Jim Bohart, a great man who was instrumental in the success of HunterOwners.com, passed away last week after a long illness. He was 57.
Jim was a regional sales manager for Hunter Marine when this site began, back in 1995. He was one of the first to see the value of the internet to owners and manufacturers, and instinctively understood what is now called social media. He served as an unofficial representative of Hunter to the users of this site, and had his own forum which was named Ask the Hunter Rep. He brought great insight to the forum and pulled no punches, making him a controversial figure at times. His forum was called many things, but never dull.
I was lucky enough to know Jim well in those years. He used to say he "never had a bad day in his life," and his demeanor reflected that. He was an entertaining, magnetic personality who people enjoyed being around, both marine industry folks and boat owners alike.
I attended a few owner rendezvous with Jim and did a fair amount of sailing with him. He was a remarkable sailor who brought a reassuring confidence to the helm. I never saw him lose his cool on a boat, despite some challenging conditions -- and on more than one occasion, challenging people.
Around 2000 Jim left Hunter and opened a dealership in Marina del Ray which sold Hunter and later, Beneteau sailboats. He left the dealership this past year to go back to Hunter Marine, a job he had to leave due to declining health.
Jim's path and mine wandered off in different directions, and much to my regret, we lost touch with each other about 10 years ago. I am forever in his debt for all he taught me about the marine business, sailing, and life in general. He was a big man in every sense of the term, with an even bigger heart.
He will be missed.
Jim was a regional sales manager for Hunter Marine when this site began, back in 1995. He was one of the first to see the value of the internet to owners and manufacturers, and instinctively understood what is now called social media. He served as an unofficial representative of Hunter to the users of this site, and had his own forum which was named Ask the Hunter Rep. He brought great insight to the forum and pulled no punches, making him a controversial figure at times. His forum was called many things, but never dull.
I was lucky enough to know Jim well in those years. He used to say he "never had a bad day in his life," and his demeanor reflected that. He was an entertaining, magnetic personality who people enjoyed being around, both marine industry folks and boat owners alike.
I attended a few owner rendezvous with Jim and did a fair amount of sailing with him. He was a remarkable sailor who brought a reassuring confidence to the helm. I never saw him lose his cool on a boat, despite some challenging conditions -- and on more than one occasion, challenging people.
Around 2000 Jim left Hunter and opened a dealership in Marina del Ray which sold Hunter and later, Beneteau sailboats. He left the dealership this past year to go back to Hunter Marine, a job he had to leave due to declining health.
Jim's path and mine wandered off in different directions, and much to my regret, we lost touch with each other about 10 years ago. I am forever in his debt for all he taught me about the marine business, sailing, and life in general. He was a big man in every sense of the term, with an even bigger heart.
He will be missed.
