Hunter Marine news

[Phil Herring]

John Peterson and Greg Emerson of Hunter Marine were in town today to meet with Signature Yachts, which is right down the street from SailboatOwners.com World Headquarters. We were able to steal John and Greg away for lunch to catch up on Hunter news and industry gossip.

We were pleased to hear that Hunter is once again running 5 assembly lines in the factory. A good chunk of the volume increase is the new 39, which is off to a strong start. (The attached photo of the factory floor was snapped just before Greg left on this trip.)

There's been some turnover in the dealer network as some have closed down, changed lines, or have new ownership. This was most noticeable in Toronto and California where Angus and H&S closed and new dealers stepped up to take their place. (The old-timers here will be pleased to know that Jim Bohart's Sailboats Unlimited is now a dealer for Hunter in Marina del Ray.)

New models are in the pipeline although we're not at liberty to talk about them.

Due to staff reductions, Eddie in customer service is focused on warranty issues now so there can be delays returning customer service messages, but we all agreed that the forum here can be a great interim source of support for owners.

My personal takeaway is that some degree of normalcy is returning to the marine industry and, US economy and Goldman Sachs willing, we'll see the big marine players stabilizing and growing as we get deeper into 2010.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Thanks for the update from World HQ Phil. You could have posted a picture of that too. Or is it too big, doesn't fit in the lense? Seriously though, we would like to see where this is all coming from.

 

[Rick D]

Sounding Better

I know a couple of people who had boats listed for over a year with very little serious interest, but now have sold. Also know a broker who tells me resales have jumped (or maybe more accurately, restarted) very recently. This economy certainly has taken its toll; I just got a 2010 marine directory and find it 1/3 rd thinner than last year's. But... do you think I can get a call back from marine tradesmen? Naw... some things don't change.

 

[Steve Dion]

Yes I think we may have turned the corner. All of those folks that have been hording their money have started to spend again. The Las Vegas Strip has seen a 33% increase in gaming revenue last month and the state has seen a 14% increase overall.

The question is "can this be sustained"?

 

[chuckwayne]

Thanks, Phil, that's good news! FYI, I called Hunter parts late yesterday and Mike Thomas returned my call this morning. As usual, he was very helpful. I think Hunter's support and service is still something we can count on.

 

[Beechjetdriver]

Some of you may remember my thread from early February in which I lamented the fact that Hunter was overdue in mailing our Freedom Boat Sale promotion rebate checks.

Today I am happy to report that I received a check covering the final three months we were owed. Although it took a few months longer than expected, Hunter has fulfilled its obligation to us in full.

The fact that they were able to do this, and Phil's thread about his meeting with John Peterson and Greg Emerson, where he learned that Hunter has five assembly lines up and running, is proof that they have indeed turned the corner and are financially on strong footing.

And despite the fact that Eddie Breeden in customer service is focused on warranty issues, as he should be, he had never taken longer than a day to respond to any message I've left him.

I don't know how he accomplishes this, but he's even gotten back to me on weekends and holidays. The last time he helped me, I hadn't even asked for his help. He read a post I made (Hunter 38 fluxgate location) on this website asking Hunter 38 owners where the fluxgate compass was installed, and he emailed me a PDF (now posted under Hunter 38 in the owner modifications section of the boat info tab) showing all the autopilot component installation locations on the 38.

Is that great customer service, or what!

 

[Steve Walsh]

thanks for the update on the overdue promotional checks. Nice to hear the are busy again. Any updates on the Florida H33 owner with all the unresolved warranty claims against the Wisconsin(?) Hunter dealer that sold it to him?

 

[Phil Herring]

Hi Steve,

Hunter claims that “Hunter Blows” (who, in case you just joined us, purchased his boat from a dealer in Wisconsin to keep it in Florida) was paid in full for his promo last year and that all warranty work was done. He may still be working out some non-warranty issues with the dealer in Wisconsin.

 

[seadaddler]

Great News

I am so glad to hear that things are going well with warranty problems and Hunter doing good customer service.
I have always found Hunter to be very helpful with warranty work and helping customers with repairs or any problems with older boats.
It's good to know that with all the Hunter sailboats out there that Hunter is standing behind their products even with all the down turn and bad times in the boating industry.
Nick