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I always seem to be the bargain hunter at the shows. After all, I'm usually
there looking for the best values to offer to my customers. Considering
the thousands of items to look over, and all the people who want to show
me everything they have to offer, that's often a big task. Trust me when I
say that not everyone who claims to offer a product that has a lot of value
for the dollars spent is telling the truth.
It seems everyone has a new gizmo, gadget or garment to offer at the Fly
Fishing Retailer show. There are more new reels and rods and lines than
the mind can comprehend. One company will try to overwhelm you with
technical jabbering when you ask why their product costs twice as much
as a similar product down the aisle, while another company will just say
theirs is the best. Whew, it's always a pleasure when you find something
of value that doesn't cost at least ten times what it's worth.
This year I studied and probed and looked for the best values. I was almost
successful in avoiding the hooks of those who wanted to lure me into their
booth so they could molest my time and sensibilities with another product
nobody needs and most of us don't want. I even found some good bargains
that I think my customers will enjoy without having to choose between steady
meals and another new gadget.
When a trusted manufacturer asked me to look at a product he thought I would
like, I followed him based on that trust. When it turned out to be another personal
pontoon craft company, I nearly walked out of the booth having seen dozens if not
hundreds of similar looking craft for sale just down the aisle of the show. I even
expressed my doubts that I would even stick around for the discussion because
I was sure their product was another pontoon craft in the $800 plus category.
(It looked like it was in that price range.)
I nearly fell over when the manufacturer pointed to four of his pontoon boats fully
equipped with oars and added accessories with price tags under $400.
I'm talking about welded frames, one which was aluminum, foot bars, cargo racks,
fold down boat seats, take-down oars and other nice features for prices that start
at just over $330 for the models with 8 or 9ft pontoons. Did I mention I was
shocked?
Water Skeeter isn't exactly new to the market (they've been around for
slightly more than a year), but they are new to me. Something else that's new is
a manufacturer who looks for ways to provide more bang for your hard earned
buck without sacrificing any features or safety. Bob Myers, president of Water
Skeeter, says he decided to start the company because he was convinced he
could build a better pontoon craft and sell it at a price much lower than the
other products on the market.
The Water Skeeter pontoon boats I looked at were every bit as nice, had more
standard features, and cost much less than the other pontoon craft just down the
aisle of the building. In fact, I would say that feature-for-feature, Water Skeeter
pontoon boats are half to one fourth the price of any similar boat on the market.
I'm impressed.
My show pick last year was another type of pontoon craft. I was hesitant to pick
a pontoon craft again, but I couldn't find a better value for the money required to
buy it. There just wasn't anything that provided a better price reduction for the
quality available, than this company's boats. They even have a U-shaped float
tube (called the Day Tripper) with pontoons under it that will float a 250 pound
person after all the air has been let out of the pontoons and float tube. Will your
float tube do that? Will it do it for less than $240 retail?
I'm not going to pick a single item; I'm going to pick a company this year. Water
Skeeter pontoon boats and float tubes are my pick of the show. There were
other true bargains there, but none that I saw provided more value for your
hard-earned dollar than Water Skeeter pontoon boats and float tubes.
For more information on Water Skeeter pontoon boats and float tubes, contact:
Sports Innovations, Inc.
2701 E. Hammer Ln., #110
Stockton, CA 95210
Ph: 209-951-8662
Fax: 209-951-9311
Or visit their web site at : www.waterskeeter.com .
~ AC
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