Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/288177
38 | Boating Industry | April 2014 www.BoatingIndustry.com www.BoatingIndustry.com /// Market Trends /// be popular, but outboard power would be pre- ferred to sterndrive. "It's really a question of demand, and the ability to reach into markets that have not previ- ously been available to us, such as the saltwater runabout market," he said. "We've even seen penetration into northern climates, because the winterization of an outboard is signifi cantly less than an I/O." Like Stingray, Rusin added that Monterey isn't expecting outboards to become a major portion of the company's sales mix. As its sterndrive runabout sales have im- proved, Monterey has found particular success in its mid-range to large models, particularly in the 24- to 29-foot category. Rusin said the clientele is still there for that segment of the market, and that has played well with the company's fresh product lineup in the midsize-and-up range. Its 264FS bowrider sport boat has been par- ticularly successful, with an integrated swim plat- form, swiveling dual bucket seats, an L-shaped lounge that doubles as a sun pad and a recessed telescopic swim ladder that tailor the model to active family users. Monterey offers its customers the choice of either Volvo Penta or Mercury powertrains, and Rusin said he feels improved engine technology is a big buying factor that has the opportunity to drive sales going forward. "The overall current trends globally, whether it's the latest and greatest phone or the latest and greatest car or the latest and greatest anything has driven this to anything that's got a new and innovative technology is going to be appealing to a consumer," he said. The company is also betting on its sus- tained research and development, which has provided the company's dealers a total of eight new boats within the latest two years. Rusin said Monterey's new product assault is going to continue, and the coming two years will keep pace with the previous years. "The people who are selling stale bread are the ones who aren't going to fare as well," he said. "Our R&D department has been in full swing the last several years, and I think that's something that's going to help us in the long term." Rusin sees technology as a major driver of new product trends, including the continued proliferation of joystick docking technology, integrated navigation functions and overall cus- tomer entertainment. "We now offer things like cockpit TVs in the boats, stereos with multi-zone sound control, things that enhance the user experience onboard as opposed to maybe design improvements," he said. "We're always searching for better design and usability, but technology really plays a very important role in the development of our boats." Without opening its product playbook, he added that its next round of models would demonstrate clear advancements in the user ex- perience, technology, functionality and usability for customers. Boat usage surveys also have impacted prod- uct planning, as more boat owners spend time anchored out on sandbars rather than "spending the entire day at full throttle." This has resulted in innovations in seating confi gurations that alter how users are positioned and what they're doing to pass the time on their boats. While accommodating everyone and every use is impossible, Rusin said the company's larger new 268SS and 288SS models demonstrate this trend of greater versatility with the option of an onboard wet bar in the cockpit, which can be substituted with an extra seat instead. As sterndrives as a whole continue to struggle in the face of a marine market that's growing as a whole, Rusin, a former auto guy, equates the growth in pontoons as a trend seen the automotive market. "There was a time when everybody had to have a conversion van with a TV in it and a fold- down bed in the back and every possible option you could have, and then everybody had to have a minivan, and that trend died off into the sport- utility," he said. "Sooner or later, [we're] going to get to the point where I just want to take my family, my wife and 2.5 kids and go fast again." For the rest of 2014, Rusin sees the potent winter as another advantage, where people who have been hit hard will be further moti- vated to enjoy the outdoors when the spring thaw fi nally arrives. Cobalt doubles down Few, if any, sterndrive builders have fared as well in recent years as Cobalt. The southeastern Kansas-based manufacturer of high-end stern- drive boats experienced its best sales year ever in 2013, and is forecasting continued success in the years ahead. "We are continuing to drive sales with new product innovation," said Gavan Hunt, vice president of sales and marketing. "Our newest models, our R series, are showing tremendous success at the boat shows. We're seeing the SD series perform very well all over the U.S., and our new twin sterndrive 336, a bowrider/ cruiser crossover measuring almost 35 feet, has been a huge hit." As some manufacturers diversify their powertrain choices, Cobalt has doubled down on the sterndrive segment by continuing to focus on quality control and attention to detail. P34x40-BI14APR-MarketTrends.indd 38 3/13/14 4:44 PM