State of the Marinaut Business

Les Lampman":1qjukgyu said:
It's the demo boat that's going to Toronto!

I'll keep an eye out for it!! Would love to see it. Didn't know there was one around here.

Good to hear you will be bringing more boats to market. Wishing you all the best.

Regards, Rob
 
Les,your very fine explanation of the way you are going forward with the Marinaut with Nordic Tug is a real feather in your cap. The step by step approach will work well for the two of you. Ted
 
Congratulations Les,

This marriage between Nordic Tug and your Marinaut sounds like a major winner for you and future customers as well. Are there any plans for a larger model of the Marinaut in your future?

Best wishes,

Jerry and Helen
 
Les,
congratulations on the "Combine" Great match. You have always given to the community, by keeping the standards of bulding and outfitting very high! Lots of great information thru the years. You do it right! Thanks
 
Good news Les! I just came across your name last night organizing some additions to our outboard service paperwork from when Joe and Ruth bought the 19 and had you rig it. You have been a fixture here and it will be great to see more Marinauts out there.

Greg
 
My IRA":7i9ejcjy said:
Congratulations Les,

This marriage between Nordic Tug and your Marinaut sounds like a major winner for you and future customers as well. Are there any plans for a larger model of the Marinaut in your future?

Best wishes,

Jerry and Helen

Hi Jerry,

Thanks! :-)

If the production of the M215 goes well then I'll certainly look at developing a larger model. I'm pretty sure it will be an M245 that will basically be a larger version of the M215. I suspect it will be much the same with a head and a bit more space but I'm definitely intending for it to be towable with the likes of a Jeep Grand Cherokee, a Toyota Sequoia, a Suburban/Yukon, or a Ford EcoBoost V-6 powered F150, etc. So, maybe 7,500 pounds (max) all up towing weight, which means no fat, deep, or tall beast of a boat.

[My personal target all up tow weight is 6,000 to 6,500 pounds, which I think is achievable if we base the M245 on the M215 and keep it simple. That said, this is in brackets 'cause I'm whispering and this isn't official!]
 
Robert H. Wilkinson":1bdkhjjb said:
Les Lampman":1bdkhjjb said:
It's the demo boat that's going to Toronto!

I'll keep an eye out for it!! Would love to see it. Didn't know there was one around here.

Good to hear you will be bringing more boats to market. Wishing you all the best.

Regards, Rob

Hi Rob,

It's not there yet! We've got a bit more to do before we finish up and then I'll wait for the new owner to tell me when the weather is fit for a boat delivery. Certainly by April the boat should be in the Toronto area.

Most Marinaut folks are very outgoing, so I'm sure if you'd like to visit with the owner I could pass along your contact information (once you send it to me and give me permission).

Thanks so much for the well wishes!

Les
 
Hi everyone,

It's getting difficult to answer each post individually, which speaks to the wonderful amount of support we get from the community.

Thanks to one and all for the kind words, it means a lot.

Les
 
Les,

Congratulations Les! I have not looked at this site for several of months (we have had some of the coldest weather here in the past 100 years, so boating has not been on my mind,) and just read this post. Nordic Tugs makes boats of tremendous quality and do really excellent fiberglass work. This is wonderful news for Marinaut Boat Company, for Nordic Tugs and the boating community in general.

We have had four seasons with our Marinaut and are looking forward to our fifth year! My wife and I can't give a better testament to the quality and design of the boat than to state that if we were to buy a new boat today, it would be a Marinaut. We spend between 15 and 21 overnight stays on her every year, and we find it is a comfortable and cozy boat that continues to satisfy our needs.

Thank you for everything,

Rich
 
Hi Rich,

You have had some awful weather back in your neck of the woods!

Thank you for the kind words. We're looking forward to our association with Nordic and being able to deliver more boats. It's still go to be fairly low production but much better than our 3 to 4 boats per years pace. And, we have the capacity to grow if there is more demand for the boats.

