for example, not only offers a credit card, a glossy magazine, breaks on insurance and discount coupons for goods and services, but it also has a lucrative customer loyalty program called the Sea Ray Earnings Account. Members accumulate points for purchases made at their local Sea Ray dealership that can be redeemed for a rebate of up to $2,000 on a new Sea Ray.
"It's sort of like a cross between Triple-A and frequent fliers' clubs," says Sea Ray Owners Club Program Director Jen Lamb. Now in its 12th year, the club has 200,000 members.
"We're the biggest owners' loyalty group outside of Harley-Davidson," she says.
Another advantage that the club, which has no membership fee and is open to owners of used as well as new Sea Rays, has is unfettered access to the manufacturer's technical staff and archives. "We will research questions like the gel coat color for an older boat," Lamb says. "We can get them in touch with the plant that manufactured it. If we don't have the answer, we'll figure out how to get it for you."
Of course, the largest boat owners' group is giant BoatU.S., which boasts more than 650,000 members. The group is open to owners of all makes of boat, including power and sailboats, and provides a wide variety of services to its membership, including volume discounts on products and services. It also hosts online forums. One of its most essential roles is acting as the voice of the boat owner in Washington, D.C.
Whether organized by a builder, a dealer or a passionate group of fellow boaters, an owners' club or association should have one clear mission: providing fellowship and shared experience to help make your time on the water the best that it can be.
Louisa Beckett is the former Editor-in-Chief of Motor Boating magazine.