Originally Posted by Jupiter Sunsation

1. Cig has cut trade show appearances (Ft Lauderdale, 2 years in a row so far). Nortech added more boats to take their spot on the HP dock.
2. Cig doesn't build for the boat show fans, they build for orders and dealer inventory
3. The Cig/AMG boat was sold before it was built (AMG was the sponsor/buyer).
4. Pretty sure the Abu Dhabi 38 TG was "bringing a customers boat to the show!"

BTW one of the earliest posters on this thread is a long time Cig fan, last one owned was AM2 46 RR so I would think his opinion is valid.

Originally Posted by 39 Unlimited

Never said anything about appearances my reference was to their budget. Since you brought it up, pulling from Fort Lauderdale is one of the reasons Cigarette is still in business and doing well. The Lauderdale show is a Yacht show, I've been there, the only thing that show has in common with boat shows is cold beer. I can tell you this, I didn't run into many Sunsation or Cigarette customers there.

I do agree, the purpose of exhibiting at trade shows is to grow business but there's something to be said for a company that also invests in customer relations by being there with new boats.

Lastly, the 38 TG at the 2014 show was a sold boat, however, it was a NEW boat and didn't have 50 plus hours on it like others I've seen at the Miami show.

Originally Posted by Jupiter Sunsation

Good backpedal.......

Lauderdale used to be as big for Cig as Miami. Lipship built a few boats specifically for that show (Purple Haze 42X comes to mind, that 42X with the Johnny Walker theme was there also). Cig premiered 46 RR Rum Runner there, they also premiered the Cig Yacht there and the 1st 39 Top Gun Open (the one with the Sunsation F4 paint scheme right down to the colors!) at that show in their last appearance there so clearly it has had a pretty strong relevance in the past. They also had a premium spot right where the entry tent dumps every single visitor to the show.

FYI Sunsation sold their first F4/700 boat at that show and they sold a 34 CCX fish boat there last year.

Originally Posted by 302Sport

If this new 50 is in fact a sitdown with a wraparound windshield, they better have done a lot of bottom work and have it running around that 150mph mark to stand a chance against the 50-52 Outerlimits sitdowns. If they just took a Marauder bottom and slapped a sitdown deck on it, I think it will be a couple boats and done. Just like the Maximus....

Originally Posted by jbraun2828

Your like a cig hater/stalker, always talking chit about cigarette but you stalk them and know about every model, who painted it, and where it was sold. You always have an opinion on how they should run their business but would never buy one of their boats, so do they really care what you think? You just can't give them any credit for anything they do. Always talking up sunsation though, why is that? I'm not a fan of them but I don't go into their forum and talk chit about how they run their business or their boats. I respect them for staying in business along with all the manufactures.

Originally Posted by 302Sport

If this new 50 is in fact a sitdown with a wraparound windshield, they better have done a lot of bottom work and have it running around that 150mph mark to stand a chance against the 50-52 Outerlimits sitdowns. If they just took a Marauder bottom and slapped a sitdown deck on it, I think it will be a couple boats and done. Just like the Maximus....

Originally Posted by Matt Trulio

Why promote another company's products? Look at this rapidly growing thread. And without going into specifics, I can tell you that this story ... with just a rendering and very little detail ... is driving significant traffic on speedonthewater.com and its Facebook page. So from a marketing standpoint, I think the "why" is pretty obvious. It creates interest.

Also worth noting ... in no way does the product Cigarette is cross-promoting compete with the product Cigarette is building. It doesn't say Skater or Outerlimits on the side of the boat. It says AMG.

When it comes to the Cigarette-AMG relationship, opinions run strong. (That, too, answers the "why bother" question.) A lot more than once during the years, most recently in a Speed On The Water digital magazine, I've asked Skip Braver point blank if the relationship "sold boats. He answered yes, emphatically, every time. Here's the link to download the magazine with the article in case you missed it, http://speedonthewater.com/in-the-ne...download&id=11.

Mr. Braver doesn't open his books to me—for the record no one in the industry does. But here's what I know: For the past five years, Cigarette has tried something different, a strategic alliance with an upscale luxury product manufacturer. Love it or hate, and there's plenty of both and very little in between, the company has taken a different approach in tough economic times. Beyond what Mr. Braver and others have told me (not all in support of course) I have no way to "judge" the success of the alliance. But my opinion of the effort is that at least they've been trying something different and, frankly, aggressive.