Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/687402
PWC Dee's Marine will raise funds to send kids with autism to camp BY KATE SWANSON ASSISTANT EDITOR For PWC riders in the Michigan area, August just a got a whole lot more interesting. Dee's Marine & Powersports of Clinton Township, Mich., announced that it would host a PWC Poker Run on Aug. 11. The dealership is a single-line BRP plati- num-certified dealership that carries a variety of Can-Am, Ski-Doo and Sea-Doo units. The Poker Run, which is still in the plan- ning stages, will support kids with autism and raise funds to send them to camp. The dealership released a "Save the Date" email to promote the event and draw attention to the benefits of the ride. The email reads in part: "This is a benefit to help Autistic children to camps where they can learn important social skills, continue to learn how to interact with other kids and adults, gain confidence, tackle feats, develop friendships and learn to believe in themselves. For a child with autism, these Dealer plans first PWC Poker Run for charity See PWC, Page 51 PWC sales continued to head up in April, according to the latest Info-Link Bell- wether report. The Bellwether report tracks sales of powerboats across the country based on new U.S. boat registrations on a rolling 12-month basis. Bellwether states are geographically dispersed states representing roughly half of the U.S. boat market (varies by market seg- ment and time of year). The ski boat and PWC segments contin- ued to show the strongest growth, with ski boats up about 15 percent for the period and PWC increasing just less than that. All powerboat sales were up about 7 per- cent for the 12 months ending in April. The sterndrive/jet segment showed its best performance since the recession, up 5 percent for the period. The segment has been posting small year-over-year gains since the middle of last year. The sportfish market also stayed strong, with sales increasing slightly more than 5 per- cent for the year. Overall outboard sales were up about 7 percent. SEA-DOO LAUNCHES FACEBOOK CONTEST Sea-Doo is excited to kick off the 2016 U.S. summer boating season with the Share Your #SeaDooLife video contest. The Share Your #SeaDooLife video contest gives Facebook fans the chance to win $500 in Sea-Doo rid- ing gear and accessories and a Cyclops Gear CGX2 4K action camera. The contest runs through June 12 and invites watersports fans to upload their videos showing how they have fun on the water and live the Sea-Doo Life. BRP will choose the top 10 videos from the submissions. The top 10 participants with the most votes will move on to the juried portion of the contest where the top three winning videos will be selected based on creativity and originality. Sea-Doo wants to see how fans have fun on the water and show off that fun with the 300,000- plus Sea-Doo Facebook fans. Whatever fans do to have fun on the water, such as touring, rac- ing, wake sports, tubing, camping, tanning, fishing or exploring, they can upload their video to the contest could net some great prizes for some lucky entrant. Entrants will not be judged on production quality but capturing the essence of the Sea- Doo Life. Fans can visit the Sea-Doo Face- book page or enter at http://bit.ly/1Weyr5b. PARTS UNLIMITED PWC CATALOG RELEASED For on-the-water performance, comfort and style, there is no better place to turn than the 2016 Watercraft Catalog from Parts Unlimited. No matter what your watercraft customer is into — sit-down, stand-up, ride-in or ride-on — all the top prod- ucts from brands like Slippery, Bel- Ray, Yuasa and more are in the catalog. PSB DIGEST PWC sales continue to ride growth in April Sales of models like the 2016 Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra LX led to another strong month of sales in April for the PWC segment. Sea-Doo's #SeaDooLife video contest is the brand's latest social media-based contest. The 2016 Parts Unlimited Watercraft Catalog is now available. Dee's Marine & Powersports in Clinton Township, Mich., has done brisk Sea-Doo business for years as a single-line BRP dealer. Here, the Macomb County Sherriff's Department's Marine Division picks up a pair. 44 • June 13, 2016 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com