Get ready for spring! :-)

Les
 
Les,

My apologies to you and this community for not being more active here with pictures and posts since taking delivery of Marinaut #3. Unfortunately since then I've been really busy with the three B’s - Business, Baby (first grandchild!) and of course Boating. With the boat I’ve tried to use it as often as possible, but still not near as much as I like. It’s been a dream for quick weekends, several day excursions and single day trips, for cruising , fishing and just hanging. Within a few hours trail, the northeast has some of the nicest varied summertime boating opportunities going - big rivers, lakes, canals, bays, sounds and oceans with some beautiful coastlines. A trailerable cruiser like the Marinaut and C-Dory is perfect to experience it all.

I do manage check in to C-Brats occasionally and saw your post. Congratulations on the arrangement with Nordic Tug. It sounds like it will be great for both of you and for the community as well.

Funny story – I was at the Boston Boat Show I think in early Feb and checked out the Nordic 34 or maybe a 38 on display. Beautiful boat. The salesman was friendly, courteous and low key and answered a few general questions. As I was getting ready to exit I told him, “no – just looking. I recently took delivery of a new boat – a pilothouse style in fact, but smaller.” “Really, what brand?” “Marinaut” “Nice boat, I know them well” Thinking him confused or just being gracious – “Really? Nobody I know ever heard of them. Back here in the east people barely know the similar C-Dory brand.” “No, in fact we are going to start building them” “What, get outta here!” Now I thought he was pulling my leg. Then he asked me “Did I deliver your boat?” He didn’t but I looked at his name tag – Cory and put things together. This group will know him - Cory Gracy from Sharp Transport. He now also has a national position with Nordic Tug and was there supporting the local dealer. It was late and I was heading out of the show but I did chat with him for a few minutes and he told me some of the arrangements with Marinaut. How exciting.

My wife and I are happy and excited for you and Kathy and for the Marinaut brand. As an early adopter one only wishes success and of course we now hope for your continued growth. The relationship with such a quality company speaks very well to you and the quality of the boat you build and the possibilities are limitless. I can speak first hand to the quality of design, craftsmanship and performance of the boat. We have thoroughly enjoyed every minute on her and look forward to the many trips to come. Echoing the sentiments of many others here, it’s not just a boat, it’s an experience.

Best of luck and congrats again.

PS The Nordic Tug dealer here in CT might make a nice prospect. There’s a couple of your prodigies here in the neighborhood. Just sayin.
 
Hi,

Thanks so very much for the kind words and encouragement! It's the folks willing to take a chance on the Marinuat boats (and us) that have made it work. It's a delightful boat, as each owner will attest, and that's why we keep pushing forward. So thank you very much for being a part of it all.

Les
 
Leo Smith":4r7xnsem said:
Hi Les,
Anything new with the Marinaut business? It has been awhile since we have heard from you. Hope all is well.

Hi Leo,

Thanks for your question.

We're still moving along doing our thing, albeit a bit more slowly than planned. I left the US in early October to spend a bit of time in the Philippines for the winter. Kathy is still at the store, it's open and the shop is open as well. Our head mechanic had some health challenges this year and has taken some time off as well.

I'll be back in the Spring and I'll be concentrating on getting production up on the Marinaut, as well as trying to find some dealers for the boat.

Happy Holidays!

Les
 
Since Les has moved on, there hasn't been much discussion on Marinauts. Are these boats still in production? This is such a nicely designed and crafted boat, that it would be a shame if the molds are sitting in a barn somewhere collecting dust.
 
Leo Smith":i7k8miix said:
Since Les has moved on, there hasn't been much discussion on Marinauts. Are these boats still in production? This is such a nicely designed and crafted boat, that it would be a shame if the molds are sitting in a barn somewhere collecting dust.

Last I heard from Kathy, they were still making the boats but they were working out some changes in vendors. I'll check in with her to find out what's up.
 
Leo
Thank you for asking about the Marinaut boats! Carl, Stan, and I along with Dave Thompson intend to get these boats back into production. Such a great boat! At the moment we have a really nice used one on the market-he just bought the boat last year, however after some enjoyable cruising with the boat they want to go bigger. The owner of the boat listed the boat on the C-Brats site. Kathy
 
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