Catalina Yachts sold !
- Thread starter Mike Mc
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- catalina sold
This came up in the thread here - New Owner for Catalina Yachts
According to the linked article “both Catalina and True North will continue operation in their existing plant in Largo, Florida. The current staff will be maintained, and the new owner will continue to support the existing dealer network.” Hopefully that holds true.
According to the linked article “both Catalina and True North will continue operation in their existing plant in Largo, Florida. The current staff will be maintained, and the new owner will continue to support the existing dealer network.” Hopefully that holds true.
Daedalus was a master builder, father of Icarus. He warned his son not to fly too close to the sun. So.... I can see why Daedalus Yachts wanted a proven experienced winner to complement their commitment to advanced technology. My concern is that they respect and continue Catalina Yachts' commitment to customer service, a cornerstone of their success and the legion of repeat owners. There's nothing wrong with having high ideals and lofty goals, but I think their purchase of Catalina was an acknowledgement that service, customer relations and dealer support are important fundamentals to a successful business.
Anyway..... the boat depicted in this fantasy vid is pretty damn cool.
Anyway..... the boat depicted in this fantasy vid is pretty damn cool.
I have never seen anything that makes me believe that either Reardon or Muff is capable of understanding Catalina. I believe they might have success with the company, as a business, but I think that Catalina, as an institution that makes sailing accessible, will be palpably diminished by this time next year, and dead in three.
We will see new and "innovative" designs that either nobody wants and/or they can't afford. Daedalus must have at least one line of boats in mind that they want to mass-produce. That is the only reason the acquisition makes sense.
My prediction: It is a futuristic-looking catamaran with electric drive. A few people will buy one but, being a multihull, very few people will be able to secure moorage. They will be a status symbol among people who don't really know or love sailing and the boats won't sail well anyway. People will lose interest (and/or moorage) and they will be a footnote in 10 years.
That's my prediction.
We will see new and "innovative" designs that either nobody wants and/or they can't afford. Daedalus must have at least one line of boats in mind that they want to mass-produce. That is the only reason the acquisition makes sense.
My prediction: It is a futuristic-looking catamaran with electric drive. A few people will buy one but, being a multihull, very few people will be able to secure moorage. They will be a status symbol among people who don't really know or love sailing and the boats won't sail well anyway. People will lose interest (and/or moorage) and they will be a footnote in 10 years.
That's my prediction.
I wish that were the case in today's world. But it seems customer service is a relic of the past. Many companies today make a lot of noise about customer service but when a customer tries to contact a company they are given the stiff arm of referral to the website, answering machine loops, off site or off shore phone centers and chats to evade having to pay someone who can actually help.
The history of the of sailboat builders surviving after a sale is poor.
True, but most of those sales were probably of companies that were already in too much trouble to continue on their own. If Catalina’s sale was just driven by Frank Butler’s passing and his heirs not wanting to stay in the business the company may be in better shape than most sold manufacturers.
bummer. When I acquired my C 27 in 1999 I was flabbergasted at the quality of customer service and parts dept. accessibility. I think the customer service guy's name was Dave Grashoff or something like that. He was fantastic.... but NOT a dealer... rather an employee of the company... and he's helping me with a 20 plus year old, out of production boat with at least three previous owners. He sent me a new owners package with all kinds of goodies, a price list that they honored..I felt so good about the Catalina purchase because of the way I was initially treated by them.... I have heard of them and others putting less emphasis on the customer service side of the business. Funny, companies keep campaigning for new buyers, instead of investing time and resources with the established ones.... those who will likely purchase another over time.I know nothing regarding Reardon or Muff or who they are. I unfortunately do agree 200% with Foswick about diminishing affordable popular boat designs, products and the predicted life of Catalina.
To me it sounds like Maserati all of a sudden wanting to make Ford or Chevys but mostly wanting to focus on Maseraties.
To me it sounds like Maserati all of a sudden wanting to make Ford or Chevys but mostly wanting to focus on Maseraties.
I think we all had a bit of a knee jerk reaction to the sale. However as some one said after we lost Frank it was not a surprise either. Like another said, I think that they have a vision of making the high end yacht predicted. The purchase of Catalina will insure cash flow in order to build their dream. It is almost certain that the current lines will take a price hike and hopefully the history and customer service will be lost. Foswick's comments make a lot of sense to me as well as many of the others. I have been associated with Catalina for almost two decades and have owned my boat for that long as well. The customer service and their listening to their customers have been incredible. For now many things are up in the air but one thing does not change. My boat will be as good tomorrow as it is today and I will have to die I think to get rid of it, unless I move to the coast and buy a C-42.?. I think all you have to do is follow the money. I believe, and have no inside information, that the two lines will smooth the cash flow for investment into the fantasy line they want to build. Hopefully some where along the way they will get it as to what good customer relations can add to a company. I have always been gung ho for Catalina and that was due to Frank and Gerry. I have talked and worked with them both and they were both AWESOME to work with. But I do believe that in the next decade we will truly see what Catalina has accomplished as well as have an even greater respect for them! I have been a technical editor for them for over 15 years and will be watching closely as well as many of you as to what the future holds. You know they will make changes and have paid a large sum to be able to have that right but I hope as they move forward the think of both the history, reasoning and vision that it took to build that company. Long live Catalina!
Agree, Catalina is/was one of the best consumer-oriented companies ever, which was smart business when your dealing with sailboats - as a result their loyalty and re-sale value are second to none (plus they're great boats). I am going to assume (I know, dangerous) that the owners of Daedalus are also smart business people - they were able to purchase Catalina after all - and they realize the value of Catalina as a long term manufacturer with a devout following and that making high-end only boats is risky. Diversifying their offerings with the Catalina line helps alleviate some of that risk and lets them play in a completely different market so hopefully their plan is to continue running Catalina in a similar fashion.