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Planning for a fantastic summer: Things to look for in your next boat

May 1st, 2013

Birds chirping, fresh breeze gently rustling through the trees, a bird landing on the edge of the pier. It’s sunrise on a beautiful summer day. In a matter of hours, there will be all kinds of activity fluttering along the shoreline creating turning a vacant piece of waterfront wilderness into America’s summertime living room. Frisbees will be flying, kites will hit the skies, coolers will be rolling to the dock, tubes will be inflated, and boats will be dipping their sterns into the water.

Although it seems as though this winter has seemed to be gripping to the calendar with frigid force this year, we hold out for summer’s insatiable glimmer of hope. According to the Lake Minnetonka Patch we’re on the verge of seeing the ice being gone… Patience…

If it hasn’t happened yet, we’re approaching that time of the year when folks are thinking about summer vacation. It’s time to think about boating. Either you’ve been thinking about your first boat or you’re thinking about upgrading. In both situations, it’s an exciting and possibly intimidating endeavor. There’s good news though – nowadays there are many places to turn.

Maybe you are looking to buy your first boat. What are some things to think about?

What kinds of activities does your family like to do? Water sports like tubing, wake boarding or skiing? Or maybe you plan on taking an occasional over the weekend trip. Will you need to think about having enough sleeping accommodations? Both situations may lead you to a different style of boat.

Chaparral H2O 19 sport and ski boat

Maybe you’re an experienced boater but you’re thinking about getting something else.

Usually bigger – it seems like there is never enough real estate in the boat for any experienced seafarer. Whether you want some more elbow room in the galley for on the water culinary indulgence, or whether you’re looking for more space in the cockpit lounge for entertaining guests.

What kind of electronics or GPS equipment do you use or would help you with your journey? What about other accessories for keeping the kids or grand kids busy – think TV’s with a DVD player for some quick animated entertainment. All are things to be considered for your next boat.

Regal cruiser cabin

Either way, we’re the specialists to help you find the correct boat to fit your ever-changing needs. Stop by and see the Wayzata Marine Team!

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Minnesota Boat Show 2013

January 30th, 2013

Are the snow and cold temperatures getting to you? Well we feel the same! Why not join us for the Minneapolis Boat Show? Wayzata Marine will be there – and the show starts tomorrow!

We’ll be showing the hottest new Regal, Four Winns, and Chaparral Boats. Plus, we’re featuring the all new Chaparral 257 SSX:


With new Features like the innovative dual lounges, the seat effortlessly “switches” from sport cruiser to entertainment bowrider with ease.
This one is a must see if you’re into sport boats!

We’ll see you there!

See our in stock new Chaparral Boats at Wayzata Marine

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Plenty of Boating Season

July 28th, 2012

All too often, we at Wayzata Marine begin to see attendance on the water dwindle after July 4th…but why? Even now, in late July, there’s plenty of boating season left. Despite 15+ weekend days, a huge upcoming holiday, and record high summer temps, many people seem to be throwing in the towel, or working too hard!

Well, we wanted to remind you, summer is in full-swing, right here, right now; and, we want you to take advantage of that. Slap on some sunscreen, pack up the cooler, baggy up a couple sandwiches and let’s get back on the lake!

Because, a few months down the road you might be kicking yourself about not having taken in every last drop of the sun’s warming rays…or about how not for another 6 months will you bathe in MN’s warm waters…or about how the previous sand between your toes has now changed to blistering cold snow. Okay, okay, maybe we’re being a little too rough painting these vivid pains of winter, but the point is we should take advantage of this awesome summer!

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Just like the Fonz, you need to jump that shark and get on the boat…Alright, that doesn’t make any sense, we just really like the picture we found…Nevertheless, you and your family deserve time on the water—there’s plenty of time for work and the whatnot’s in October and November.

This is a time for fun and family, a time for party, a time for summer, a time for boating!

Like we said before, the summer is nowhere near its end. So let’s soak up some vital vitamin-D and get out on the water!

The Crew At Wayzata Marine

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Father’s Day Weekend

June 12th, 2012

How many times has Dad received a tie for Father’s Day? How many times has he received some sort of grilling or golf accessory? Quite a few I bet…This year it’s time to give Dad something different, something he will truly cherish. While beef jerky or a beer is likely a must, time on the water with the family cannot be topped.

Life moves fast, so fast sometimes it’s hard to believe where time went. Kids grow up in the blink of an eye; and, with work, travel, soccer, and hockey games consuming us, it’s easy to look back and wonder where the time went.

