MarineMax Acquires Cruisers Yachts | Leopard 53 Cat | Sailfish 242 CC - 05/04/21

Industry News

MarineMax Acquires Cruisers Yachts

Heralding Vertical Integration in the Industry

Along with the 60 Fly, the 60 Cantius is the flagship of the Cruisers Yachts fleet.

MarineMax, the world’s largest recreational boat and yacht retailer, has purchased Cruisers Yachts of Oconto, Wis., which builds boats from 33’ (10.06 m) to 60’ (18.29 m). This comes on the heels of Cruisers Yachts’ acquisition of the Carver-Marquis factory and intellectual assets, announced last week. The 216,000-sq.-ft. Carver factory would allow Cruisers Yachts to double its production to more than 200 boats per year and thus be able to supply MarineMax with increased product availability.

MarineMax CEO Brett McGill said that the Cruisers Yachts fleet “filled a void” in its product line created in 2018 when Sea Ray exited the 41’+ (12.5 m) market of express and flybridge cruisers. Last year MarineMax bought Skipper Buds, the largest dealership in the Midwest, adding five dealers to its chain that sold Cruisers Yachts. Already, a MarineMax store in the Northeast has picked up the line.

MarineMax has 100 locations including 77 retail dealerships and 30 marinas or storage facilities. Company management said it wanted to ensure that its dealers will always have a premium American-built yacht in its lineup. The addition of Cruisers Yachts complements the Galeon Yachts (made in Poland) and Aquila catamarans (made in China) that MarineMax also has exclusive agreements with.

This is a remarkable development because it creates vertical product integration and distribution from the boatbuilder’s mold to dealer showrooms to the marina slip – all owned by MarineMax. The move could be the opening round in a new phase of the consolidation that has been going on for 20 years in the U.S. marine industry. 

In case you’re not paying attention, in the last 52 weeks, MarineMax stock has gone up more than 500% from $12.92 to a high of $63.99, yet the company has a forward P/E ratio of about 10. More...

Leopard 53 PC

Wave-Busting Power Catamaran

It’s not often that we get 3’ (.9 m) to 5’ (1.52 m) seas in which to test boats, but it happened on test day for the Leopard 53 Cat. Our test boat’s plumb bows sliced through the waves with ease regardless of the wave direction. Her ride was relatively stable, the strong suit of cats and the reason they are rising in popularity in the U.S. Her twin 370-hp Yanmar diesels pushed us to 22.5 knots and at a cruise speed of 2800 rpm, she ran 16.8 knots and had a range of 599 miles. More...

Sovereign Boat Club's Fleet

Expands to 4 Florida Locations

The Sovereign Boat Club fleet is expanding this summer with some exciting new boats. A Robalo R317 is available for immediate membership in Bradenton, FL. A Regal 33 SAV is available in St. Petersburg and is taking members now for a June 1 commissioning, joining the Pursuit DC266, which is completing her first season. Later this summer, a Grady-White Freedom 375 will make its club debut in Ft. Lauderdale and a Contender 35 will be located in West Palm Beach. It will be joined by an Edgewater 370 that will be spending its second winter in Florida. Club memberships in these large premium-brand boats are available and are limited to 8 memberships each, for virtually unlimited availability.

For more information, contact SBC general manager Greg Sweeney at [email protected] or 727-200-3474.

Honda Link and a 5-Year Warranty

Honda Link on Honda automobiles has been proven over two decades. Honda Marine has pushed the envelope on 5-year warranties and now other outboard-makers are inching, cautiously, in that direction.

Honda was the first outboard-engine company in the U.S. to offer a 5-year warranty and that was well over a decade ago. Since that time, other brands have put on specials with “extended service” and added warranties for limited times, or 5-year warranties for certain engines, but not their whole line. More recently, Honda has introduced its own proprietary vessel-monitoring system that will allow owners to keep an eye on the boat 24/7. It’s even available for owners of other brands of engine. More...

Sailfish 242 CC

Ready to Head Offshore

When enthusiasts hear “Sailfish,” they expect a ruggedly built fishing-focused boat with deep freeboard and the 242 CC is a prime example. At 38.5” (97.79 cm) amidships and 28” (71.12 cm) at the stern, her cockpit depth is among the deepest in class. There’s also 5’7” (1.70 m) of headroom in the console. Carbon fiber and Kevlar increase strength while keeping weight down and the Sailfish says the Variable Deadrise Stepped hull gives the 242 CC the ability to cut through waves and remain stable at rest. More...

86 Flybridge Cruisers

BoatTEST has 86 flybridge cruisers on display at the Spring Virtual Boat Show from a variety of international manufacturers. Browse the selection by clicking below.

Sun Tracker Fishin' Barge 20 DLX

 Affordable Pontoon Boat w/Space for 10

Sun Tracker’s Fishin’ Barge 20 DLX is actually 21’11” (6.68 m) long overall, which is significant because those extra inches help create a passenger capacity of 10 people. She has fishing chairs and livewells in the bow and stern with a long L-shaped lounge opposite the helm at amidships. She comes standard with a 40-hp Mercury four-stroke outboard. More...

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