Rochester Sports Show, A Few Pics

Wait a minute? I thought they had a walleye team…where do you fit in?

…and bass guys don’t fish out of Lunds!

They have walleye guys, but I will not hold that against them. Nobody’s perfect!

Lunds are just to slow. Rnager baby!

Al’s has Rangers too!

Last time I used bass and Ranger in the same post I thought the internet crash on me!

I’m oudahere!

Al sponsors alot of bass guys who fish/buy Rangers from him. He has told Brunswick where the door is but it yet remains to be seen if he sticks to that. He has brought in Polarcraft as a possible replcement to Lund boats. Smittys was asked many times, even in front of me several times at last years Sportshow by the Lund/Brunswick Reps to please bring in Mercury and stick with Brunswick. His Evinrude E-tec and Alumacraft sales are possibly way to great to ever give them up. Its not a question of whose being selected but who will give everything else up just to carry Lund/Mercury for Aluminum boats and outboard motors. 2007 isn’t over yet so we won’t know for sure til the beginning of 2008 I guess as thats when the contracts expire.

Thanks, Bill

I didn’t know that.

…but I can still get my live well timer there right?

Bill. You may be mistaken. There are some benifits from buying a boat from them, but they do not sponsor any Bass guys like the Walleye guys.

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Its not a question of whose being selected but who will give everything else up just to carry Lund/Mercury for Aluminum boats and outboard motors.
Thanks, Bill

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Bill;
am I understanding your correctly, that if a dealer carry’s Lund/Mercury, they cannot have any other type of boat/motor?

No. If you carry the Lund boat line, you can only hang a Mercury on it now. If you want a Evinrude or Hammer you have to pay more than usual to have it hung type deal.

Gary, what Brunswick wants to happen is to sell a boat, motor, trailer and possibly even electronics to their dealers. They want their dealers to be a dealership that carry only their products in their aluminum boats, Murcury motors etc. They don’t want them carrying other aluminum boat brands, no other motor brands. Right now Brunswick is taking a big hit so to speak in sales which is what they want. Ok…let me explain this now that I have your attention. lol. Brunswick, let me just pick out a figure out of the air and lets say Lund sells 20,000 boats a year. They now want to sell only say 10,000 boats a year but doing it this way they will make as much money if not more because now you will have to also buy their motors, trailers etc. Less work and make the same money or even more because now they get the profit from not only the boat but also the motors and trailers etc. Its one of the not so common things where less can equal more money if you get what I’m saying. Brunswick has a huge plant that they built in Tennesse where they have been building Triton boats. They now are starting to build half of the Lund boats there too which has meant alot of layoffs in northern Minnesota at the old plant. This new plant is big enough to build all the Lund boats, all the Cresliner boats and still build the Triton boats too. Also the economy is different down there and workers are paid ALOT less than the pay scale up here. If anyone is looking for a new Lund boat but doesn’t want a Mercury motor Smittys has some real nice ones in stock, Explorers up to 2025 Pro Vs that you can buy with a E-tec motor or put your old motor on it if you want to upgrade the boat only. This is a great chance to do that before people are stuck with being able to buy packages only. I traded my Lund boat, don’t get me wrong as I loved my Lund and they make great boats, for an Alumacraft instead of for another Lund because the boat I chose had the same great features and quality of the Lund and also offered more room and also a few different features that I wanted because I now have gone back to multispieces fishing and also have a bunch of grandkids so the more room and features of the boat fit me very well. When the time comes to upgrade my Johnson main motor it will be with an E-tec as their features out rate other motors and epecially Mercurys in my opinion. Thats what fits my fishing and has the features and quality that I wanted. Everyone has their own wants, needs and style and these items fit my own style best for me. I hope this answers your question and also answers questions that others hasve wanted answers to also. Things are changing in the boat/motor/fishing world and Brunswicks style of selling boats now, which has included some big price hikes from what other fishermen have told me who are boat shopping, have and will continue to make the independant boat companies become more popular because they offer the consumer a good quality boat and you can have it rigged without a black motor. My research shows the Alumacraft boats to be very high quality boats. I had owned 2 Alumacrafts and 2 Lund boats prior to my last boat purchase.

Thanks, Bill

Bill;
I understand all of this…….

I was just really confused with your statement that a dealer has to give up all other products just to sell Lund/Mercury.

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Bill;
I understand all of this…….

I was just really confused with your statement that a dealer has to give up all other products just to sell Lund/Mercury.

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Alot of dealers sell more than one brand of aluminum boat and more than one brand of motor. Brunswick wants them to get rid of the other brands and carry their brand only. And that could mean giving up alot of their customers who are loyal to the other brands that they have carried in the past. That could mean losing a big chunk of their business in order to please Brunswick. For alot of dealers that would be too much of a loss of business so they are telling Brunswick they aren’t interested.
Thanks, Bill

Sounds like a big business turning into a bully. Not many people want to have anything to do with a bully.

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I was just really confused with your statement that a dealer has to give up all other products just to sell Lund/Mercury.

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I think that was a no…Gary.

Please remember any thing I say is opinion…’cause I don’t know squat about the boat biz.

Interesting point Mike…as I was just thining about that the other day.

I’m wondering in Joe Sixpack will even care? Now someone like Bill, tourney anglers…you know the fairly hard core guys, I’m sure are not happy about this type of set up…even though other boat/motor companies have been doing this for sometime.

It’s not that a consumer “can’t” get a differant motor…it’s just going to cost (I heard $2000.00) more.

I know there other threads in the forums by folk MUCH more in the know than myself…and I do run a Lund with a Merc…but to “me”…they could be putting Honda motors on Lunds and it wouldn’t make much differance…to me.

No brand loyalty? Guess not. I just like my Lund…although they need to do something with their live well timers…and their horns…need a louder horn!

If your going to plop down 15-20 thousand on a new boat motor and trailer I am going to get the motor that I want to get. If i want a two stroke E-tec that’s almost a hundred pounds lighter than the fancy black four strokes I will just get the boat and they can keep the motor. I think most dealers would jump at the chance to put a new motor on a new lund boat if it means taking money away from bruswick. I think its a turn off when they ask you what kind of motor do you want? A Mecury or A Mercury.

I think that’s my point. I might not care if it’s black or grey…the point is…is that there are still motors out there that can be put on a Lund…Crestliner and Lowe…that aren’t black.

Please remember any thing I say is opinion…’cause I don’t know squat about the boat biz.

You got that right Brian!!

Hang in there Tim. Open water warmer weather bass season is comin!

Ankle is healed and ready to go!!

From what i hear its not just mercury motors but also electronics and trailers that come pre-rigged from the factory with lunds and crestliners.

I think this ploy by brunswick is going to mean big business for alumacraft.

I don’t agree with what they’re doing either. I like options and choices. We all think we know whats best and like to buy what we think is best. This motor, that boat, this gps, that trolling motor, etc.
Do you think it will eventually get to be like vehicle manufactuers? Ford, Chevy, Dodge? Each boat company will own an engine and exclusivly hang them?

Theres not enough motors to go around for each boat company to own one. ”Thank goodness.”

If your looking for a Lund boat Smittys Marine in Lake City is a Lund dealer through the year 2007. They can sell you a boat with an E-tec motor on it too.

Thanks, Bill

Just to let everyone know. You can put any brand of motor you wish on the back of a new Lund boat you buy! It does not have to be a Merc. You can put a e-tec, a Yamaha or a Merc on it.

Al’s will be able to sell and service any Lund boat you purchase new from them now and in the future. They are a great bunch of guys there and will provide “Top Notch” service after the sale.