Check out this quick video to get an idea of what I am talking about:

You see, a day on the boat is a gift that will really capture Dad’s attention — both this Sunday and long thereafter. Teaching the kids about range, bearing, course, and speed, or assigning them roles (like first mate) will keep the children entertained while allowing Dad the perfect opportunity to create lifelong bonding memories.

At Wayzata Marine, we appreciate the value of time on the water. Life is short…if boating is something you’ve always dreamt about, there is no better time that the present. Take advantage of this borrowed time.

The Crew at Wayzata Marine

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Marina Days!

June 8th, 2012

With the summer heat and shining sun, we decided to throw a little Wayzata Marine company BBQ the other day (which turned out to be a great idea). Seriously, can you think of anything better than sitting out by Lake Minnetonka grilling burgers?

While the service department was offline for just under one hour, everything went smoothly over our “team building” lunch. It served as a great way to build camaraderie and brainstorm ideas about how to further incorporate you guys into the summer fun.

Having a blast ourselves, we concluded that it might be entertaining to do something similar for our customers, and their family and friends—bringing “Marina Days” to life.

That’s right, Marina Days! Well…it’s actually just one day (Saturday the 16th, 11am-4pm), but “Days” sounds cool. Our customers will be invited to attend our free BBQ to hangout around the marina…however, mingling amongst the crowd is not necessarily the only activity. We encourage you to partake in a fun photo competition, via facebook. So bring some boating adventure stories and your cameras/smart phones.

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How does it work?

Okay, what’s going to happen is all/any participants (if they desire) can upload/post their favorite boating image to our facebook page and then vote on their favorite photo by ‘liking’ the post. The rules are pretty lax so use whatever resources you desire—friends, family members, etc. So long as you have a great picture, winning the water tube really depends on how well you can organize a few folks to ‘like’ your picture-masterpiece. Most ‘likes’ = winner, and the winner will be chosen 6/23/12, Good Luck!

We are looking forward to seeing all of our customers there!

The Crew at Wayzata Marine

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Happy Memorial Day

May 31st, 2012

Memorial Day marks a special time where we remember to take a moment to appreciate the costs of freedom and liberty, and what better place is there to do this than the lakes of Minnesota!

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It was evident many of you agreed—the parking lot was full and the slips were empty as many embarked on a Memorial Day boating adventure! Our Dock Crew began performing their duties as well; two new members of the team started and had some adventures of their own! (One team member went for a not so refreshing swim, and another inadvertently dropped the dock crew phone in the water). We were happy to see that these team members showed up for work the next day with high spirits; we feel our new team did a fantastic job this past weekend, and hope our customers agree.

Despite some heavy rain fall (which seems to have “bulked-up” Lake Minnetonka) we were delighted everyone had a fun time on the water; and, cruising toward June at wide open throttle, we quickly close in on more fun this coming weekend!

We hope the parking lot is yet again full, and while you’re here, make sure to check out some of our expanding inventory—like the all new 2012 Regal 3550 or the 2012 Chaparral 226 SSi. Everything is right here for you to see, and we’d love to hear from you about your experiences!

The Crew at Wayzata Marine

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Welcome Back To The Water

May 24th, 2012

The end of spring and the beginning of summer is usually confirmed when talk begins to include the phrase “Memorial Day Weekend.”

Memorial Day Weekend just screams water…and water, of course, screams summer. Summer is busy. This week there have been boaters in and out; new employees coming aboard; and the dock crew to be hard at work tomorrow.

All of this is happening just in time for the fun and energetic weekend that implicitly marks the turning point to the greatest season of all, summer!

Stored and sold boats are migrating their way toward the lake—splashing into beautiful Maxwell Bay—and the slips are filling up with great boats and boaters. We are very passionate about helping people with their boating experience, and this year we are excited to announce one of the new ways we will capitalize on this.

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After assessing where/ how we distribute our attention, we found that additional thoughtfulness could be useful to certain areas, such as social media. Social media is a great medium used for business, enjoyment, and networking (as you surely know). So, we aim to combine all three, providing an emphasis on your enjoyment.

We are interested in staying connected with you and your boating experiences summer-round—not just in the showroom and around the marina, but on the water too.

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Now when you are on the water you can quickly access your mobile device and catch up with us on Twitter and Facebook. We want every boater to maximize the fun they are having on the water and these social mediums can provide that extra level of contemporary nautical involvement.

We are excited to see everyone ramping up for the lively weekend. Welcome back to the water, welcome back to summer, and enjoy the holiday weekend!

The Crew at Wayzata Marine

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My First Show!

January 22nd, 2011

For the first time in my life, I went to the Minneapolis Boat show last night as a spectator…not an exhibitor! It was truly a strange feeling…Wayzata Marine was one of the original dealers in the Minneapolis show…and for 41 years we were a participant. I saw and spoke with many boating industry veterans from in-town and out-of-town…the majority of what I saw on display was fish boats, pontoon boats, and towboats. Occasionally, I would see a runabout or a cruiser, but the show has changed into much more of a fishing and pontoon show. Another interesting thing that I noticed in a very short time was that even though the show had shortened its daily hours and was open one less day, the salespeople were already tired and treating customers poorly! As a spectator, it was hard to tell which companies were really to be trusted. Organizations that I knew to have relatively no service department or showroom looked to be just as respectable as organizations that had the facilities and personnel to treat boaters the way they deserve to be treated.

The best part of our Parade of Boats is that customers get the full attention of our dealership and the opportunity to see our entire operation that they are choosing for their purchase. I really believe that most boats manufactured today range from adequate to good, but the difference between happiness and frustration is the dealerships ability to prepare and service the boats. What customers often don’t understand is that boats only break three months out of the year in Minnesota, but dealerships must staff for 12 months to service them. Dealers must prioritize their resources and help the customers who are most important to the dealership. To do so, the dealership must have the right people and parts to quickly and effectively fix and maintain your boat. Enjoyment without frustration is our goal for every customer…it isn’t easy…and on a rare occasion we fail…but…we are 100% committed and dedicated to superior service…we will do everything in our power to make our customers boating experience the best anyone could ever offer. That is, and always will be, our priority and promise to the customers who put their trust into Wayzata Marine.

Dave

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2011 New Year’s Resolution

January 16th, 2011

I have a New Years resolution…it is to do better with the Wayzata Marine blog! Since writing doesn’t come natural to me, it has been a challenge to be blogging as much as I know I should. My pledge is to do better this year! Happy New Year to all!! In Minneapolis, right after New Years, is “The Parade of Boats”. We go from a very slow time on the sales floor to a very busy time in just a few short days. The parade started on the 10th of January and will end on the 31st of January. Every day we have gotten a little busier, and today we have been overwhelmed with eager shoppers. The last few boats showed up late, but are now on display. Between our Minnetonka Marine and Wayzata Marine showrooms we have 68 boats inside on display, ranging from 18 feet to 37 feet. We have many new never before seen boats on display. Brand new for 2011 from Chaparral are the 246SSI sport boat, 310 Signature cruiser, and 330 Signature cruiser. We are also introducing Regal sport boats, cruisers and yachts to Lake Minnetonka. They are a great line of boats from 18 to 52 feet. After 35 years of not selling pontoons we finally found a line up worthy of our Lake Minnetonka customers…it is South Bay! They make outboard and sterndrive boats from 16 to 28 feet…careful, these aren’t your grandfather’s pontoon! Stop by the Minnetonka show room…there are 12 different styles to choose from. So…January brings the Parade of Boats with fantastic selection and pricing on all of our brands; Chaparral, Regal, Four Winns, South Bay, Chris Craft, Tige and Yamaha Jet Boats! AND…we back them up with award winning service. It sounds like this is truly a Happy New Year!

Dave

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MN Parade of Boats Success

February 22nd, 2010

Well… the Parade of Boats was definitely a success for our company. I would like to thank everyone who stopped by to see us! I am very pleased to say we sold twice as many boats during the Parade this year compared to the MN boat show last year. It brought many boating enthusiasts into our two locations. They saw many more boats then were available to see at the boat show. Boat show incentives were available along with additional cash discounts. I heard from many people how nice it was to shop without the crowds of people distracting them. They also liked the large selection along with the free parking, admission and food. When the weather turned a little nasty no one felt pressured to drive out to see us, they knew the Parade was going on for 11 days and not one weekend like the boat show. The showrooms still have the parade displays intact so don’t hesitate to stop by to have a look, however, you will notice quite a few sold signs on the boats.

All eight locations are planning on being part of the 2011 Parade of Boats. Plus, we have been contacted by several other dealers who want to join going forward. Look for more joint sales events with the Metro Boat Dealers this summer. Rumor has it that we will be at Lord Fletchers, the State fair grounds, and a St. Croix River event!

Dave

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